Soccer fans across the world were rewarded with some mesmerizing goals in 2023. Manchester United ace Alejandro Garnacho stunned the world with his wonderous overhead kick against Everton. Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham shook Barcelona with an outside-the-box stunner in the first El Clasico of the season. And Al-Nassr frontman Cristiano Ronaldo scored an unimaginable chip against Al-Akhdoud to prove that he is still a force to be reckoned with.
Although the preamble suggests otherwise, we are not judging the most stunning goals in 2023 here, as it is a statistically futile endeavor. Instead, we are taking a look at the most consistent goalscorers of 2023, who found a way through come hell or high water. Now without further ado, let’s take a quick look at the top five goalscorers of 2023:
#5 Santiago Gimenez (Feyenoord/Mexico) – 39 Goals
Having enjoyed a goal-laden 2023, Feyenoord’s 22-year-old goalmachine Santiago Gimenez is the fifth name on the list. The Mexico international, who happens to be the youngest player on this exclusive list, has finished the year with an impressive 39 goals in 64 matches for club and country.
Gimenez capped off the 2022-23 season with a bang, scoring 17 goals for Feyenoord in the second half of the season (in 2023). This season, he has picked up right where he left off last term, netting 20 times and providing five assists in 22 games across competitions. Gimenez’s remaining two goals came in the Gold Cup 2023, including one in the final that allowed Mexico to clinch a slender 1-0 victory over Panama.
#4 Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr/Portugal) – 50 Goals*
By far the oldest player on this list, five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo has enjoyed a blessed year for Al-Nassr and Portugal. The 38-year-old has scored 50 goals so far in 2023 and could add to his tally in the next three matches for the Saudi Pro League outfit. He is the only player on this list with this unique opportunity.
Ronaldo, who joined Al-Nassr at the start of 2023 after parting ways with Manchester United in November 2022, has scored 40 goals for the Saudi Arabian side in 47 matches this year. The remaining 10 goals have come for Portugal in nine 2024 European Championship Qualifiers.
#3 Erling Haaland (Manchester City/Norway) – 50 Goals
Arguably the best out-and-out striker in the world at the moment, Erling Haaland took his game to a whole new level following his move to Manchester City in July 2022. He scored 36 goals in 35 Premier League matches in 2022-23 and 12 in 11 matches in the UEFA Champions League, lifting both trophies as the competitions’ top scorer.
In 2023 alone, the 23-year-old has bagged 50 goals, scoring 44 goals for Manchester City — 19 last season and 25 this season — and the remaining six for his country Norway. Unfortunately, Haaland picked up an injury in the first week of December, which has forced him to miss the rest of the matches this year. It will be interesting to see if the Premier League Golden Boot frontrunner can recover his Midas touch when he returns to action in January.
#2 Kylian Mbappe (PSG/France) – 52 Goals
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar Kylian Mbappe has ended 2023 on a rather high note, scoring twice in a 3-1 win over Ligue 1 rivals FC Metz on Wednesday night (December 20). With the decisive brace, the French attacker took his goal tally to 52 for the year. Of his 52 strikes, 42 came for Les Parisiens — 21 last season and 21 this season — while the remaining 10 came for France in 2024 European Championship qualifiers and international friendlies.
Mbappe, who finished third behind Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland in the 2023 Ballon d’Or race, could switch camps in 2024. The 25-year-old will become a free agent on June 30, 2024, and has yet to green-light a contract extension. It will be exciting to see if PSG’s all-time top scorer manages to extend his legacy by guiding his team to their first-ever UEFA Champions League trophy in his final season at the club.
#1 Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur/Bayern Munich/England) – 52 Goals
Tottenham Hotspur icon, England skipper, and Bayern Munich goalmachine, Harry Kane has scored an astonishing 52 goals in 2023. Eighteen of 50 goals came for Tottenham in the second half of the 2022-23 season, while 25 came for the Bavarians in only 22 matches this season. His remaining nine goals came for England in the 2024 European Championship qualifying matches and international friendlies.
Kane, 30, has hit the ground running in the Bundesliga. In only 15 matches, he has scored 21 times and provided five assists in the German top flight, emerging as the frontrunner in the race for the European Golden Shoe.
The Englishman is aiming for the first league title of his professional career, and considering the form that he is in, it will be a surprise if he does not achieve his target this season.
