Top scorers of European Leagues in 2021

2021 has ended and the same as almost every other year, football fans would search to figure out about the top scorers of the year.

2021 contained several football competitions all around the world – both domestic and international. The most notables of which were EURO 2020 and 2021 Copa America.

The fate of players’ individual awards were mostly determined based on the players’ performances within these tournaments in addition to the UEFA Champions League.

Football is nothing without goals. Hardly can you find a 0 – 0 draw that is appealing to football fans. Hence, the more a player score goals, the media and people’s eyes are laid on him.

That is why most of the Ballon d’Or and best player awards of the year throughout history has been given to attackers rather than defenders or midfielders. Children become a fan of a player who scores, and families watch football on TV to see goals.

The two biggest players of their generation made earth-shattering transfers across leagues over the summer. Former Barcelona star,

, joined Paris Saint – Germain on a two-year deal and Cristiano Ronaldo completed an emotional return to

.

Let’s find out who the top scorers of the 2021 calendar are, and then let’s see how they have performed their within their domestic leagues and in UEFA Champions League. And the list contains some surprises in comparison to the expectations back at the beginning of the year in the January 2021.

Top scorers of European Leagues in 2021:

In this article, we provide a list of the

top scorers of European Leagues in 2021

, as well as some information about Europa League 2020/21 and Champions League top scorers. The players are ranked based on the total goals the have scored during the year.

Robert Lewandowski, 69 goals in 59 matches

• Full name: Robert Lewandowski

• Date of birth: 21 August 1988 (age 33)

• Place of birth: Warsaw, Poland

• Height: 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)

• Position(s): Striker

has finished the top scorer playing in Europe for club and country for the third calendar year running.

The Poland prolific goal scorer spent the most luminous year of his career in 2021. He broke his record of 54 in 2019 and 47 in 2020 by scoring a total of 69 goals within 59 appearances throughout 2021.

This is the 3rd consecutive year that Bayern’s striker finishes the year as the top scorer of the year. His 69 goals include an all – time record 43 league goals for

in Bundeslig, averaging 68 minutes per goal throughout the year in Bundesliga.

No other player managed to score as many league goals as Lewa during 2021, with the second place being taken by Fiorentina’s Dusan Vlahović who scored 33 goals in Serie A in 2021.

Lewandowski equaled

’s 69 goals in 2013 as the second best record of the last decade, yet they both stand behind Lionel Messi’s astonishing record of 91 goals in 2012.

Moreover, he was also named Ballon d’Or Striker of the Year, and had a fierce competition with Lionel Messi for winning the Ballon d’Or itself, however, he lost it while many regarded him to be worthy of winning the trophy.

Moreover, Lewandowski has been one of the Champions League top scorers during last years. He was UCL’s top scorer of the calendar year 2021 with 11 goals- including 9 in the current season (2021/22).

In addition, Lewa was the top scorer across all men’s UEFA competitions (club and country) in 2021 with a total of 22 goals scored for Poland and Bayern Munich combined.

Furthermore, Lewandowski’s numerous goals, especially during the last 5 seasons, has placed him 3rd among UEFA Champions League top scorers of all time by scoring 82 goals within 102 matches. Only Lionel Messi (125) and Cristiano Ronaldo (141) has registered more than Bayern’s prolific goal scorer.

The 33 – year – old striker has been ranked first among top goal scorers in Europe all competitions 2021, and nobody got even close to his number of goals.

Kylian Mbappé, 51goals in 67 matches

• Full name: Kylian Mbappé Lottin

• Date of birth: 20 December 1998 (age 23)

• Place of birth: Paris, France

• Height: 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)

• Position(s): Forward

The French super star is the second player in the list of top scorers among the players of European Leagues in 2021 upon scoring 51 goals in 67 matches for

and France national team.

scored 10 goals in the UEFA Champions League games in 2021, only behind Robert Lewandowski (11).  He shares the 2nd place on the list of the

Champions League top scorers

in 2021

with Mohamed Salah and Sebastien Haller who also registered 10.

Moreover, the 23 – year – old brilliant boy managed to score a total of 17 goals during all UEFA men’s competitions for club and country, again, only fewer than Robert Lewandowski (22) and Harry Kane (20).

Furthermore, Mbappe was crowned 2020/21 Ligue 1 top scorer by scoring 27 goals within 31 appearances. The PSG forward was named Player of the Year at the Globe Soccer Awards.

Mbappe is continuing to aim for bigger and better things in his career after being named Player of the Year at the Globe Soccer Awards. He insists that he's just trying to focus on what lies ahead in his career, despite being grateful for the award.

