List of 9 worst strikers in football

We always praise the best strikers in the world, those who possess excellent technique, perfect finishing ability and superior football thinking. However, on the other hand, there are players that fans just want to forget. The worst strikers not only disappoint with poor performance but also become symbols of bad contracts and failure in football. Here Kingsoccertips.com shares a list of worst strikers in football that teams never want to mention.

Top 9 worst strikers in football

Top 9: Stephane Guivarc’h

Stephane Guivarc’h was one of the most disappointing strikers in France’s 1998 World Cup-winning squad. Despite playing as a centre-forward, he failed to score a single goal during the tournament. His role was largely to create space for his teammates, but his finishing was poor, leading many to question his true contribution to France’s title-winning campaign.

Guivarc’h’s club career was no better. After joining Newcastle United, he scored just one goal before being sold to Rangers after four games. He improved slightly in Scotland, scoring seven goals in 18 games, but it was still not enough to prove his worth. He eventually returned to France without making much of an impact on European football.

Top 8: Carsten Jancker

Carsten Jancker was a striker with a powerful style of play but was controversial for his inconsistent performance. He was famous for kissing the back of his hand after scoring and for hitting the crossbar in the 1999 Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Manchester United. Despite winning many titles with Bayern, including the Bundesliga and Champions League, he was never considered a true penalty killer.

At the national team level, Jancker was part of Germany’s Euro 1996 winning squad but was gradually underestimated due to his inconsistent form. By the 2002 World Cup, he was no longer a first-choice choice and his career began to decline. When he moved to Udinese in Serie A, Jancker scored just three goals in two seasons, marking a clear decline before returning to Germany to play the final years of his career.

Top 7: Sean Dundee

Sean Dundee was one of Liverpool’s most disappointing signings. After scoring 60 goals for Karlsruher, he was expected to bring cutting edge to the attack when he joined Anfield for £2m in 1998. However, the opposite was true. Dundee only made five appearances for Liverpool, failing to score a goal and not even breaking into the Premier League squad until April 1999.

Dundee’s career did not improve after Liverpool. He returned to Germany with Stuttgart, where he scored 33 goals in four years, but never recaptured the form he had shown at Karlsruher. Although once seen as a potential striker, he is now remembered more for his failure at Anfield, becoming one of Liverpool’s worst signings of the late 1990s.

Top 6: Serginho

Brazil in 1982 are considered the greatest team never to win the World Cup, with the attacking style of play inspired by legends such as Socrates and Zico. However, they fell to a pragmatic and sharp Italian team, inspired by Paolo Rossi. In the decisive match, Rossi scored a hat-trick, knocking Brazil out of the tournament and ending their dream of winning the title.

Striker Serginho became the focus of criticism after that defeat. From the group stage, his finishing ability was questioned, especially after the match against New Zealand. Former coach Joao Saldana’s bitter comment – ​​”Now the ball is round again” – reflected his disappointment with his performances. Serginho never played for Brazil again after the 1982 World Cup.

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Top 5: Fred

Fred is a prolific striker with an impressive goalscoring record at club level, particularly with Fluminense, where he scored 148 goals in 201 games. He has also played in Europe before, winning three Ligue 1 titles with Lyon, scoring 43 goals in 125 games. However, despite his club brilliance, Fred’s international career was overshadowed by a disastrous moment at the 2014 World Cup.

In the semi-final against Germany, with Neymar absent through injury, Fred was expected to carry the Brazil attack. But he was virtually invisible as his team suffered a shocking 7-1 defeat. It was reported that he did not make a single tackle, cross or sprint significantly throughout the match. In fact, most of his touches came from kick-offs after conceding goals. That match has become the biggest blemish in Fred’s career.

Top 4: Marco Boogers

Marco Boogers was one of Harry Redknapp’s worst signings at West Ham. Signed from the Netherlands for around $1 million in 1995, the striker quickly made his mark – but in the wrong way. After just 18 minutes as a substitute against Manchester United, he was sent off for a rough tackle on Gary Neville, sparking a brawl on the pitch.

After that incident, Boogers was largely left out of Redknapp’s plans and rarely featured in the team. The West Ham manager at the time couldn’t hide his disappointment with the signing, even saying: “The only thing he’s done is kick Gary Neville.” After a short spell, Boogers left England without making any positive impression, becoming one of West Ham’s worst signings.

Top 3: Guido Carrillo

Guido Carrillo was one of Southampton’s most disappointing signings. Signed from Monaco in 2018 for around £19m, the Argentine striker quickly became a huge disappointment. After just three months, he was barely a part of the team’s plans and by March, he was dropped from the Premier League squad. For 18 months, Carrillo was loaned out to Leganés, where he played more games but failed to make an impact.

In total, Carrillo played just 10 games for Southampton without scoring a single goal. Before moving to England, his goalscoring record at Monaco was not too impressive, with four goals in 15 games, mostly against weaker sides like Guingamp and Troyes. Even with Southampton lacking a key striker – with their top scorer that season having scored just seven – Carrillo still failed to live up to expectations. He has only had one season with more than 10 goals in his career, reflecting his lack of consistency in finishing.

Top 2: Yaya Sanogo

Yaya Sanogo is one of Arsenal’s most disappointing signings. Joining from Auxerre in 2013 after scoring 11 goals in 24 games, the French striker never quite lived up to expectations. In five years at Arsenal, he scored just one competitive goal – against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. Unable to compete for a place, Sanogo was sent out on loan three times, to Ajax, Charlton and Crystal Palace, but scored just four goals in total.

At Palace, he failed to score a single Premier League goal, with only one strike in the FA Cup against Southampton. After leaving Arsenal in 2017, Sanogo moved to Toulouse, where he scored 16 goals in 72 games, enough to earn him a return to England with Huddersfield. However, he continued to disappoint here, failing to score any goals in the English Championship. With no goals in the Premier League, Sanogo is considered one of the worst strikers in the history of the competition.

Top 1: Carlos Kaiser

Carlos Kaiser is not only one of the worst strikers in football history, but is also considered the greatest fraud in the sport. Despite his lack of ability to play at a high level, he still managed to convince top Brazilian clubs such as Flamengo, Fluminense, Botafogo and Vasco da Gama to sign him.

Kaiser failed to score a single goal throughout his career, simply because he always tried to avoid playing. From feigning injuries to establishing close relationships with the media and star players, Kaiser prolonged his football career for many years without actually playing. Not only was he a poor striker, he was also one of the strangest characters in football history.

Conclusion

The list of worst strikers in football not only reflects disappointment in performance but also demonstrates wrong contracts and unfulfilled expectations. Although they have played for big clubs or participated in prestigious tournaments, these players have disappointed with poor scoring efficiency, lack of consistency or even never met expectations. Some cases such as Carlos Kaiser have become symbols of fraud and deception in football. However, these names still leave their mark in their own way, becoming valuable lessons for clubs in recruiting strikers.

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