Pele. Ronaldo. Romario. Jairzinho. The list could go on.Brazil has been blessed with great goalscorers throughout their footballing history, players who have fired them to a record five World Cup wins.Now the race is on for the striker to lead their line at this summer’s tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.While the likes of Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, Raphinha and Willian Estevao – even potentially the return of Neymar – provide exciting attacking options, the battle for the number nine shirt appears very much open.And – with eight contenders playing in the Premier League – what happens in England over the coming months is likely to have a huge impact as Brazil bid to end their 24-year wait for the trophy.Brentford’s Igor Thiago is the joint second top scorer in the Premier League with four goals, while Tottenham’s Richarlison has three and Chelsea’s Joao Pedro has netted twice. Igor Jesus, meanwhile, has netted four times for Nottingham Forest in cup matches.Richarlison and Pedro are the two most likely to be named in Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti’s squad on Wednesday for their latest World Cup qualifiers on Wednesday.BBC Sport looks at some of the striker candidates he will be following this season, with the majority of them from the Premier League.
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Brazil: The Premier League scramble to be Brazil’s number nine
