I dont get this, why is nearly every single leading scorer from the new era?
Why is it never like „yeah he played in the 70s and is leading scorer off xyz“
You can check that, i am not talking bs, its hard to find a leading scorer that was in his prime between 1970-90
Why?
This will probably be controversial but forwards have a lot more protection now than before. That’s why Pele and Maradona are the greatest of all time. They had to put up with a lot of stuff. If a striker showed prowess in the first half of the season, he would get clobbered in the second half. There were few exceptions. Shearer comes to mind and maybe Malcolm Macdonald. The latter has a ridiculous outside shot that would rattle crossbars.
But the curse of the striker was always on display before the refs wised up and started protecting marquee players. Say what you will but I don’t see Messi or Ronaldo II surviving the 70’s or 80’s. They have been protected.