Former Arsenal and Crystal Palace star and beloved football icon Ian Wright once snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo when naming his pick for the greatest striker in football history. Wright, who was one of the best number nines of his generation and remains one of the top examples in the Premier League era, knew exactly what it took to find the back of the net.
The Englishman was a natural finisher, scoring 250 goals across his career - still nearly four times fewer than ex-Red Devil and Galactico Ronaldo, who has earned his seat at the very top of the goalscoring charts. Yet despite that, Wright had a different choice when selecting his greatest ever striker.
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Wright Names Ronaldo Nazario as Greatest Ever Striker
The Brazilian was a one of kind talent
Speaking to GOAL in a winner-stays-on format, Ian Wright named Brazilian superstar Ronaldo Nazario as the greatest striker of all time, with the two-time Ballon d'Or winner clean-sweeping all competition. Wright opted for the former Barcelona and Inter Milan star over his more statistically prolific namesake, Cristiano Ronaldo, right from the start, and dismissed suggestions that Thierry Henry, Wayne Rooney, and Didier Drogba were in the same conversation.
Ruud van Nistelrooy was next on the list, prompting a bold claim from Wright: “You don’t need to do this because R9 is better than anybody.” Still, the names kept coming - Nicolas Anelka and Samuel Eto’o were also brushed aside.
There was a moment of hesitation when it came to George Weah, the first non-European player to win the Ballon d'Or, but Wright stood firm, just as he did when Alessandro Del Piero was brought up.
Then came a man Wright knows very well: Dennis Bergkamp. But again, he conceded that Ronaldo was better. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robert Lewandowski, and Sergio Aguero were also turned down before Wright was faced with a final decision between “El Fenomeno” and England captain Harry Kane.
The introduction of the Bayern Munich striker brought another brief pause, but once more, Ronaldo reigned supreme in Wright’s eyes.
Wright would go on to add afterwards:
"When you speak to all the greats - Messi, Maradona, Zidane - about R9, in respect of his ability, he was called 'El Fenomeno' for a reason. He was phenomenal. Pace, skill, goalscoring ability, vision, creativity...
"All those names that you mentioned alongside him are magnificent players and great in their own way, but I can guarantee you that if you asked any of those to put themselves up against R9, they would pick R9 aswell.
At the peak of his powers, Ronaldo possessed all the attributes any striker would wish for. Blessed with pace and power that made him unstoppable, he was also composed in front of goal when needed while also capable of producing venomous strikes that could pierce the back of the net.
Ian Wright to one side in Arsenal kit with Alan Shearer (newcastle) and Ronaldo Nazario (Brazil) Related
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All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt - accurate as of 11/07/2025.