Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez has given his verdict as to who the best three strikers are in the world, with the notable omissions of both Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe.
Scroll through the gallery above to see who Xavi named as the world's best forwards!
According to the Spaniard, the Frenchman and the Portuguese stand outside the podium places of best marksmen in the game right now.
Mbappe scored a brace for Paris Saint-Germain against Juventus in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday. Ronaldo, on the other hand, was on the receiving end of a loss on Thursday night when Real Sociedad defeated Manchester United 1-0 in the opening match of their UEFA Europa League campaign.
While these two forwards have had contrasting starts to their respective European campaigns this season, Xavi has now revealed his belief that Robert Lewandowski, Karim Benzema and Erling Haaland are the best forwards in the world.
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Benzema is the frontrunner for the 2022 Ballon d'Or, having helped Real Madrid capture their 14th European Cup as well as the 2021/22 LaLiga title last season, but unfortunately had to be substituted off during Real's 3-0 win over Celtic on Tuesday.
Haaland, meanwhile, made it 12 goals in just seven matches for the Citizens against Sevilla this week.
Xavi, however, left the biggest praise for his new star forward Lewandowski. The Pole scored a history-making hat-trick in Barcelona's 5-1 victory over Viktoria Plzen on Wednesday, and the 34-year-old's recent form has left the Barca manager awestruck.
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"It's fantastic to have him in the team, I can't praise him enough," he said of his striker, as per the Daily Mirror.
"But it's not just the hat-trick, it's everything he does and what he brings.
"Apart from the goals, he makes the team play, he understands when to press, he gives us many solutions in attack, how he communicates, he understands the game.
"The best? There's him, Benzema and also Haaland."
