Gary Lineker snubbed Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema when naming the greatest number nine of the past 20 years. The Frenchman is one of the best of the modern era, and his 354 goals for Los Blancos make him the club's second all-time leading scorer, ahead of the likes of Alfredo di Stefano, Raul and Ferenc Puskas.
While Benzema did largely play as the sidekick to Cristiano Ronaldo during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu, he took the reins as the club's prominent focal point when the Portuguese moved to Juventus in 2018. Yet, despite his incredible resume and countless accolades, the Al-Ittihad man was unable to get a look-in for Lineker's top four of the past two decades.
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Lineker Names His Four Best Strikers of Last 20 Years
Only one Ballon d'Or winner is included
Speaking on an episode of the Stick to Football podcast, Lineker was waxing lyrical about Inter Miami striker Luis Suarez, who has been criticised in recent weeks for his struggles during the latter stages of his career. In his prime though, the Uruguayan was a lethal frontman for the likes of Liverpool, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, and Lineker claimed that he was the second-best striker of his generation, alongside three other modern-day icons:
"Where does Suarez rank in the best number nines of the last, say, two decades? I'd have him right up there, certainly in my top three. Oh blimey...Ronaldo, Suarez, and then I think Kane or Lewandowski. Yeah, it's a tough one, but I'd have Suarez right up there. He was different as well."
Though Benzema did score more goals in Spanish football than Suarez, the latter's goal-to-game record in La Liga trumped that of the multi-time Champions League winner.
Benzema managed a total of 344 goal contributions in 439 games in the division, compared to Suarez's 260 in 258 appearances.
All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt - accurate as of 29/06/2025.