The World Cup renaissance of the No 9 – why is it happening and is it here to stay?

Raphael Honigstein, James Horncastle and Jack Pitt-Brooke joined Adam Leventhal to discuss the evolution of the No 9 role.

POACHER: Brazil's Richarlison celebrates scoring his side's third goal during the World Cup round of 16. Pic: AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin

Take a look at the list of leading goalscorers at this World Cup and you will see a mix of playing styles and roles: Kylian Mbappe, Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka, the inverted wingers; Alvaro Morata, Olivier Giroud and Enner Valencia, the classic No 9s; Richarlison, the winger turned centre forward.

At World Cups we tend to look for trends — a tournament every four years viewed by millions is a chance to gauge where the global game is at. In Qatar, we have seen all sorts of forward play, but the renaissance of strikers being used in what might be considered a classic No 9 role has been one theme to emerge.