They are the players charged with carrying the goalscoring burden for their Hyundai A-League club.
For any side that hopes to have a successful campaign in the Hyundai A-League, a prolific ‘No. 9’ is paramount.
Two players were handed that jersey number on Monday, including Jamie Maclaren, who was handed that iconic number by Melbourne City, after wearing number 29 last season.
Cheeky little birthday present for Jamie Maclaren! 😉9️⃣ pic.twitter.com/09bmVqrmuD
— Melbourne City FC (@MelbourneCity) July 29, 2019
It came after crosstown rivals Melbourne Victory confirmed new recruit Andrew Nabbout would take the No. 9 shirt, last occupied by new Sydney FC man Kosta Barbarouses.
So can one of those two be the leading No. 9 next season?
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Nabbout, who was the Caltex Socceroos’ first-choice striker at last year’s FIFA World Cup in Russia, has played various roles in attack in recent years.
But in his last Hyundai A-League campaign with Newcastle Jets, he scored 10 times in 22 appearances primarily playing in a wider role or in tandem with ex-Jet Roy O’Donovan.
Introducing our new #9️⃣! #MVFC #OurVictory pic.twitter.com/eO46LDD16P
— Melbourne Victory (@gomvfc) July 29, 2019
Maclaren joined City midway through last season and scored five goals in nine appearances, although all of those came in his first four appearances.
With City making a number of number of key attacking recruits so far this off-season – including former Premier League winger Craig Noone and Uruguayan duo Javier Cabrera and Adrian Luna – the Australian international is likely to be presented with plenty of opportunities.
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Of course, the Melbourne-based pair join some pretty impressive No. 9’s from around the league.
Irish striker Roy O’Donovan will spearhead Robbie Fowler’s Brisbane Roar and has proven himself to be a consistent scorer in the Hyundai A-League.
Despite missing the first eight games of last season through suspension, O’Donovan still ended the campaign as Newcastle Jets’ top scorer with 11 goals in 19 outings.
Adam Le Fondre made an instant impact in his first season with Sydney FC, amassing 18 goals in 29 games as the Sky Blues won the Championship on the back of his goalscoring exploits.
And don’t forget Andy Keogh at Perth Glory.
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Keogh scored 15 goals in 28 matches under Tony Popovic last season and with Glory likely to be near the summit of the ladder again, he’s sure to be a consistent scorer.
So, which one of these leading marksmen will be the most prolific No. 9 when the 2019/20 Season kicks off?