Emile Heskey snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo when naming his five greatest strikers of all time, but did include one former Liverpool teammate. While never reaching the absolute pinnacle of the game, Heskey is one of the more respected number nines in English football over the last 25 years, particularly for his spells at Leicester City and Liverpool.
With 62 England caps and seven international goals, the 47-year-old boasts a record that most would be over the moon with. However, the man himself revealed who he deemed to be the cream of the crop when it came to the position he played in.
Heskey Reveals His Top 5 Strikers
Speaking to GOAL, Heskey kicked things off with fifth place, which he gave to Michael Owen. The former Wigan Athletic man has previously name-dropped the ex-Galactico as one of his favourite strike partners during his career, and despite the fact that Owen never truly achieved what most expected of him — especially after his goal in the World Cup against Argentina as a teenage prodigy — he was still a top-class centre-forward with electric pace to frighten anyone.
Speaking of electric pace, fourth place goes to Arsenal icon Thierry Henry. One of the best the Premier League has ever seen, some may argue that the Frenchman was more of a winger than an out-and-out number nine. But his four Golden Boots tell you all you need to know about his ability in front of goal and credentials in this conversation.
If there is one person with a greater Premier League legacy in front of goal than Henry, it's Alan Shearer, who Heskey places on the bottom step of the podium. The division's all-time leading scorer was as natural a finisher as you could find in his prime, scoring anything from tap-ins to thirty-yard volleys, making him almost impossible to mark.
The top two is capped off by a couple of Brazilians. Firstly, Heskey pays tribute to Romario, who takes the runners-up spot. The Ballon d'Or winner sometimes gets overshadowed in the annals of superstar Brazilian strikers, but on paper, he was up there with the very best.
No prizes for guessing which Brazilian takes top spot in that case, as Heskey goes for the Brazilian Ronaldo. A two-time Ballon d'Or winner, there is an argument that at his peak, there has never been a striker quite as dominant as 'El Fenomeno'.