In the past decade or so, with the rise of wingers—especially players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Salah, and Mane—the demands placed on center forwards have changed. Discussions often focus more on their tactical role, their hold-up play, and their ability to create space and opportunities.
It creates the impression that scoring ability is no longer the most important part of a center forward's job.
On the other hand, another extreme opinion might emerge—suggesting that scoring goals is actually quite simple.
This is understandable. After all, when you look at Messi and Ronaldo, who consistently score 40, 50, or even 60 goals a season, it's truly terrifying. For them, scoring goals seems as routine as eating meals.
When fans become accustomed to goal machines like Messi and Ronaldo, they naturally start looking down on other strikers, assuming they're not good enough.
But Gao Shen has always maintained one belief: the center forward is the most difficult position to play on the football pitch.
As long as football remains a sport centered on scoring goals, the role of the center forward will never become obsolete.
The more important the match and the more solid the opponent's defense, the more valuable a true center forward becomes.
While many people are fascinated by Ronaldo and Messi's incredible scoring records, they often overlook the number of shots they take. Of course, many of those chances are created by their own individual brilliance.
In fact, Messi's shooting accuracy and goal conversion rate in recent years has never dropped below 20 percent. His peak came in the 2012/13 season, when he scored 46 goals in La Liga with a conversion rate of 28 percent.
Many people criticize Ronaldo for being a volume shooter, and that criticism is not unfounded. His shot conversion rate is indeed relatively low. His best season was in 2014/15, with a conversion rate of 21 percent. Otherwise, it's usually around 14 to 15 percent.
Since joining Juventus this season, his conversion rate has dropped to 12 percent.
At first glance, that might seem awful.
But in reality, that's not the case.
Ronaldo's biggest issue is that he takes a lot of long shots, which drags down his conversion rate.
Even so, his numbers are still not bad. For example, Lewandowski's conversion rate this season is only 15 percent. Before joining Dortmund, it was about the same. After moving to Bayern, where he gets more chances in the box, it rose slightly, but it still peaked around 20 percent.
Among all strikers, one stands out—Suarez.
During Gao Shen's time at Manchester City, Suarez maintained a conversion rate of around 20 percent. In recent years, as he aged and gained more experience, it increased to about 25 percent. At his peak in the 2015/16 season, it reached an impressive 29 percent.
Another high-efficiency striker is Icardi, who consistently maintained a conversion rate above 20 percent. At his peak, it reached 33 percent, meaning he scored one goal for every three shots, which is an extraordinary figure.
One player who may surprise many is Vardy.
After Leeds United were promoted to the Premier League, Vardy began receiving more chances, and his conversion rate improved significantly. In recent seasons, it's stayed above 20 percent, reaching 25 percent last season, and even 28 percent this season. He's getting better with age.
By now, everyone should have a basic understanding of what these numbers mean.
Shot conversion rates don't tell the full story, but they do provide a useful reference point.
So, what's Mbappe's conversion rate this season?
The answer is 28 percent.
Yes, Mbappe scores, on average, one goal for every 3.6 shots. That's why clubs across Europe are desperate to sign him. It's also one of the key reasons his market value has soared to 250 million euros. His efficiency is simply too high.
And what about Haaland?
The answer is 38 percent.
Of course, most of Haaland's appearances this season have been off the bench, so the data lacks a large sample size. But it still clearly shows one thing: his scoring efficiency is extremely high.
This brings us to Leeds United's careful development of Vardy, Mbappe, and Haaland.
In particular, Mbappe and Haaland have been trained in the most scientific and rigorous way.
Currently, Mbappe is like a more efficient Cristiano Ronaldo, with better shooting technique and fewer long-range attempts.
As for Haaland?
Many might instinctively compare him to the equally tall Ibrahimovic, but that's not entirely accurate.
His playing style more closely resembles Adriano's—only Haaland is clearly faster.
Players like Haaland are extremely rare, making it difficult to find a perfect comparison. But their development path is clear: train them to become as complete as possible.
Do you remember what Gao Shen told Haaland's father when he first discovered him in Norway?
Formal youth training.
Yes, in his previous life, Haaland's technical movements were often unorthodox.
Even in 2021, before Gao Shen's transmigration, Haaland was already a rising superstar in Europe. But if you looked closely at many of his actions—including shooting—they often involved awkward or unconventional techniques, like toe-poking.
