For a football fan, there are three things that are certain in life – death, taxes and a world-class striker at Atletico Madrid. The Spanish club has an amazing scouting network and that’s what has helped them replace a plethora of outgoing superstars over the years.
Their current strikers include Antoine Griezmann and Diego Costa which itself is a testament to the quality of strikers they’ve had over the years.
It was a strenuous task to rank the top 10 strikers to have played for Atletico Madrid in the 21st century, but after careful deliberation, we’ve managed to do so.
Kevin Gameiro
Kevin Gameiro started his La Liga career with Sevilla after joining them in 2013 from PSG. The French striker spent three seasons with Sevilla scoring 39 goals in 92 games while also winning a hat-trick of Europa League titles.
He joined Atletico in 2016 for a reported €32 million rising to €40 million with add-ons. At the Madrid club, he was not able to hold down a regular starting role but still managed to score 19 goals in 56 games in his two seasons at the club.
David Villa
Atletico Madrid was David Villa’s last club in Spain. He started his club career with Sporting Gijon before going on to play for Real Zaragoza, Valencia and Barcelona.
Before Villa joined Atletico, he had already won a plethora of trophies at club level with Barcelona, Valencia and Real Zaragoza as well as the Euro and World Cup with Spain.
The Spaniard cost Atletico just €5.1 million from Barcelona. In his only season, he scored 15 goals in 47 games across all competitions of which 13 were in the league. He helped the club win their first league title since 1996 and also ended the duopoly of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Sergio Aguero
Atletico Madrid was Sergio Aguero’s first club in Europe. He joined them from Independiente in 2006 and went on to spend five seasons with the club before joining Manchester City.
During his five year stint with Atletico Madrid, Aguero scored 101 goals in 234 games for the club and he was still only 23-years-old when he left the club.
At Atletico, he played alongside the likes of Fernando Torres, Diego Forlan and Diego Costa. He formed a formidable partnership with the Uruguayan and helped the club return to the Champions League. In 2010, they helped the club win the Europa League and the UEFA Super Cup.
In 2011, Aguero moved to Manchester City for €45 million and the club used that money to fund a move for Radamel Falcao. At City, Aguero became an instant hit and scored the goal that clinched the Citizens their first ever Premier League title.
Diego Costa
Diego Costa first moved to Atletico Madrid in 2007 from Braga before going on loan to three different clubs and joining Valladolid in 2009 on a permanent basis.
A year later, he returned to the club on a permanent basis but played second fiddle to the likes of Sergio Aguero and Radamel Falcao. In 2012, he once again went out on loan. It was after this loan spell that he established himself at the club.
Antoine Griezmann
Antoine Griezmann joined Atletico Madrid in 2014 from Real Sociedad as a replacement for the outgoing Diego Costa.
Since his move to Atletico, Griezmann has predominantly played as a striker although he played out wide at Sociedad and in his four seasons at Atletico, he has finished as their top scorer in the league and in all competitions every single time.