Conventional football wisdom holds that scoring a goal is the most difficult thing to do on the pitch, so those who are adept at putting the ball in the back of the net are highly regarded.
Goals win games, as the saying goes, and it is therefore hardly surprising that football fans are infatuated with strikers, not to mention the scheming playmakers who serve up the goalscoring opportunities.
Every season, the top goalscorers are feted for their prowess and, in addition to national awards, there is a continental crown for the player who scores the most league goals in Europe.