The English Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1 are the five biggest and most competitive leagues in Europe. The best of the best ply their trade in the said leagues, meaning it is quite a feat to stand out; to draw the limelight and stay in it.
Today, we will take a look at a handful of forwards who have done precisely that — showed why they deserve all the praise they get. Here are the 10 players who have scored the most goals across the big five leagues since the start of the 2021-22 season:
#10 Dusan Vlahovic (Fiorentina/Juventus) – 46 Goals
Juventus ace Dusan Vlahovic has scored 46 goals in 84 Serie A matches since 2021-22.
The Serbian center-forward spent the first half of the 2021-22 season at Fiorentina, scoring an impressive 17 times in 21 games. He joined La Viola’s rivals Juventus in January and added seven more Serie A goals to his tally in 15 outings. He struggled to produce his best in the 2022-23 season, scoring just 10 times in 27 games. Vlahovic, however, is faring considerably better this time around, having already scored 12 times in 21 Serie A appearances for the Old Lady.
#9 Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) – 46 Goals
The fact that Karim Benzema is on the list despite leaving Real Madrid and Europe at the end of the 2022-23 season speaks volumes about his ability as a goalscorer. The Frenchman, who won the Ballon d’Or in 2022, scored 46 goals in 56 La Liga games for Real Madrid across the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons.
Benzema scored a career-best 27 goals in 32 La Liga games in 2021-22, helping Los Blancos to the league title. He missed a lot of games due to injuries in 2022-23, but still managed to score 19 times in only 24 outings.
#8 Victor Osimhen (Napoli) – 47 Goals
Napoli striker Victor Osimhen has scored 47 goals in 72 Serie A outings since July 2021. The 25-year-old, who is currently serving Nigeria in the 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON), enjoyed his best-ever campaign last term. He found the back of the net a staggering 26 times in 32 matches, helping Napoli to their first Serie A title in 32 years.
Thanks to his knack for finding the back of the net, Osimhen has become a transfer target for many European clubs, including Arsenal and Chelsea. Osimhen has openly expressed his admiration for the Premier League, hinting a move could be on the cards this summer.
#7 Wissam Ben Yedder (AS Monaco) – 55 Goals
An underrated genius in front of goal, Wissam Ben Yedder has scored 55 goals in 88 Ligue 1 matches for AS Monaco over the past three seasons.
Ben Yedder bagged his career-best 25 Ligue 1 goals in 37 games in the 2021-22 season. His output dropped a little the following season, but his tally of 19 in 32 games was hardly something to scoff at. He has picked up the pace once again this term and is on course for a 20+ goal campaign. The 33-year-old has played 19 league games so far, scoring 11 times.
#6 Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – 56 Goals
The ‘Egyptian King’ Mohamed Salah has been Liverpool’s most consistent attacker in the English Premier League, with him scoring a whopping 56 times in 93 matches since the beginning of the 2021-22 season.
Salah scored 23 goals and provided 14 assists in 35 Premier League matches in the 2021-22 seasons, winning the Golden Boot as well as the Playmaker Award at the end of the campaign. His productivity dropped a little last season, as he managed to score 19 Premier League goals and claim 12 assists as Liverpool finished fifth in the Premier League rankings. Luckily for Jurgen Klopp, his talisman has bounced back this term, netting 14 times and claiming eight assists in 20 matches to emerge as the division’s leading goal contributor.
#5 Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan) – 61 Goals
Inter Milan marksman Lautaro Martinez is in fifth place in the rankings, courtesy of his 61-goal haul in 93 Serie A matches over the past three seasons.
Martinez scored 21 times in 35 Serie A matches in 2021-22. The following season, he once again scored 21 goals, but this time in 38 Serie A games. This season, he looks on course to surpass his personal best, as he has already bagged 19 goals in only 20 Serie A outings.
#4 Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich/Barcelona) – 67 Goals
Barcelona center-forward Robert Lewandowski has scored 67 goals in 89 league games over the last three seasons. The Polish sharpshooter scored a staggering 35 Bundesliga goals in 34 outings in the 2021-22 season, emerging as the division’s top scorer. He carried over his form to La Liga, snatching the Pichichi Award after scoring 23 goals in 34 games during his debut campaign (2022-23) with Barcelona.
Lewandowski, however, has not been as prolific this season, scoring only nine times for the Blaugrana in 21 games. Xavi will need his marksman to pick up the pace if Barca are to put pressure on league leaders Real Madrid in the business end of the campaign.
#3 Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur/Bayern Munich) – 71 Goals
England superstar Harry Kane has claimed the third spot, having netted 71 times in 95 league matches since the start of the 2021-22 seasons.
Kane spent the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons at Tottenham Hotspur, scoring an impressive 47 times in 75 Premier League matches. He has become even more ruthless since switching over to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2023-24.
The 30-year-old has scored a chart-topping 24 times in 20 Bundesliga outings so far, emerging as the European Golden Shoe leader. If he keeps this up, he could very well break Robert Lewandowski’s record of 41 Bundesliga goals in a single campaign.
#2 Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund/Manchester City) – 72 Goals
Manchester City goalmachine Erling Haaland has scored an eye-popping 72 goals in only 76 league appearances over the past three seasons. He scored 22 goals in 24 Bundesliga matches in the 2021-22 season before switching to Manchester City in the summer of 2022. The Norwegian enjoyed an explosive debut campaign at the Etihad Stadium, scoring 52 goals for Man City in all competitions — including 36 Premier League goals — and helping them to a historic Treble.
Haaland has missed quite a few games due to injuries this season. However, that has not kept him from climbing to the top of the Premier League goalscorers’ rankings. The 24-year-old has played 17 league matches thus far, scoring 14 times. Only Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has scored as many.
#1 Kylian Mbappe (PSG) – 77 Goals
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar Kylian Mbappe has scored 77 goals in 88 Ligue 1 matches since the start of the 2021-22 season, emerging as the leading scorer across the top five European leagues. In the 2021-22 campaign, Mbappe also showcased his creative side, clinching a whopping 19 assists in 35 French top-flight appearances.
The Frenchman, who is the poster boy of PSG, might not stay in Ligue 1 for the 2024-25 season, as his contract is expiring at the end of June. Real Madrid are reportedly leading the race for his services.
