Jozy Altidore ranked worst-ever Premier League striker by Daily Mail
Toronto FC's talismanic forward Jozy Altidore, who's hit 36 regular-season goals over the past three MLS seasons, is the worst Premier League striker of all time, apparently.
The Daily Mail's James Dutton ran the last installment of his controversial countdown on Friday and deemed Ali Dia - a man who tricked Southampton into signing him and played just 35 minutes before being outed as an imposter - as second to the United States marksman.
The top ten:
- Jozy Altidore (Hull City, Sunderland)
- Ali Dia (Southampton)
- Ade Akinbiyi (Leicester City)
- Stephane Guivarc'h (Newcastle United)
- Afonso Alves (Middlesbrough)
- Victor Anichebe (Everton, West Bromwich Albion, Sunderland)
- Kostas Mitroglou (Fulham)
- Andreas Cornelius (Cardiff City)
- Ricky van Wolfswinkel (Norwich City)
- Erik Meijer (Liverpool)
While Altidore did have a tough time in England - he scored just two goals in 70 Premier League appearances - it does seem harsh to rank him the worst striker since the division's inaugural 1992-93 season given his unlucky run with injuries.
"Altidore looked big and strong, like anything could hit him and stick. He should have been a colossus, but he just wasn't," Dutton remembered.
"Clumsy on the ball and wild in front of goal it was the worst of combinations to spearhead a struggling Sunderland side battling relegation."
English football's loss has been Toronto FC's gain. Altidore's exploits in attack with Sebastian Giovinco helped the Canadian club collect the 2017 Supporters' Shield, and the Reds require four points in their final two matches to surpass the LA Galaxy's MLS record of 68 points in the 1998 regular season.