Who is your greatest forward? These are the results

On the back of yet another Erling Haaland goalscoring record, we asked you to tell us the greatest forward you had seen play.

We also asked our chief football writer to give us his thoughts after spending decades watching some of the greatest names in the game.

Thank you to everyone who sent in their entry. What follows is just a small selection.

Pre-1980

I remember seeing Pele on the TV score two goals in the 1958 World Cup final. I then saw him playing live in the 1966 World Cup in Liverpool and Manchester. I then saw him many times for the New York Cosmos when I lived in New Jersey for a few years in the mid-1970s. He was brilliant with both feet and his head. David Adams, Wiesbaden, Germany

Bryan ‘Pop’ Robson, when he was at West Ham in the early ’70s, was lethal in front of goal. He got the Golden Boot in 1972-73 but yet was never chosen to play for England. He was my hero when growing up. Gerry Naughton, London

Jimmy Greaves. Far too many great goals for Tottenham to single one out. His partnership with Alan Gilzean was a delight. Still in the record books, which is remarkable given the pitches he played on and the tackles he suffered. Harry Kane and Son Heung-min are very good, but Greaves and Gilzean would surpass them in today’s conditions. Steve Berry, Norfolk

George Best. Cyprus v Northern Ireland 1971, I was eight when my dad drove myself and my brother to Nicosia for the match. Towards the end of the game Northern Ireland were awarded a penalty. Hundreds of people went onto the pitch and formed an arc to see George Best score. He scored and we all went back to the stand. Charles Linehan, Brighton

Joe Baker! My dad took me to see Hibernian in the late 1950s. He already had an England cap – first to get one not having played for an English club – then I saw him again in 1971, when he returned to Hibs, sadly past his best by then. Grant McCulloch, Edinburgh

Bobby Charlton when he was player/manager of Preston North End at Stark’s Park, Kirkcaldy. It was a pre-season friendly against Raith Rovers. Some idiot in the crowd shouted “Charlton! Hang up your boots!” A minute later, he scored a screamer from just inside the Rovers’ half. I had never seen a ball struck so hard. B Neale, Kirkcaldy

I saw Ferenc Puskas and Alfredo di Stefano play for Real Madrid in the 1960 European Cup final at Hampden Park. Puskás scored four and Di Stefano three in the greatest display of individual skills I have seen. But it’s a reminder that it is a team game where the greatness of the collective allows the stars to shine. George Patterson, Sunderland

For me Bob Latchford was the perfect number nine, his buccaneering style was suited to that era in the ’70s and early ’80s. For a big guy he was astonishingly quick over the first few yards, his goalscoring was made up of fantastic headers and an anticipation of the right pass coming his way. The complete striker for Birmingham, Everton, Swansea and England. Dermot Kiernan, Glasgow

Alex Bruce at Deepdale, the home of Preston North End. Having seen him come through the reserve team, he made his first-team debut in 1971 and was an outstanding goalscorer for the club for almost a decade, in two separate spells. As a fanatical PNE supporter, he provided great joy during my teenage years! Richard, East Midlands

Francis Lee – too many moments to mention but watched him play for Manchester City many, many times and saw him help us win the First Division, FA Cup, League Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup. Great player, perhaps only superseded at City by Sergio Aguero and now Haaland. Neil Allcock, Peak District

1980s and 1990s

Dennis Bergkamp. He had a nasty streak – as Denis Law, the man he was named after, once said: “Get your retaliation in first.” His touch was effortless and his execution sublime. Truly a maestro. Vincent Mulvey, Greater Manchester

I watched Gabriel Batistuta play for Fiorentina against AC Milan in 1998 and score a hat-trick. Rui Costa was sublime in midfield but “Batigol” was just unplayable, his goal record in that team was outstanding. I am a Manchester United fan and remember the rumours Sir Alex Ferguson was trying to sign him. I was praying we did. We got Dwight Yorke, that turned out OK! Paul, London

Marco van Basten playing for Milan v Steaua Bucharest (4-0) and against Real Madrid (5-0). Most complete striker I ever saw. Pace, aerial power, skill, technique, vision and truly two-footed. Chi Onyenkwu, Potters Bar

Alan Shearer. No doubt the best of his era. Watched him for Blackburn against Newcastle in Rovers’ title-winning season. Scored the winner with a header, rose so high above the Newcastle defence. To be the all-time leading goalscorer in the Premier League is something else, but to do it with Blackburn and Newcastle remains an achievement alone. Kevin Randle, Leicester

Luc Nilis. Anderlecht, PSV and Aston Villa. Usually strikers have but a handful of beautiful goals, Nilis seemed to only score beautiful and memorable goals, like his league debut goal against Chelsea or the one against Utrecht in 1997. Biggest endorsement, the great Ronaldo called him the best player he ever played with. Ronald Smolders, Germany

Gary Lineker. He was probably the best goalscorer in the box I have seen: his timing and positioning was impeccable. He also scored at the highest level for England and was a Golden Boot winner. Stuart, Nottingham

John Aldridge. A hero at three clubs – Oxford United, Liverpool, Tranmere Rovers. Clinical and ruthless, Aldo had it all. The perfect number nine. My personal highlight, trailing 3-0 to Ipswich Town at the old Manor Ground in November 1985, cue a second-half hat-trick to draw Oxford level before Neil Slatter grabbed the inevitable winner. Sanjoy Banerjee, Ellesmere Port

Alan Cork at Wimbledon. Scored in leagues one to four, plus the Premier League when founded. Think he may be the only player to do so? As natural as they come, he was pivotal in the Dons’ rise from fourth to top division. Gary Woolton, Wakefield