"I want to win and win more," Mbappe said at the ceremony. "If you look at the world of football there are a lot of great players and if you fall asleep then someone can take it away from you.

"I'm a lucky guy who plays for a great team at club and international level, but I don't look back. I don't think about what I've won, my goal is to keep winning. I want to make football history."

Mbappé’s 23 League 1 goals during the 2021 calendar year has stood him 8th in the list of the top scorers of European Leagues in 2021.

The French talented attacker has turned into a killer of the penalty area – and even outside of that! – and seeing him standing on the summit of the world of football in near future is not a far – fetched imagination for football fans, as well as watching him compete with the next player on the list of top scorers of European Leagues in 2021.

This may end up being the World Cup winner’s final season at PSG but, with Mauricio Pochettino’s side well clear at the top of the league, Mbappe will almost certainly lift some silverware before departing the club.

Mbappe's future is still in doubt with his contract expiring at the end of the season and Real Madrid is interested in discussing a pre-contract agreement with the forward, the 2018 World Cup winner has continued to impress on the pitch with Paris Saint-Germain, leading him to win this the Player of the Year award.

Erling Haaland, 49 goals in 51 matches

• Full name: Erling Braut Haaland

• Date of birth: 21 July 2000 (age 21)

• Place of birth: Leeds, England

• Height: 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)

• Position(s): Striker

The Norwegian beast just cannot stop scoring. At the age of only 21,

is regarded as one of the best strikers in the world and many of the biggest European clubs is going to have a fierce competition to sign him in the summer of 2022.

Haaland netted 30 goals in Bundesliga throughout 2021 for

within only 31 matches. Only Robert Lewandowski (43 in 34 games) and Dusan Vlahović (33 in 44 games) scored more league goals than Dortmund’s prolific striker. In addition, Haaland averaged 89 minutes per goal in Bundesliga in 2021.

Football fans are keenly waiting to see where the Norwegian wonder boy ends up by the end of summer. Undoubtedly, the future one – by - one battle in football will be between Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, who are the 3rd and 2nd players in the list of 2021 top scorers of the year.

The future of Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland continues to generate plenty of attention and the Norwegian has confirmed his intention on a future destination.

Haaland has confirmed that he intends to play for a Spanish club during his career. Bundesliga giants Dortmund have recently confirmed that Real Madrid are among those who are interested in signing the Norwegian striker, while Barcelona last month held a meeting with the player’s agent.

The striker has already established himself as one of the most fearsome players in world football with an expectation that he could be at the forefront of the sport for the next decade.

Karim Benzema, 47 goals in 63 matches

• Full name: Karim Mostafa Benzema

• Date of birth: 19 December 1987 (age 34)

• Place of birth: Lyon, France

• Height: 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)

• Position(s): Striker

Seeing Real Madrid’s striker

among the top goal scorers in Europe all competitions 2021

is not something football fans have expected at the beginning of the year.

However, Benzema has been having a wonderful year on individual level: He has scored 30 La Liga goals for Los Blancos throughout the year within 38 appearances, which jointly stands him 3rd on the list of the

top scorers of European Leagues in 2021

alongside Erling Haaland.

Moreover, Benzema has netted 16 goals across all UEFA men’s competitions for his club and country, only fewer than 4 other players – Lewandowski, Kane, Mbappé and Cristiano.

Benzema’s return to Les Bleus didn’t quite go as planned in the summer, with a shock round of 16 elimination to Switzerland at Euro 2020. That came off the back of a disappointingly trophyless campaign for Real Madrid.

Cristiano Ronaldo, 47 goals in 65 matches

• Full name: Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro

• Date of birth: 5 February 1985 (age 36)

• Place of birth: Funchal, Madeira, Portugal

• Height: 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)

• Position(s): Forward

Can any list about top scorers of the year exist without the the existence of the name of CR7? The answer has been no for over a decade.

The Portuguese legendary player is still shining at top level at the age of 36. Ronaldo finished the 2020/21 Serie A as the top scorer with 29 goals during the season.

However, in 2021 calendar year, he has scored 17 goals in Serie A, and after moving back to Manchester United in the summer, CR7 has netted 8 goals for the Red Devils in the Premier League by the end of 2021. Hence, with a total of 25 league goals, Ronaldo is the 5th player in the list of top scorers of European Leagues in 2021.

a scored a total of 34 goals for his clubs during the year, in addition to 13 for his country. Moreover, he scored 17 goals within all men’s UEFA competitions for Manchester United, Juventus, and Portugal national team – including his 5 goals at EURO 2020 and 6 in the World Cup qualifiers.

