As we approach the end of 2021, it’s that time of year again where we reflect on who put in the best performances of 2021. With Messi’s controversial win of the Ballon d’Or, which player perhaps should have won, if not Messi? eSportsBetting.com have their own views on who will be the top scorers of the season, but let’s have a look at who will end 2021 with the most calendar year goals.
1. Robert Lewandowski – 55 Goals.
Polish striker Robert Lewandowski has put in another incredible season in his decorated career so far. Despite having a rough start to his career, in which he wasn’t the most talented of young players, he has consistently been in the top 5 goal scorers in the world for several seasons now.
Scoring 55 goals for club and country in 2021 will usually land you in first place, particularly since Messi and Ronaldo are slightly past their prime. It’s possible that Robert will continue to score more too, as Bayern are set to play Wolfsberg on the 17th of December. The goal count will be greater than the total games played too, making the feat even more incredible.
Many believe that Lewandowski should have won the Ballon d’Or. In particular, Europeans scored highly in voting for Lewandowski. Since the 2015/16, Robert Lewandowski has scored 42, 43, 41, 55, and 48 goals respectively across the seasons. This is a remarkable record, making him the top goal scorer across the five biggest leagues in Europe. Best of all, Lewandowski only recently turned 33 years old, giving him a few more years of endless goal scoring too – so his endeavour for a Ballon d’Or isn’t over just yet.
2. Erling Braut Haaland – 41 Goals.
Next up is Erling Braut Haaland, the impossibly likeable Norwegian superstar. The forward has had his best season in front of goal so far for Borussia Dortmund. To still only be 21 and yet score 41 goals in a single calendar year, yet with still another game to play, is an incredible achievement.
Because of his age, prospects, and already established talent the price tag for Haaland is reportedly £172 million (€200m) – despite having only paid €18 million for him just over a year ago. Of course, Haaland’s buyout clause is only €66 million in 2022, so clubs may wait until then – but the competitive fight for him may occur before then.
Haaland has scored almost exactly the same amount of goals and he’s played games for Borussia Dortmund (51 goals in 52 games since joining). The season before, for RB Salzburg, he had scored 17 goals in 16 games. The striker’s incredible athleticism and goal-scoring ability at the age of 21 would be a very good steal if clubs wait until 2022 to trigger the buy out clause.
3. Kylian Mbappe – 41
Kylian Mbappe is on a similar path to Haaland, being only 22 years old and a rising star with a huge price tag. The forward, who used to play more on the left wing, has scored 87 goals in 97 games for PSG since joining in 2018. Mbappe and Haaland’s records are reminiscent of a young Ronaldo and Messi with those goals-games ratios.
Mbappe’s record is almost so good that he has overshadowed Messi’s start to his PSG career, by outsourcing the Argentinian by some stretch so far. Mbappe was the top goal scorer in Ligue 1 during the 2018-19 season, with 33 league goals, the 2019/20 season with 18 league goals, and the 2020/21 season, with 27 goals.
Whilst Mbappe is just behind Jonathan David and Gaëtan Laborde with goals scored this season so far, Mbappe remains to be the bookies’ favourite to end the season as the top goal scorer.
4. Karim Benzema – 37 Goals.
Being the top goal scorer currently in La Liga with 13 goals since August, Benzema is proving to only get better with age. The 33 year old’s overall record is 205 goals in 399 games, which is fantastic, but his goal-scoring ratio seems to have gotten better in recent seasons.
Besides the 2015-16 season in which Karim scored 24 league goals, his best season came just after Ronaldo left Madrid, scoring 23 goals in the 2020-21 season. It’s looking likely that Benzema will finish the season as La Liga top goal scorer, but is certainly approaching an age where he may be declining soon physically. Whilst this is yet to be seen, it’s likely we will see a partnership between Karim and Mbappe, with Madrid favourites to sign the PSG forward.
5. Mohammed Salah – 36 Goals.
The Egyptian winger has been the best player in the Premier League for several seasons now. At 36 goals, Salah continues his phenomenal record for a winger. In fact, Salah is far and away top goal scorer in the current season, with 14 goals so far and 9 assists, despite only 16 games played. That’s 5 more goals than Vardy in second place.
At 29 years old, it’s been a pleasure to come good in the prime years – and with many more prime years left still. Whilst Manchester City are linked to Salah, it’s difficult to see why he would leave if Liverpool manage to win the Premier League once again. Despite four points behind City, they have a game in hand and are entering fantastic form.