The best striker on the planet plays for Barcelona but it's not Messi

The endorsement from Brendan Rodgers was emphatic. “In this moment in time, [Luis Suarez] is the best striker in the world right now. There is no question about that,” the Celtic manager said the day before his side suffered a 7-0 Champions League loss to FC Barcelona on Tuesday.

Rodgers’ statement would hardly draw attention, save for the fact that Lionel Messi was indomitable and scored a hat trick on the day. Messi’s sixth career Champions League hat trick set a new record for the competition, and the little magician looked like the best player on the park by some distance.

Rodgers, though, is correct in his assessment. Even ignoring the personal bias of the boss, who previously coached Suarez at Liverpool, one cannot help but deny that Suarez has been the best striker in world football since the start of last season.

The key word is “striker.”

On the team sheet, Messi may appear to be lined up as a forward, and his scoring record surpasses that of just about any top striker in Europe. But the man from Rosario plays deeper these days. And he’s more of a right midfielder who cuts in on his left foot and sprays the ball wide to a sprinting Jordi Alba on the run or an available Neymar ready to cut back in. The connection with Neymar led to a series of give-and-gos that led to Messi’s spectacular second goal on Tuesday.

Messi does not lead the line anymore, so calling him a striker would be inaccurate and entirely ignore how vital he is to Barcelona’s possession football before the ball reaches the final third. Suarez, though, is a pure striker and the best goal scorer on the planet currently.

For starters, Suarez scored 40 goals in 35 La Liga matches to claim the Pichichi Trophy, which is given to Spain’s top league scorer, for the 2015-16 season. Cristiano Ronaldo scored 35 goals and Messi knocked in 26. Neymar and Karim Benzema each tallied 24 goals, which is a tremendous haul unless it’s compared to Suarez’s totals.

By edging Gonzalo Higuain’s Serie A record of 36 league goals and Robert Lewandowski’s 30 Bundesliga goals, Suarez also took home the European Golden Shoe with the most league goals on the continent.

The Uruguayan also led La Liga with 16 assists in the previous season, only equaled by Messi. So, Suarez is not only a goal-scoring machine in front of net but he’s also a complete striker that can find the crucial ball to set up teammates. Along with his two goals against Celtic, Suarez also recorded an assist on the night.

Already, the 29-year-old has six goals and an assist in five official matches with Barcelona. With his hat trick on Tuesday, Messi also has six goals in five games. But again, Messi is more than a striker at this point in his career, so comparing the two doesn’t entirely make sense.

Messi is the best player on the planet, especially when he is in the type of form that terrorized Celtic at the Camp Nou. Suarez, however, is the best striker on the planet. Put those two together with Neymar and a Barcelona supporting cast that has a habit of winning trophies year after year, and it’s no wonder that Barcelona is widely considered the best club team in the sport and one of the clear favorites to win the 2016-17 Champions League.

Shahan Ahmed is a soccer columnist for Yahoo! Sports. Follow Shahan on Twitter: @ShahanLA and @perfectpass