Teddy Sheringham. The cleverest footballer I’ve ever seen. Together with Tony Cascarino, took Millwall into the top tier – and that takes some doing. I know as a Lions fan for 60 years. Bill, Kent

Ian Wright – the best striker I ever saw live. He just had an awareness that other strikers didn’t have. He knew when to smash it, when to place it, when to dink it, and when to chip the keeper from the edge of the area. Strong, fast, aggressive and just a nightmare for defenders. Simon Conrich, London

Henrik Larsson. Sure he was winning Golden Boots for Celtic in ‘only’ the Scottish League. So what does he do after that? Goes to Barcelona and wins them the Champions League final almost single-handedly after coming on, making Manchester United’s 1999 super subs seem ordinary. Oh, speaking of the Red Devils, he joined them for a bit, ensuring they won the Premier League. Davy, Glasgow

I saw Tony Yeboah play in Leeds’ 3-1 win over Man Utd back in Christmas 1995. He was brilliant that day, alongside his finish past Peter Schmeichel, he was showboating at times with brilliant skill which led to Howard Wilkinson substituting him. Despite only two full seasons of magnificent goals, I’d say Tony remains my favourite striker. He was a force of nature. Mark B, Doncaster

Matt Le Tissier. The man had so much natural talent, it was effortless for him. The two goals he scored for Southampton against Newcastle in 1993 – at a time where he had been left on the bench – just showed how easy it was for him. I never got tired of watching him, either on the pitch or in training. Kev Switzer, Kuala Lumpur

2000 and beyond

Sergio Aguero is the best striker I’ve seen in person, the raw power and instant burst of speed were his trademark, coupled with low centre of gravity, nimble feet and strength on the ball. He scored great goals, not just lots of goals. Until Haaland, I think only Shearer comes close to Aguero in terms of the best Premier League strikers. Matt, Derby

Romario. Playing for Fluminense in the Rio derby against his old club Flamengo at the Maracana in the early 2000s. Lost his boot but carried on like it was beach footy, flicked the ball against the defender’s shins and passed the return ball for the overlapping player to cross. Dave, Paignton

It is difficult to compare across eras, but Thierry Henry, for me, remains the greatest. On one hand he was graceful and elegant in his style of play, but when he decided to flick the switch, the opposition was done for. I didn’t see this match in person, but his performance in 2003 for Arsenal in their 5-1 win in the San Siro against Inter Milan epitomises that. Taran, Birmingham

Nicolas Anelka for Manchester City at Maine Road against Manchester United. I have never seen a football player look so graceful at full speed. The only other athlete that I saw look the same was British runner Steve Ovett. Vaughan, Fleet

Wayne Rooney banging in goals for Everton at the Gwladys Street End at Goodison Park. Best young player in the world at the time by a mile! John H, East London

Didier Drogba. So little service, so much result. If the defence pushed out he would beat them for pace, if they sat deep he would dominate them physically. Inside the box and outside the box. Record in cup finals was incredible. Chelsea have never replaced him. James Metcalfe, High Wycombe

Pah! Henry? Shearer? Drogba? Try Lee Trundle at the Vetch. I was there for ‘that’ shoulder roll. The number of special goals that man has scored for Swansea! James, Milford Haven

Harry Kane, the only opposition striker I have ever seen clapped off [when substituted] by me and my fellow Huddersfield fans, at our ground during our brief visit to the Premier League. I was terrified every time the ball went near the Tottenham captain. Bill Watt, West Yorkshire

Ruud van Nistelrooy. I watched him at White Hart Lane and he scored the only goal for Manchester United. I loved the way he used to hang offside and time his runs to perfection. He came back from a terrible injury, never had real pace but was a goalscorer. Michael Fenson, Gold Coast, Queensland

I saw Luis Suarez play for Liverpool and when the ball fell to him and he ran towards my team’s goal, my heart dropped. Tough, fast, lethal, a genuine predator. Nothing got in his way. Matt B, London

Lionel Messi – Nou Camp, Barcelona, 2012. Not only the greatest striker ever, but the greatest player. No weakness, from another planet. Haaland is going to be the next generation striker, big, physical, very fast, good striker of the ball and wonderful movement. But Messi scores from anywhere on the pitch with an extraordinary high percentage of wonder goals and assists. Jeff M, New Zealand

Jermain Defoe – Scored the most Premier League goals as a substitute. So tenacious and dogged, right from his emergence at West Ham and through to his Tottenham and Portsmouth days. Always looked like he would score and seemed to love being on the pitch. Played the game with a big smile on his face. Martin Baldwin, Brighton

The greatest striker I’ve seen play and still continue to see play is the mercurial Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo is the specimen of everything a footballer should be. Emmanuel Agbi, Lagos, Nigeria

Rickie Lambert for the graft, the rise from non-league, the penalties and the goal with his first touch for England. Much more than a hulking centre-forward, he could score from anywhere on the pitch and created space for his team-mates to prosper. Completely unplayable at times, just like Haaland. AJ Witt, Southampton

I remember seeing Marcus Stewart in the flesh. Not a big name, sure, I get that. But nobody thought he could do it in the Premier League, and then he only went and did it. After an Ipswich game, he came over to me, after seeing my sign and gave me his headband. I have this same headband, framed and in my conservatory, to this day. Tom Slader, Bristol

Robin van Persie. Was at Anfield for a Liverpool v Arsenal game. He touched the ball twice all game, scored two volleys in the process and won the game for Arsenal that day 2-1. No wonder Manchester United signed him that summer. Robbie Perkins, Tranmere