Seven strikers who would have suited Premier League perfectly in 1990s and early 2000s
Sponsored by
THERE was a time when top Premier League sides could not compete financially with Serie A also-rans.
It took 11 years for an English club to match the £35million Lazio spent on Hernan Crespo in 2000.
But things have completely changed around now and, for the first time, a Premier League club broken the world transfer record by bringing in a player from overseas.
The vastly superior financial clout of Serie A, La Liga and even Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga meant English football missed out on so many top talents.
Here are seven strikers that would be have been perfectly suited to the Premier League.
Gabriel Batistuta
The ex-Fiorentina bomber netted two of his finest goals in England.
He smashed one past David Seaman at Wembley in 1999 as ‘La Viola’ beat Arsenal 1-0, before smashing one in the top corner at Old Trafford during a 3-1 defeat to Manchester United.
His old-school loyalty which saw him stay with Fiorentina despite relegation in 1993 means he is revered by all football fans.
Batistuta was top goal scorer in the 1994-95 and broke a 30-year record of netting in the opening 11 games of the season.
He moved to Roma in 2000 where he finally won his first title.
Is the only player to score hat-tricks at two different World Cup finals.
Filippo Inzaghi
The ultimate poacher.
Inzaghi was born to score goals — and he did it wherever he went.
He made his name at Atalanta before moving to Juventus, where he reached the 1997-98 Champions League final.
AC Milan lured him away in 2001 for a reported £17m after he fell behind David Trezeguet in the pecking order.
He won the Champions League twice with the Rossoneri, including in 2007 where he scored both goals in the final.
Inzaghi scored one goal in Germany as Italy won the 2006 World Cup.
He remains the fourth highest goal scorer in the Champions League, behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Raul.
Henrik Larsson
OK, we know he did briefly play in the Premier League — at the age of 36, the Swede made seven appearances during a loan spell with Manchester United.
But imagine if he’d played during the peak of his powers?
Larsson never cost more than £1m as he moved from Feyenoord to Celtic to Barcelona.
It was in Scotland where he really shone, netting 242 times in 313 games and winning the 2001 European Golden Shoe.
At the age of 33, he moved to Barcelona and, despite suffering a serious knee injury, came back to play a key role in winning the Champions League.
Even showed glimpses of his prowess during his short spell at Old Trafford.
Related Stories
Marcelo Salas
Sir Alex Ferguson was fuming when his No.1 target moved to Lazio instead of United in 1998 — and it’s easy to see why.
Just weeks earlier, he had scored twice in a friendly as Chile beat England 2-0 at Wembley.
The 1997 South American Footballer of the Year moved to Serie A from River Plate and helped the Roman giants win the Cup Winners’ Cup at Villa Park in his first season.
He then scored the winner against United in the Uefa Super Cup before helping Lazio win the league and cup double under Sven-Goran Eriksson in 1999-00.
He moved to Juventus bus injuries hampered his time with Bianconeri.
Luca Toni
A real English-style frontman.
A traditional centre forward who was distinctly lacking in pace — but knew just where the goal was.
He was late bloomer who came to fore when he before the first player to score over 30 goals in a Serie A season for 50 years with his 31 for Fiorentina in 2003-04.
Bayern saw enough to bring him to Germany and he scored 58 goals in 89 games.
Even at the age of 35, he would be crowned Serie A top goal scorer with 23 for Verona in 2014-15.
He scored twice en route to World Cup glory with Italy in 2006.
Watch ALL the goals from the Premier League before anyone else for FREE plus all the latest news, fixtures and results and live match commentary all on the go with the new Sun Football App –
Marco van Basten
The world of football was robbed of seeing more from the great Dutchman as a recurring ankle injury ended his career at the age of 29.
Van Basten became the third player to win the Ballon d’Or three times and is regarded as one of the greatest forwards in history.
He scored 128 goals in a 133 league games for Ajax as well as the winner in the 1987 Cup Winners’ Cup final before moving to Milan.
He won back-to-back European Cups with the Rossoneri as he became the most feared striker on the planet.
Ironically, it was because of his troublesome ankle that he scored one of football’s greatest-ever goals.
In the Euro 88 final, he hit an outrageous volley from a difficult angle to help Holland win the title — and admits he was forced to hit the ball first time rather than try to control it.
His talent was undoubted and his physique was perfect for English football.
Christian Vieri
If ever a player was built for the Premier League, it was Italian powerhouse Vieri.
The big striker played for Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Lazio and Inter Milan — who made him the world’s most expensive player in 1999.
With the Bianconeri, he won a league title and played in the Champions League final.
He moved to Spain in 1998, where was La Liga’s top goal scorer at Atletico.
Vieri played alongside Ronaldo at Inter and over 100 Serie A goals.
His career dwindled in its twilight and he briefly played for five clubs — including Milan and Fiorentina.
He also scored five times in the 1998 World Cup and four times four years later.