When I was at Manchester United, coaches were excited at the young Italian/American striker in the reserves. His name was Giuseppe Rossi.
He played in the same team as Gerard Pique and United had high hopes that both would establish themselves in the first team, though it is never that straightforward at the biggest clubs. Young players have to get in a team ahead of some of the best players in the world. It is not easy and, like many others, Rossi did not break through.
Rossi was very fast, had two very skilful feet and was very comfortable running with the ball. He is not tall and his low centre of gravity helped him keep close control of the ball. It was hard to get the ball from him.
Just like me, Rossi left United for Villarreal in search of more first-team opportunities. Your manager tells you to be patient, but footballers want to play football.
Rossi actually replaced me when I moved to Atletico Madrid in 2007 and he was superb at Villarreal. I think they were happy with the striker they signed from United. At one time he was linked to Barcelona, where I am sure he would have scored even more goals, but then he started to get bad injuries.
He twice ruptured his cruciate ligament. That is really bad luck. Without him, Villarreal were relegated.
Rossi moved to Fiorentina in 2013 and he was doing well, the leading goalscorer in Serie A. He scored a hat-trick against Juventus, he was an Italy international. A top-level player, no doubt. But he had more injuries.
It is hard as a player to suffer one serious injury. It must be terrible having several, to come back mentally and to play without fear. I am pleased he is now back playing for one of the best Fiorentina teams for years.
Rossi offers Fiorentina several options. He can play as a first or second striker, he can also play wide of the attack.
If all goes well, Rossi can get back to the level he was. Not the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo level, but the same level of players like Gonzalo Higuain. The Argentine is one of four strikers I want to look at who are doing very well this season.
Higuain has done well after leaving Real Madrid to join Napoli, where he played under Rafa Benitez, who is now coach at Madrid.
He is playing in a strong team who are close to the top of Serie A and he has been recalled by Argentina for their recent 2018 World Cup qualifiers after being dropped for missing a penalty in the final of the Copa America in the summer.
He was not used for the first World Cup qualifiers, but he is scoring so many goals in Italy he has been selected again. He scores, assists and has good technique. Higuain did well at Madrid, who he joined when he was very young, and he has carried on getting better.
He scores in big games, too, getting the winning goals against Lazio and Inter Milan last season as he finished with an impressive tally of 29. He scored a hat-trick in a Europa League match against Dynamo Moscow in March. You are now looking at a complete striker.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane is another player I like. Though he scored a hat-trick last weekend, against Bournemouth, he is not getting as many this season as last year when he scored over 30.
Strikers can find it harder because when your profile goes up, defenders learn a lot more about how you play, but he is really good. He scored two goals against Arsenal and Chelsea last term, but he is also a team player. He can also play as a main striker but he can play behind one as well.
Kane is part of a new generation of strikers who can play in few different positions. He is not like Ruud van Nistelrooy, a classic No 9 who picked up all the chances close to goal.
Kane links up well with the midfielders and he can be England’s top striker after Wayne Rooney.
I should mention Robert Lewandowski. I was laughing when he scored those five goals in nine minutes, a magnificent feat which I do not think can be done again.
Five goals in one game happens once every decade in a top league. He scored them in nine minutes.
He is excellent for club and country and was the top scorer in the Euro 2016 qualifiers for Poland.
Lewandowski was great at Borussia Dortmund but he is even better playing for a superior Bayern Munich team, with one of the best coaches, Pep Guardiola. He knows how to get the best of his talents, which are a superb first touch, precise finishing and working hard for the team.
It is beautiful when you see Bayern attack quickly and Lewandowski finish a move, though I like watching him shoot from distance too.
Aritz Aduriz is another striker I have a lot of respect for. The Athletic Bilbao striker is 34 – a year younger than me – but he has got better over the years. His control has improved with experience, his technique, too. I played against him many times in Spain and he always gave the defenders a hard time.
He is not a big guy but he is strong and will fight for every ball. He is very precise with his shots and scores some beautiful goals; you do not see Aduriz miss many chances.
Athletic are a strong team, but I wonder how he would have done had he played for an even better team. I think he is happy in Bilbao, a fine city where he is loved.
If you are happy in your life then that helps you be happy in your football and all the players I have mentioned seem happy where they are, playing, mostly scoring, and free of injury. What more could a striker ask for?
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