Luís Fabiano

A powerful and instinctive Brazilian striker, Luis Fabiano was not the most artistic forward his country ever produced, but he was one of the most brutally efficient of his generation. Strong, aggressive and sharp inside the box, he combined classic number 9 movement with a nasty competitive edge and a clean, decisive right-footed finish. At Sevilla, he became a genuinely top-level goalscorer, thriving on crosses, transitions and quick service around the area. For Brazil, he offered something more direct than the usual samba mythology: penalty-box authority, physical bite and reliable finishing when the team needed a proper striker, not another poet with ankle tape. Technically good, mentally fiery and occasionally volatile, he was a centre-forward built for damage. Not quite Ronaldo or Romário, certo, but far closer to the serious table than people sometimes remember.