That is only fewer than Harry Kane (20) and Robert Lewandowski (22). In the UEFA Champions league, CR7 registered 6 goals during the year.

Ronaldo wrote a short message on New Year's Eve, summarizing his year, but was quite critical of his current club Manchester United, "2021 is coming to an end and it was far from being an easy year, despite my 47 goals scored across all competitions," Ronaldo wrote on Instagram.

"Two different clubs and five different coaches. One Euro Final Stage played with my national team and one World Cup Qualification left pending for 2022.

"At Juventus, I was proud to win the Italian Cup and the Italian Supercup, and become the Serie A top scorer.

"For Portugal, becoming the Euro top scorer was also a high point this year.

"And, of course, my return to Old Trafford will always be one of the most iconic moments in my career."

"But, I'm not happy with what we are achieving in Manchester United," he added.

"None of us are happy, I'm sure of that.

"We know that we have to work harder, play better and deliver way more than we are delivering right now."

Lionel Messi, 43 goals in 60 matches

• Full name: Lionel Andrés Messi

• Date of birth: 24 June 1987 (age 34)

• Place of birth: Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina

• Height: 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)

• Position(s): Forward

The winner of the 2021 Ballon d’Or, the astonishing Lionel Messi. He may not have been the prolific goal scorer everyone expect him to be during the year, but what he did for his country at Copa America 2021 was enough to convince France football voters to give him his 7th Ballon d’Or award.

Messi scored 23 goals for Barcelona in the latter half of the 2020/21 La Liga within 2021, and all of that happened while playing for that dysfunctional Barça of 2020/21.

Ever since he joined Paris Saint – Germain in the summer, Messi has not been as shining in the Ligue 1 and only managed to score 1 goal for PSG in the French league by the end of the year.

Overall, upon scoring a total 24 league goals in throughout the year, Messi stands 6th on the list of the

top scorers of European Leagues in 2021

.

To talk more about details, Lionel Messi scored 34 goals for his clubs, and 9 for Argentina national team throughout the year.

Of those 34 club goals, 7 have been scored in the UEFA Champions League, and 5 of those 9 international goals were scored during the Copa America where he was named the top scorer and best player of the tournament. In addition to scoring goals, Leo provided 18 assists for his teammates during the year.

Dušan Vlahović, 41 goals in 56 matches

• Full name: Dušan Vlahović

• Date of birth: 28 January 2000 (age 21)

• Place of birth: Belgrade, Serbia, FR Yugoslavia

• Height: 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)

• Position(s): Striker

2021 was the breakthrough year for Fiorentina’s 21 – year – old Serbian striker. With a total of 33 goals in Serie A throughout 2021,

 is the second – highest goal scorer of European Leagus in 2021behind only Lewandowski who netted 43.

Moreover, upon scoring 33 Serie A goals in a calendar year, he equaled Cristiano Ronaldo’s record set in 2020. He is currently 2021/22 Serie A top scorer with 16 goals within 19 matches for

.

He has rapidly turned into one of the most prolific and dangerous strikers in the world, and have attracted the eyes of a huge number of prominent European clubs.  There is no sign of him slowing down as he goes on scoring every week

Arthur Cabral, 39 goals in 51 matches

• Full name: Arthur Mendonça Cabral

• Date of birth: 25 April 1998 (age 23)

• Place of birth: Campina Grande, Brazil

• Height: 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)

• Position(s): Striker

One of the most unexpected names on the list of the

top goal scorers in Europe all competitions 2021

belongs to Basel’s striker

.

The Brazilian player was the second- highest goal scorer of Switzerland Super League in 2020/21 with 18 goals, he has kept on shining up until now where he is the top scorer of the league by scoring 14 goals in 18 appearances. Overall, Cabral scored 26 league goals throughout 2021, and stands 5th in the list of top scorers of European Leagues in 2021.

The 23- year – old striker has shown great potential to be something special in the future, and it won’t be long until a club of one of the European top 5 leagues signs him undoubtedly, we are going to hear a lot more of him in no time.

Mohamed Salah, 39 goals in 58 matches

• Full name: Mohamed Salah Hamed Mahrous Ghaly

• Date of birth: 15 June 1992 (age 29)

• Place of birth: Nagrig, Basyoun, Egypt

• Height: 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)

• Position(s): Forward

Regarded as one of the best current players of the world,

started shining in the latter half of the year. The 29 – year – old right winger registered a total of 24 Premier League goals for Liverpool across 2021 calendar year in 41 matches.

Moreover, he is the Premier League’s top scorer in 2021/22 by scoring 15 goals within 19 appearances by the end of 2021.

