There are a number of complaints that can be leveled at modern football, from overabundance to a suggested decline in entertainment, but there’s no denying that the sport is still blessed with a group of elite goalscorers.
Sure, there may be a lack of truly top nines, but tactical evolution means scoring responsibilities no longer fall solely on the leading man up top.
‘Inside forwards’ have been all the rage in the last decade, with inverted functions from wide positions allowing these shooters to occupy preferred scoring zones. As a result, there is a healthy balance between pure nines and flexible forwards that make up the most prolific players in 2024.
These are the top 12 leading scorers from Europe’s top five leagues.
Matches played: 33
Objectives: 19
Minutes per goal: 142
Benjamin Šeško this, Benjamin Šeško that. Blah, blah, blah.
Most of the talk of RB Leipzig 2024 seems to have focused on the Slovenian, but the 21-year-old has been outshone by his humble team-mate.
After starring in Ligue 1 with Lens, Openda took to the big stages like a fish to water. He is a versatile operator who is adept at running a line but prefers to fly wide areas. The Belgian has great speed, but is also a crafty and unselfish performer who excels at bringing others into the game.
While Šeško scored 17 Bundesliga goals in 2024, Openda recorded 19.
Matches played: 33
Objectives: 19
Minutes per goal: 131
Budimir’s troubles took him to the German, Italian and Spanish second leagues, but the Croatian striker found a long-term home in Osasuna.
The 33-year-old enjoyed a career year in 2023/24. when he scored 17 goals in La Liga for the mid-table side. His strike rate only improved in the 2024/25 season. – ten goals in 18 games – as he looks to embark on an Olivier Giroud-esque fine wine trajectory.
Matches played: 30
Objectives: 19
Minutes per goal: 118
The Brazilian’s numbers may not be that impressive considering many thought he had been ‘stolen’ of the 2024 Ballon d’Or. Vini scored 19 times in 30 La Liga games in 2024 and produced big moments during the first half of the year as Real Madrid won another league title .
The winger was arguably the best player in the world for a while after returning from a thigh injury in the new year, scoring in crucial wins over Girona and Barcelona.
His goal tally was complemented by frequent assists and clutch performances in the game Champions League knockout stage.
Despite the arrival of a certain Frenchman, Vini Jr continued to prove that it still is his Real Madrid team.
Matches played: 29
Objectives: 19
Minutes per goal: 115
Oh, while we’re at it.
Mbappe dominated the summer headlines after finally completing his long-awaited move to the Spanish capital, but things certainly haven’t worked out for the French superstar Madrid.
Ten goals in 16 La Liga appearances is a more than respectable return, but some expected Erling Haaland-like numbers in the 2022/23 season in his first year. Even the best have to acclimatise, and Mbappe had to adjust to working in harmony with another confident star.
The striker’s form at the end of 2024 suggests we are in the big 2025.
Matches played: 31
Objectives: 23
Minutes per goal: 107
The Egyptian is embarking on one of the best seasons in the Premier League of all time.
In the current season 2024/25. Salah has scored 30 goals (including 17 goals) in 18 games for the top leagues. You talk about inevitable force.
Liverpool will surely cruise to their second Premier League title if Salah can even come close to his current trajectory of performance during the second half of the season, but the winger has slowed during the latter part of Jurgen Klopp’s reign – largely due to a nagging muscle injury.
Matches played: 33
Objectives: 25
Minutes per goal: 107
Isak’s monster December provided a legitimate rationale for the reported £150m price tag Newcastle slapped on his head. His future is likely to depend on whether the Magpies make a sudden return to the Champions League.
The Swede must be doing everything in his power to bring the Toon army back to the promised land.
While a chunk of Isak’s 25 Premier League goals in 2024 came in December – eight to be precise – the striker has scored consistently throughout the year.
Matches played: 32
Objectives: 25
Minutes per goal: 103
The transfer window refuses to pass without David earning as many links as possible with a number of clubs. The Canadian international has been consistent in scoring goals for Lille and 2024 has been another excellent 12 months for the 24-year-old.
David continued his campaign with 24 goals in Ligue 1 from 2022/23. with 19 goals last season, and he started the 2024/25 season. with 11 in 15. Again, he relies on penalties as a reliable source of scoring pleasure, and the striker has already scored six times from the spot this term.
Matches played: 36
Objectives: 25
Minutes per goal: 85
No player on this list has scored more times than one-time Crystal Palace failure Sorloth in 2024. The big 29-year-old has averaged a goal every 85 minutes in La Liga, with most of his success coming for Villarreal during the second half. from 2023/24.
Sorloth scored a hat-trick against Granada and Real Madrid before joining Atletico Madrid this summer.
He is yet to prove himself in the Spanish capital, but the Norwegian hitman certainly still knows where the goal is and his calendar year ended on a high when he scored a last-gasp winner to defeat leaders Barcelona in Catalonia.
Matches played: 36
Objectives: 26
Minutes per goal: 120
Palmer teased his magic during the first half of 2023/24. before it maintained such brilliance throughout the calendar year.
The instinctive playmaker has scored 26 times in 36 Premier League games for Chelsea on the rise, constantly dazzling fans with sequences of extraordinary skill.
Palmer constantly makes things happen every time he steps on the court and certainly did not disappoint in 2024.
Matches played: 35
Objectives: 27
Minutes per goal: 110
There’s no denying Haaland’s prodigious goal-scoring ability, but the Nordic goal-scoring machine has undoubtedly benefited from the purring goal-scorer during his first two years at Manchester City.
The empire came to a screeching halt at the end of 2024 and Haaland weakened as a result. It seemed that he was ready for the top of this ranking after the 2024/25 season. started in typical form, but three goals in his last ten league games of the calendar year means he is behind two of his contemporaries.
Matches played: 37
Objectives: 27
Minutes per goal: 109
While Lewandowski slowed down towards the end of the year and actually proved to be ineffective in front of goal, the veteran superstar has been a force to be reckoned with during the first few months of 2024/25.
Towards the end of Xavi’s tenure at Barcelona, there were signs of decline, and the Pole’s influence on the club legend’s team was rather insignificant. However, he was initially buoyed by the arrival of Hansi Flick and worked in magnificent tandem with Raphinh as a false strike force.
He started the season with 14 goals in as many games, but has three in his last seven. Let’s hope he wintered well.
Matches played: 30
Objectives: 29
Minutes per goal: 89
Bayer Leverkusen’s historic campaign meant there was no silverware for Kane again in 2024 following his move to Bayern Munich, but the striker continued to do what he does best.
The Englishman averaged a goal just under every 90 minutes in the Bundesliga as he finished his debut campaign in Germany with the domestic Golden Boot, the European Golden Boot and the Gerd Muller Trophy.
Do you think you would trade all that for the DFL-Supercup?
Either way, Kane, who has 14 league goals in 14 games so far this term, looks set to finally end his trophy drought by way of a Bundesliga title with Bayern who have kept a clean sheet at the top.
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