Some might say, "What's the big deal?"
If it results in a goal, who cares if you score with your butt?
That's fair. But it only proves one thing: Haaland's natural talent had been severely underestimated.
Why?
Because he didn't receive the most formal and scientific youth training. He lacked a solid foundation, so he often relied on unusual movements to produce top-level shots.
If a center forward had gone through formal youth development, he should resemble someone like Marco van Basten—the textbook example.
Using uncoordinated or improvised movements can make a striker more unpredictable, but it also makes them less consistent.
Now, having joined Leeds United at age 9 and receiving meticulous training from Borrell, Haaland has a solid foundation. Whether it's ball control or dribbling, he's already surpassed the version of himself from his previous life.
Even his old weakness—headers—has improved significantly.
Take that goal against Huddersfield, for example. It was a beautiful header.
Excellent technique, pace, explosiveness, strength, balance, agility...
All of this has led to the emergence of Buu Haaland, the prodigy who scored in the Champions League quarter-finals and in three consecutive Premier League matches—at just 18 years old.
...
Watching from the stands, Gao Shen was full of praise for Haaland's goal.
The key was the header.
"We've fixed that weakness," Gao Shen said with a hearty laugh.
He had witnessed every bit of Haaland's growth.
"Yeah, it wasn't easy. The kid is ambitious, works hard, and trains diligently," Borrell added.
Gao Shen was delighted. "Next time I run into Haaland's dad, I'm going to brag. With a son like this, who knows how far he'll go?"
He let out a snort in the end.
The Haaland of the previous life was a product of the elder Haaland's guidance. It was impressive, but still far inferior to the current version.
You have to understand—being able to play football doesn't mean you can teach football. And Haaland Sr. was never a technically outstanding player himself, so how far could his coaching really take someone?
"He'll probably insist that he instilled the fundamentals of professionalism in Haaland from an early age," Borrell said with a chuckle.
Haaland Sr. is a Leeds United legend. His son performed exceptionally well in the academy and fully committed himself to the sport. That made him familiar with figures like Gao Shen and Borrell.
With Leeds United's current reputation and influence, it's unlikely Haaland would consider leaving before winning the FIFA World Player of the Year and Ballon d'Or. Even after achieving those, he may not need to leave at all.
Both Gao Shen and Leeds United treat him like family.
Would he receive that kind of treatment elsewhere?
"You still need to watch his physical condition and manage his playing time properly. And make sure he keeps working on his back-to-goal technique," Gao Shen reminded again.
A center forward who can't play with his back to goal isn't good enough.
More importantly, if he doesn't take advantage of his youth to train those skills now, it'll be even harder to learn later.
Especially once he becomes a regular starter under pressure. At that point, there won't be time to build a full toolkit.
Right now, with the pressure relatively low and Vardy still carrying the main responsibility, Haaland should focus on mastering everything he needs.
"Oh, by the way. Vinicius and Rodrygo also need to increase their training intensity."
Although many fans and media call them the twin stars of Brazil, their styles are quite different. Vinicius is fast, explosive, and excels at dribbling past defenders on the flank.
But modern wingers can't just rely on wide play. They need to cut in and score more often.
Vinicius still lacks solid shooting technique, and his weaker left foot needs a lot of work.
Rodrygo, on the other hand, looks more ordinary at first glance. He doesn't seem to have any standout traits, but that versatility makes him full of potential.
He's like a student who scores 90 in every subject.
Players like that often enjoy long, successful careers.
Both Brazilian wingers have similar strengths and weaknesses.
The problem is that they both lack experience in European football and are not yet fully physically adapted to the Premier League.
But their advantage, like many Brazilian players, is that they're bold. They're not afraid to take the ball, make plays, or challenge defenders.
In simple terms, they play without fear.
That's extremely rare on the football pitch.
Many technically gifted players don't dare to make bold plays when it matters. They hesitate, and the moment passes.
That's why the courage and confidence of players like Vinicius and Rodrygo are especially valuable.
In the big picture, Leeds United is still not ready.
As the old saying goes: Build high walls, store ample grain, and wait before declaring yourself king.
Leeds United has finished building the high walls. Now, they are stockpiling.
Once the club has enough resources and a solid foundation, their reign will begin.
And the young Leeds United players will surely shake the whole of European football.
(To be continued.)