Furthermore, Salah was the second player in the ranking of Champions League top scorers by scoring 10 goals in the competition within the year, only 1 goal fewer than Robert Lewandowski He has been the best player of the Premier League by some distance since he has been on fire since August.

Outrageous dribbling, poacher’s finishes and a memorable hat-trick during the 5-0 win at Old Trafford have seen the Egypt international register 15 league goals before Christmas – five more than anyone else in the league.

Memphis Depay, 39 goals in 60 matches

• Full name: Memphis Depay

• Date of birth: 13 February 1994 (age 27)

• Place of birth: Moordrecht, Netherlands

• Height: 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)

• Position(s): Forward

Barcelona and Netherlands’ attacker has been one of the most prolific goal scorers of the year in 2021. While he has only scored 20 league goals for Barcelona and Lyon this year, 14 other came in UEFA men’s competitions for club and countries such as the UCL and the EUROs.

It has been reported that Barcelona have made contact with Alvaro Morata’s entourage, with the Blaugrana keen to take over the final six months of the striker’s loan at Juventus and willing to transfer Memphis Depay to the Serie A side to sweeten the deal. The Old Lady, however, is unconvinced by Netherlands international Depay.

Barcelona’s swap deal involving

is rejected by Juventus with

not convinced by the Dutchman's form or injury record

Now let’s take a look at some players whose total number of goals did not see them placing among the top 10 goal scores of the year, but they have been among the top scorers of European Leagues in 2021- only domestic leagues.

Andre Silva, 24 league goals within 37 matches

• Full name: André Miguel Valente da Silva

• Date of birth: 6 November 1995 (age 26)

• Place of birth: Baguim do Monte, Portugal

• Height: 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)

• Position(s): Striker

The Portuguese striker scored a total of 28 Bundesliga goals for Eintracht Frankfurt in 2020/21. 19 of those 28 goals came in the former half of the 2021 calendar year.

was signed by RB Leipzig in the summer and by scoring 5 more goals, he has taken his total league goals tally to 24 in 2021, which sees him stand 7th among the top 5 European league players.

Ciro Immobile, 24 league goals within 38 matches

• Full name: Ciro Immobile

• Date of birth: 20 February 1990 (age 31)

• Place of birth: Torre Annunziata, Italy

• Height: 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)

• Position(s): Striker

The Italian striker,

, has been one of the most prolific goal scorers across Europe since he joined Lazio in 2016. He has scored 13 Serie A goals in 2021/22, which added to his 11 goals in the latter half of the 2020/21, equals 24 league goals for the calendar year.

Italy international has been one of European football’s most reliable goalscorers since he returned to Lazio in 2016, averaging well over 20 goals a season in Serie A for five seasons running.

Wissam Ben – Yedder, 23 league goals in 40 matches

• Full name: Wissam Ben Yedder

• Date of birth: 12 August 1990 (age 31)

• Place of birth: Sarcelles, France

• Height: 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)

• Position(s): Striker

Monaco’s striker,

, has scored 23 goals for his club in 2021 calendar year. 13 of which were scored in 2020/21, and he has netted 10 mire during the current season. Ben Yedder was Ligue’s second highest goal scorer alongside Memphis Depay with 20 goals, and behind Kylian Mbappé who had registered 27.

Jonathan David, 23 goals in 39 matches

• Full name: Jonathan Christian David

• Date of birth: January 14, 2000 (age 21)

• Place of birth: Brooklyn, New York, United States

• Height: 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)

• Position(s): Forward

Another player who experienced a huge breakthrough in 2021 was the Canadian 21 – year – old

who plays for the French side Lille. He is currently the Ligue 1’s top scorer with 12 goals.

David also scored 13 goals during 2020/21 season, 11 of which in were scored in 2021 calendar year. He is said to be having an excellent potential to become a great player and a prolific goal scorer.

In the following section, you can see the top scorers of the Europa League 2021 and UEFA club competitions in 2021top scorers:

Overall UEFA Club Competitions

• Robert Lewandowski (Bayern, UEFA Champions League)

• Mohamed Salah (Liverpool, UEFA Champions League)

• Sébastien Haller (Ajax, UEFA Champions League)

• Kylian Mbappé (Paris, UEFA Champions League)

• Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City, UEFA Champions League)

• Edin Džeko (Roma/Inter, UEFA Europa League/UEFA Champions League)

• Gerard Moreno (Villarreal, UEFA Europa League/UEFA Super Cup)

UEFA Europa League

• Gerard Moreno, Villarreal

• Mislav Oršić, Dinamo Zagreb

UEFA Europa Conference League

• Tammy Abraham, Roma

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