TheHardTackle Award #5: Forward of the Season – Robin van Persie, Ibrahimovic, Falcao, Messi, Ronaldo and More

By Uday Telkar
13 years Ago

The most lethal facet of a starting eleven – players with the ability, skill and finesse to finish off a game or turn it around in the blink of an eye; such is a prestige of a striker. With the recently concluded football season in Europe, there have been some scintillating performances from not just the top teams but also those who have shown the spirit despite lacking in quality. Who then, are the strikers who stand out as the shining light at their club?

We, here at TheHardTackle, have picked 10 strikers who have time and again showcased their plethora of talents this season. Their presence on the pitch has been instrumental while their absence has hurt. Here are the nominations for TheHardTackleai??i??s Striker of the Season.

Robin van Persie (Arsenal)

The stuff of ai???The Invinciblesai??i?? is unforgettable. However, in Robin van Persie, the era of Henry, Pires, Bergkamp, et al, has left a trail. The striker has scored 38 goals all season along with 10 assists, 30 of those goals coming in the Premier League, bringing him on par with the legendary Theirry Henry. Van Persie led his team by example on several occasions through 2011/12. His hattricks against Blackburn in their 7-1 demolition at the Emirates and against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in a mouth-watering game that led to an Arsenal victory are two performances that stand out in the Dutchmanai??i??s season. The papers will come out linking him to a host of clubs now. It is a direct indication of what a good season he has had.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (AC Milan)

With 35 goals and 10 assists to his name, it is hard to discount Ibrahimovic from this list. The main feature of his game this season has been his ability to invent a creative move playing alongside a midfield that severely lacked creativity. He dropped deep, engaged in the build up, played almost as a midfielder at times and also was pretty solid in holding the ball to draw defenders closer to him – precisely the aspects on which he was criticized when he was at Barcelona. To Milan, he has been much more than a forward and despite his average position being pretty deep on the field in comparison to other strikers, he has easily outscored them all – albeit the number of penalties he has taken has played its role. All in all, Ibra is one of the most complete forwards in the world today and has done fairly well in Europe too during this season to silence his critics, though Milan were eliminated in the quarter-finals.

Radamel Falcao (Atletico Madrid)

40 million Euros was shelled out to bring a 25-year-old Colombian striker to a club that doesnai??i??t really send shivers down everyoneai??i??s spine. He was expected to fill in the shoes of another star who departed for the riches of Manchester City. Now, Radamel Falcao has not only managed to fit into the shoes of Sergio Aguero but has emerged as one of the hottest properties in the world of football after just one season at the Vicente Calderon. Although he rates low on average aerial duels won per game (1.6) and average dispossessions, it is his contribution to Atleticoai??i??s goals that speak the story.

24 out of 33 League goals gives him around half of the total number of goals scored by the club, without which, achieving fifth spot would be really difficult for the Madrid-based outfit. Also, the two goals he scored in the Europa League final against Bilbao helped Atletico to their second Europa League victory in three years.

Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

With a whopping total of 72 goals all season, 50 of which came in the League; coupled with 29 assists to his name, 24 years is a tender age for Lionel Messi. 2011/12 was a season of record-breakers for Messi. With 72 goals, he broke the record for the top all-time scorer at Barcelona, previously set by Cesar. Also, he beat the world record for most goals scored in a season set by Archibald ai???Archieai??i?? Stark back in 1924.

Messiai??i??s heroics shone in the Champions League too as he became the first player to top the scoring charts for four consecutive seasons with 14 goals albeit his side didnai??i??t make it to the finals. His talent proves a point ai??i?? no matter who is at the helm at Barcelona, Messi will continue to rise the ladder of greats.

Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

In his own words, Ronaldo had a perfect ten season. And frankly, on an individual level Ronaldo couldnai??i??t have done any more. However, the neutrals might rate it closer to 8.5/10 than 10/10. 1.5 points lost for not being able to win Champions league. He broke several records this season even if it seems impossible. He became the only player to score against all 19 teams in La Liga; broke his own Pichichi record and more importantly he became a much more of a team player.

