The striker. The most powerful weapon in your quest for victory, and the headlining part of any team in FIFA.

For decades, people have been debating who the best striker in the world of football might be. But how about the virtual world? Who, in my eyes, are the Top 5 best strikers in the 2014 incarnation of FIFA? Let’s take a look.

But there are some ground rules I quickly want to cover here. Any player in FIFA, who can play as an “ST” is eligible in this game. Center Forwards (CFs), are eligible too (because of the popularity of the False 9 increasing), and I’m NOT going to consider Ultimate Team. The reason for this, is because Ultimate Team is basically an Arcade version of FIFA, and chemistry boosts make some players automatically better than others, and it definitely blurs the lines somewhat.

5 - Lionel Messi (94 Rating, CF, Barcelona)

WAIT, WAIT, don’t click off the window just yet. I know what you’re thinking: “Dre, Messi is the highest rated player in the game, how can he be only be No. 5?!”

Messi in FIFA is a bit like brussel sprouts at Christmas. You either love them or hate them. There’s no middle ground. Same applies for Messi in FIFA. For those that can use him effectively, he’s insane. For those who can’t, he’ll be next to useless for you.

Messi is without doubt the most effective dribbler and finisher in FIFA, but he also is a natural CF. He sits deeper on the field than most forwards do, meaning he tends to have to work harder than a pure striker like others on this list. It also doesn’t help he plays for Barcelona, a team that’s only really good in a 4-3-3, and playing him in the middle can hamper you.

But, if you’re really good with Messi, he will dominate, and if your opponent can’t deal with him effectively, you win. With 97 Finishing, 90 Sprint Speed and 97 Ball Control, he’s absolutely devastating at times.

Playing him at Right Wing, he became way more effective coming in from the side rather than down the middle. Worked for me. That 60 strength rating is an issue when dealing with big, stronger central defenders.

4 - Gareth Bale (87, CF, Real Madrid)

If this was a list of complete football players, Gareth Bale would probably be No. 2 on this list. He is ridiculous, and his defensive stats go hand-in-hand with FIFA 14’s enhanced ability to win the ball back. It makes Gareth Bale a mini Ronaldo, and arguably the game’s best natural “False-9.” He plays deeper towards midfield than the average forward, and then is able to explode with his incredible speed. (94 Sprint Speed, 92 Acceleration)

But as a pure forward player, there are players with better stats out there, who can do the job of a pure striker. His offensive stats are good, just not great. And his low agility coupled with solid dribbling (86) can be a little limited. Add in only 84 Finishing, and a 3* weak foot, and Bale has weaknesses as a complete attacker.

As I said, as a complete player, Bale is one of the very best in the game. As a striker, there are better options, but it’s ease of use coupled with insane speed (he's faster than Messi in a foot race) that means the average player will get through his weaknesses and still be amazing with him.

3 - Robin Van Persie (89, ST, Manchester United)

Simply put, Robin Van Persie is the game’s second best technical striker. Anyone remember playing the early FIFA games in the PS2 era and Ruud Van Nistelrooy was insanely good? Same thing here.

He’s not the fastest guy, but as a forward, he does just about everything well and ticks every major box. Decent speed? Yep. (76, actually not a bad number considering speed threshold isn’t as bad as it used to be in previous FIFA’s). Finishing? Elite at 91, with 90 Shot Power and 92 Volleys. 4* Skills and Weak Foot.

His dribbling stats aren't’t bad coupled with great Ball Control. He's a natural poacher as well with 90 Positioning and 87 Reactions, and he’s always in the right place at the right time. He’s a dead ball and Long Shot specialist. He can even dish it around like an Attacking Midfielder would.

Just about everything you can ask for from a striker, RVP can give you, and it’s that, which makes him my No. 3.

2 - Sergio Aguero (88, ST, Manchester City)

AGUEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! (As a Manchester United fan, this still burns me.)

Sergio Aguero isn't as technically gifted as Robin Van Persie is. His stats, across the board, are a little bit lower than RVP’s. Still very high though. (90 Finishing and Dribbling, 87 Positioning, 86 Shot Power and Volleys)

However, in the realm of FIFA, speed kills, and the small trade off you get in that technical department, you make up for in one easy fact: Aguero is the most effective explosive striker in FIFA. Period. Has been for two straight games now.

With 93 Acceleration and 85 Sprint Speed (and the trait of always looking to beat the offside trap), Aguero’s ability to explode from the defensive line, and then finish, is insanely good. Yes, there are faster strikers, but when you add Aguero’s finishing -- and the very underrated 90 stat for Balance -- he is able to finish shots that strikers would miss due to defensive pressure.

His explosiveness and reliability in front of goal, especially in 1-on-1 scenarios, make Aguero my No. 2.

1 - Zlatan Ibrahimović (89, ST, Paris Saint-Germain)

Simply put, Zlatan is a monster. Has been since FIFA 04 on the PS2, and I see no reason why he isn’t the game’s best striker.

He’s a 6’4 Striker with 78 Sprint Speed. He has 93 Strength. 90-plus Finishing, Ball Control, and Shot Power. 86 Agility, three Mental stats over 80, and even 80 FK Accuracy.

A 4* Weak Foot. 5* Skills. And the best thing of all -- he’s idiot proof. Your grandmother could score in FIFA with Zlatan. He’s basically the perfect striker. He’s RVP on Steroids and one of the very few players in FIFA who can win you a game by himself. He makes you better.

There are my Top 5 Strikers in FIFA 14 this year. Got any other suggestions? What’s your Top 5? Let me know, and if you enjoyed, feel free to follow me on Twitter @Harrison101HD! Thanks for reading!