There’s a litany of complaints about modern football, from over-abundance to a suggested decline in entertainment, but there’s no denying that the sport is still blessed with an elite group of goalscorers.
Sure, there may be a dearth of truly world-class number nine, but tactical evolution means scoring responsibilities no longer rest solely with the man in charge.
“Inside forwards” have been all the rage for the past decade, with reversed roles from wide positions allowing these shooters to occupy preferred scoring zones. As a result, there is a healthy balance between full nines and flexible forwards who make up the most prolific performers in 2024.
Here are the top 12 goalscorers in Europe’s top five leagues.
Games played: 33
Objectives: 19
Minutes per goal: 142
Benjamin Sesko this, Benjamin Sesko, that. Blah blah blah
Much of the talk surrounding RB Leipzig in 2024 seemed to focus on the Slovenian hotshot, but the 21-year-old was outshone by his modest team-mate.
After starring in Ligue 1 with Lens, Openda has taken to bigger stages like a fish to water. He is a versatile operator who is adept at leading the line, but prefers to drift in wide areas. The Belgian has speed to burn, but is also a crafty and unselfish performer who is excellent at bringing others into play.
While Sesko scored 17 Bundesliga goals in 2024, Openda registered 19.
Games played: 33
Objectives: 19
Minutes per goal: 131
Budimir’s struggles have taken him to the German, Italian and Spanish second tiers, but the Croatian striker has long since found a home at Osasuna.
The 33-year-old enjoyed a career year in 2023/24 as he scored 17 league goals for the mid-table side. His strike rate has only improved in 2024/25 – ten goals in 18 games – as he aims to embark on an Olivier Giroud-esque career of fine wine.
Games played: 30
Objectives: 19
Minutes per goal: 118
The Brazilian’s numbers may not be this impressive considering many felt he had been ‘robbed’ of the 2024 Ballon d’Or. Vini scored 19 goals in 30 La Liga outings in 2024 and produced some big moments in 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 on the field Champions League elimination stages.
Despite the arrival of a certain Frenchman, Vini Jr has continued to show that this is still the case headquarters Real Madrid team.
Games played: 29
Objectives: 19
Minutes per goal: 115
Oh, speaking of.
Mbappé dominated the headlines this summer by finally completing his long-awaited move to the Spanish capital, but the French superstar certainly hasn’t had it all his own way. Madrid.
Ten goals in 16 La Liga outings is a more than respectable return, but some were hoping for Erling Haaland 2022/23-like numbers in the first year. Even the best have to acclimatise, and Mbappe has had to adapt to working in harmony with another self-assured star.
The forward’s form at the end of 2024 would suggest we are in a big 2025.
Games played: 31
Objectives: 23
Minutes per goal: 107
The Egyptian is embarking on one of the greatest Premier League seasons of all time.
In the 2024/25 season, Salah has scored 30 goals (including 17 goals) in 18 games for the league leaders. We are talking about an inevitable force.
Liverpool will surely go to their second Premier League title if Salah is able to even come close to his current output trajectory in the second half of the season, but the winger slowed down during the final stretch of Jurgen Klopp’s reign, mainly due to a persistent muscle injury.
Games played: 33
Objectives: 25
Minutes per goal: 107
Isak’s monster December provided fair justification for the £150m price tag Newcastle have placed on his head. His future will likely depend on whether the Magpies make a strong return to the Champions League.
The Swede is certainly doing everything in his power to get the Toon Army back to the promised land.
While some of Isak’s 25 Premier League goals in 2024 came in December – eight to be precise – the forward scored consistently throughout the year.
Games played: 32
Objectives: 25
Minutes per goal: 103
A transfer window refuses to pass without David earning plenty of links with a wide variety of clubs. The Canada international has been as consistent as it gets up front for Lille, and 2024 has been another excellent 12 months for the 24-year-old.
David followed up his 24-goal Ligue 1 campaign in 2022/23 with 19 goals last term, and has started 2024/25 with 11 in 15. Again, relying on penalties as a reliable source of scoring satisfaction, with the striker already scoring. six times from the site this quarter.
Games played: 36
Objectives: 25
Minutes per goal: 85
No player on this list scored more often than Crystal Palace’s only failure Sorloth in 2024. The towering 29-year-old averaged a goal every 85 minutes in the league, and most of the his success came to Villarreal during the second half. of 2023/24.
Sorloth scored hat-tricks against Granada and Real Madrid before joining Atletico Madrid in the summer.
He has yet to impress in the Spanish capital, but the Norwegian hitman still knows where the target is and his calendar year ended on a major high when he scored the winning goal to defeat league leaders Barcelona in Catalunya .
Games played: 36
Objectives: 26
Minutes per goal: 120
Palmer sparked his magic in the first half of 2023/24 before maintaining that brilliance throughout the calendar year.
The instinctive playmaker scored 26 goals in 36 Premier League appearances for a Chelsea side on the rise, constantly dazzling supporters with sequences of flamboyant craftsmanship.
Palmer never fails to make things happen every time he steps on the pitch, and he certainly didn’t disappoint in 2024.
Games played: 35
Objectives: 27
Minutes per goal: 110
There’s no denying Haaland’s remarkable goal-scoring ability, but the Nordic goalscoring machine certainly benefited from a big purr during his first two years at Manchester City.
The empire stagnated dramatically at the end of 2024 and Haaland has stopped as a result. He looked well set to top these rankings after starting 2024/25 in usual form, but three goals in his last ten league outings of the calendar year mean he sits behind two contemporaries.
Games played: 37
Objectives: 27
Minutes per goal: 109
While Lewandowski slowed towards the end of the year and was indeed ineffective in front of goal, the veteran superstar performed at a peak level during the opening months of 2024/25.
There were signs of decline towards the end of Xavi’s tenure at Barcelona, with the Pole’s influence on the club legend’s team considerably minuscule. However, he was initially buoyed by the arrival of Hansi Flick and has worked in glorious tandem with Raphinha as a false attacking force.
He started the season with 14 goals in as many games, but has three in his last seven. We hope it wintered well.
Games played: 30
Objectives: 29
Minutes per goal: 89
Bayer Leverkusen’s historic campaign saw Kane fail to find silverware again in 2024 after moving to Bayern Munich, but the striker continued to do what he does best.
The Englishman averaged a goal 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 I would trade them all for a DFL-Supercup?
However, Kane, who has 14 league goals in 14 games so far this season, finally looks set to end his trophy drought with the Bundesliga title with Bayern clear at the top.