His haul of 60 goals and 15 assists were made sweeter by the fact that it helped Real secure La Liga that too at their arch enemy Barcelonaai??i??s home. Ronaldo defied his ai???big game chokerai??? critics by scoring a vital winner at Camp Nou and his celebration brought back memories of another legend Raul.

Didier Drogba (Chelsea)

Cometh the moment, cometh the man. Having come off what looked like a disappointing season, both internationally and for the club, Didier Drogba stepped up to the fore when his team needed him the most ai??i?? scoring against Barcelona in the semi-finals, against Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup, and then scoring the two most decisive goals in the Champions League final. The Ivorian may have played his last game for the Blues, but heai??i??s etched his name into Chelsea folklore forever with his performances in the dying days of the season.

Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

The Englishman was in brilliant scoring form throughout the campaign which propelled him to his best ever scoring season in his career. Rooneyai??i??s goal scoring record was all the more remarkable because of him being deployed in various positions by the manager. From central midfielder to left winger to lone man up-front to playing off the front man, Rooney performed phenomenally in all the roles and yet was only behind RVP on the leagueai??i??s goal scoring charts with 27 goals (34 in all competitions). Also, the ex-Evertonian showed remarkable improvement in curbing his fiery temperament and was booked only once all season.

Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)

Arguably the best signing of the season in the Premier League despite the astronomical fee paid by Mancini in acquiring his services, Aguero showed that he was worth every penny as he scored 30 goals and assisted a further 12 in all competitions for the Citizens including the league deciding 95th minute strike to swing the title to the blue half of Manchester. Moreover, the Argentineai??i??s overall play was a joy to behold as he proved to be the most exciting and certainly a welcome addition to the Premier League. City fans will certainly give him Knighthood for that goal alone, but his heroics surely make him a worthy nomination for this seasonai??i??s top striker award.

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Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund)

After playing second fiddle to Barrios in the past season, the lanky Polish striker made full use of the formerai??i??s absence in this season and a star was born. He never let anybody feel the absence of The Panther. Raking important goals for the team, heAi?? soon became irreplaceable, so much so that he pushed Barrios down the pecking order. 22 League goals accompanied with 9 assists will hold a fare testimony to that. If thatai??i??s not all, he scored 7 goals in six DFB-Pokal appearances as well, including a hat-trick in the final against Bayern Munich. Rumors surrounding Lewandowskiai??i??s transfer is ripe with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are reported to be hot on his trail. If he stays, Borussia Dortmund can definitely make a commendable bid for third straight league trophy in the next season.

Mario Gomez (Bayern Munich)

Mario Gomez has been a prolific scorer for the past three seasons and this season didnai??i??t change his goal-scoring reputation much. Gomez has scored 41 goals in all competitions including 26 league goals, second to Huntelaar and 12 goals in Championsai??i?? League, only second to Messi. The striker scored five hat-tricks in the season, including back-to-back four-goal hauls, taking his Bundesliga career hat-tricks to 11. Only Gerd Muller(32) and Klaus Fisher(12) have scored more number hattricks than him in Bundesliga. Even though he could easily be blamed for Bayernai??i??s defeat to Chelsea in the Champions League final, one must remember, without his goals they may not have gone all the way to the finals.

Take Our Poll

Winner: Robin van Persie

Though Robin van Persie by all means looked from another planet throughout the season, the one-sided battle that it turned out to be in the race for the best forward would even surprise the most ardent of Arsenal fans. The stats speak themselves for the sensational Dutch striker and it can be argued he has carried Arsenal single-handedly in a season where Gunners saw two of their most influential playersAi??- Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri ai??i?? leave. What now remains to be seen is whether van Persie signs a new contract with Arsenal or will we see him plying his trade elsewhere the next season.

Categories: Awards, COVER STORY, Extra-Time
Tags: Awards forward