SUMMARY
- Scoring goals in the world of soccer in itself is an art. However, there are some that score goals for fun.
- Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo who used to score goals with ease for the last decades.
Scoring goals in the world of soccer in itself is an art. However, there are some that score goals for fun. One can start from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo who used to perform the task with ease for the last decades. Another can give examples of the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland who are following the footsteps of the greats with perfection.
The list may go on and on. However, there are some who had been scintillating form if we talk of a particular season. Here, we take a closer look at the top 5 players who have etched their names in history by scoring the most goals in a single calendar year.
Lionel Messi (2012)
What the Argentine icon does, he does it with perfection. Record books may even run out of pages, but Lionel Messi won’t ever run out of reaching milestones till the end of his playing career. Such one milestone made the headlines back in 2012.
Serious question, how tf did Messi scored 91 goals? 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/ABvnniNoqR
— LM🇦🇷⁸ (@Leo_messii_8) January 2, 2024
While in the form of his life, Messi scored a total of 91 goals in the year of 2012 playing for FC Barcelona and his country Argentina. It only took 69 matches that year for the current Inter Miami star to achieve the milestone. Out of those 91 goals, he has scored a total of 79 goals for the Catalan giant helping them win the Copa Del Rey and Super Copa Espana.
Messi’s record caught everyone by surprise as he outscored clubs like Manchester United (85), PSG (86), Chelsea (87) and Dortmund (88). Messi surpassed Gerd Muller’s record of 85 goals in the year 1972.
Gerd Muller (1972)
Known for his goalscoring prowess, Gerd Muller held the record of scoring the most number of goals in a calendar year for 40 years. The Bayern Munich legend scored a total of 85 goals in just 60 appearances. His tally of goals in the Bundesliga was too far for anyone to come even near it. He netted a total of 65 goals playing for Bayern Munich and helping them clinch the title.
Players with the most goals in a single calendar year.
A thread. 🧵
1. Lionel Messi and Gerd Muller pic.twitter.com/YMnDUHpxgP
— Ãbdül🇬🇭 (@IamAbdul___) June 26, 2023
During his time Muller achieved many remarkable feet. He is still leading the tally of most goals in Bundesliga’s history with 365 goals out of 427 appearances. He is also Germany’s leading goalscorer helping them win the FIFA World Cup back in 1974.
Pele (1958 and 1965)
No goalscoring list goes without the mention of the King of soccer, Pele. The all-time Santos top scorer once held the record for scoring the most goals in a calendar year. However, he has done it two times.
Pele scored a total of 75 goals during the year 1958 when he was only 17 years old. Pele’s six goals in the 1958 FIFA World Cup saw him win the trophy as the youngest player ever.
His successful season continued as he showed no shortage of confidence playing for Santos. His 69 goals for Santos that year, paved the way to his greatness that was followed in years to come. Apart from the 1958 season, Pele followed that up with 72 goals in 1965, thus featuring on the list twice.
Romario (2000)
Another Brazilian player who captivated everyone with his smooth dribbling skills and impressive goal-scoring ability was Romario. He sits on the list at number five after his most outstanding year in his career back in 2000.
2000: 34 year old Romário scores 72 goals in a calendar year—the 2nd most this century.
Some gems from that file: pic.twitter.com/AljuIyFT54
— Michelangelo (@Michelange1o_) September 23, 2023
Romario scored a remarkable 72 goals while representing Brazil and his club, Vasco da Gama. Considered an idol by Ronaldinho and standing as Brazil’s fourth-highest goal-scorer, Romario is positioned just behind Pele, Neymar Jr, and Ronaldo, accumulating a total of 780 goals in 1000 games.