What Does a Striker Actually Do? Roles, Responsibilities and the Best in the Premier League

Learn what a striker does in football, the striker role in football, and the types of striker in football, from classic No.9s to false nines and pressing forwards.

The striker is the most scrutinised player on the pitch. When goals go in, they get the headlines, the cheers, and all the glory. When they don’t, they get the blame. That’s partly because a striker’s role in football has changed considerably over the past two decades, and understanding what a striker actually does requires looking beyond scoring goals.

Here is a complete guide to the different types of striker in football and the very best forwards in the Premier League right now.

What does a striker do in football?

The primary responsibility of a striker is to score goals. Everything else, like movement, link play, pressing, and hold-up work, is in service of that function. A striker who doesn’t score isn’t really doing their job, regardless of anything else they contribute.

Beyond finishing, a striker creates space for teammates by making runs that occupy defenders, holds the ball under pressure to bring midfielders into play, and presses from the front to force errors in defensive build-up. The best strikers in football do all of these things well. 

The classic number nine: old school centre forward

The classic number nine is a physical presence in the box. Their game is built on positioning, aerial ability, finishing, and the capacity to bring others into play by holding the ball with their back to goal. 

Alan Shearer is the archetype in English football, and Didier Drogba is another. High volume of attempts, strong in the air, always available as an outlet. The classic role hasn’t disappeared, but it’s evolved. Erling Haaland is its modern expression, with his exceptional positioning and devastating finishing making him a key target for crosses and through balls. 

Haaland scored 27 Premier League goals in the 2025-26 season to claim a third Golden Boot, averaging 0.82 goals per 90 minutes, figures that define what the position can look like with a world-class operator.

What is a false nine?

A false nine drops deep from the central striking position, pulling centre-backs out of their defensive line and creating space behind them for runners from midfield. The position is less about scoring from traditional striker areas and more about being a creative hub who disrupts the opposition's defensive structure.

Lionel Messi pioneered the role at its most effective during Pep Guardiola's Barcelona sides. Roberto Firmino deployed a version of it at Liverpool under Jürgen Klopp, rarely leading the scoring charts but contributing significantly to how the team functioned. The false nine demands high technical quality, excellent vision and the willingness to sacrifice personal stats for collective output.

The pressing centre-forward: a modern role

The pressing centre-forward is defined not by what they do with the ball but by what they do without it. Their primary function is to press the opposition goalkeeper and centre-backs, forcing rushed clearances, turnovers and mistakes high up the pitch. They set the defensive line for the entire team and determine how aggressively the side behind them can press.

The trade-off is goalscoring output. A striker whose energy goes into pressing will typically have fewer touches in the box and a lower goal tally than a more static centre-forward. Teams that deploy one tend to distribute their goal threat more widely across the squad. A pressing striker is a tactical asset as much as a goalscoring one.

How do you judge whether a striker is performing well?

Goals are the baseline. Beyond that, the most useful measures are the quality of chances created for the striker, captured by expected goals (xG), and whether they are converting above or below that expectation. 

A striker scoring significantly above their xG is either exceptionally clinical or running hot. A striker below their xG may be struggling with form or taking poor shots. Involvement in build-up play, hold-up success rate, aerial duel percentage and pressing contributions offer supplementary measures for strikers whose game goes beyond the penalty area.

The best strikers in the Premier League right now

Erling Haaland remains the benchmark. His 27 goals in the 2025-26 season made him the division's top scorer for the third time, and his rate of scoring relative to opportunities taken puts him in a category of his own.

Viktor Gyokeres is also a high performer, winning the Premier League title with Arsenal in his debut season and contributing 14 league goals from an xG of 11.2. His pressing work rate and physical profile make him an ideal fit for Arteta's high-intensity system.

Hugo Ekitike is another. He arrived at Liverpool from Eintracht Frankfurt for £69 million and produced 11 Premier League goals in a difficult first season for the club. His movement and technical quality suggest he will be a bigger presence next season.

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