Robin van Perise has conceded four current stars are better finishers than he was – but Newcastle marksman Alexander Isak is not one of them.
Isak is enjoying a stunning season so far – chipping in with 21 goals in all competitions – with 19 coming in the Premier League.
His dazzling displays has seen him valued at £150million by the Magpies, though Van Persie believes he is the superior finisher.
Speaking to ESPN, Van Persie took part in a game where he was given a host of footballers, and then had to decide whether they are better finishers than what he was during his peak.
The ex-Arsenal and Manchester United centre-forward conceded defeat to just four players – with two currently plying their trade in the Premier League.
Van Persie wasted no time in picking himself over Ollie Watkins, Dominic Solanke and Nicolas Jackson.
He then had to pause when thinking about Isak, but ultimately gave himself the nod.
His Dutch compatriot Condy Gakpo was then next to be overlooked, followed by goalscoring sensation Viktor Gyokeres.
That’s despite the Swedish striker finding the back of the net on 35 occasions in all competitions for Sporting Lisbon this campaign.
Antoine Griezmann and Lautaro Martinez were also named in the list, but Van Persie didn’t believe they were better than him.
Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski was the first that Van Persie admitted was better.
And he then admitted that Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah were levels above him.
Explaining his reasoning over the Reds winger, Van Persie remarked: “Because of the different type of goals, Mo Salah.”
It’s been a terrific campaign so far for Salah, who is on track for his strongest goalscoring season on record.
He has chipped in with an incredible 25 goals and 17 assists in the top-flight so far, with his most in the division coming in the 2017/18 term where he scored 32 league goals.
And he is on course to win his fourth Premier League Golden Boot having scored twice more than Haaland so far.
Lastly, Van Persie named Bayern Munich maestro Harry Kane as a better finisher than himself.
Van Persie, who recently took charge of PSV, is regarded as one of the Premier League’s finest ever strikers.
He played for both Arsenal and United – winning the Premier League with the Red Devils in 2013.
For the Gunners, he made almost 300 appearances, scoring 132 goals and assisting 55 times.
His final season at the Emirates in 2011/12 proved to be his most successful in front of goal as he fired home on 30 occasions.
After moving up north, he scored 58 times for United before enjoying spells at Fenerbahce and Feyenoord.
At international level, he finished his career as the Netherlands’ all-time top scorer having scored 50 goals from 102 caps.