Robert Lewandowski, Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, Mohamed Salah, Omar Marmoush, Raphinha banging in the goals
2025-01-16
Category: sports

Barcelona may be third in La Liga but it's not because of a shortage of goals.Six players from Europe's top five leagues have scored at least 20 goals this season in all competitions, and two of them are Barca's.BBC Sport has a look at who tops the charts this season.
26 goals - Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
Even at 36, Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski has shown no sign of slowing up his goalscoring rate.Despite being 33 when he joined from Bayern Munich in July 2022, he has scored 85 times for the club in 122 games. The Pole has scored 26 goals in 27 games in all competitions this season - and is La Liga's top scorer with 16.This week, his former Poland team-mate Tomasz Kuszczak told Goal.com: , external"If you judge the whole career, not spells of a career, Lewandowski is the best player in the world of all time."For me, he is close to [Lionel] Messi. For me, Messi, [Cristiano] Ronaldo and Lewandowski. If he can keep doing this for this season and next season, it will be amazing."
22 goals - Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
England captain Harry Kane has followed up on his impressive goalscoring debut season for Bayern Munich with another prolific campaign.He has 22 goals in as many games in all competitions - including four hat-tricks - to leave his side top of the Bundesliga table.With 16 in the league - only two behind Liverpool's Mohamed Salah - the 31-year-old Kane has remained in the running for a second consecutive European Golden Shoe.
21 goals - Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
With 21 goals in 29 games, Liverpool's Mohamed Salah has put himself on course for potentially his best season to date.His tally of 18 in the Premier League also has him leading the European Golden Shoe race by two goals from three players joint on 16.The 32-year-old's uncertain future does not seem to have unsettled the Egyptian. His contract runs out in six months and Salah can sign a pre-contract with foreign clubs now to join on a summer free transfer."He is irreplaceable because every time he plays 90 minutes," Reds boss Arne Slot recently told BBC Sport."So that probably tells you everything. And we all see how important he is with his goals and his assists. The special thing about him is he doesn't even have to play a very good first hour to be so special in the last half hour."
21 goals - Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
Such are the high expectations of Erling Haaland that, even when it feels like he is not having a great season and Manchester City have struggled too, he is still the third top scorer in Europe's top leagues.The goals have dried up a bit - with four in his last 10 games - but he has still netted 21 times in 28 appearances this season. That was boosted by nine goals in his first five games.With defending champions City currently sixth in the Premier League and Haaland recently said: "It has been weird, but it has been giving me motivation and the hunger in my belly to keep going, to get better and to perform."The 24-year-old also became Norway's all-time top scorer this season, moving on to 38 international goals.
20 goals - Omar Marmoush (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Omar Marmoush has been one of the breakout stars in Europe this season.Salah's Egypt team-mate has smashed in 20 goals in 26 games in all competitions for Eintracht Frankfurt - with 15 in the Bundesliga.It has only been the 25-year-old's fourth season of regular football in the Bundesliga, having netted three times for Stuttgart, then five for Wolfsburg before 12 goals for Frankfurt last term.That form has led to Manchester City trying to sign him this month."Suddenly this season he has absolutely exploded to a different level," said German football expert Raphael Honigstein."If he continues on the same path, he is going to be a superstar."He will be a great buy for whoever gets him."
20 goals - Raphinha (Barcelona)
Former Leeds United winger Raphinha has already enjoyed the most prolific season of his career with 20 goals in 28 games.Only 11 have come in La Liga, with a Champions League hat-trick against Bayern Munich and three goals in two games against Real Madrid some of his highlights.The 28-year-old Brazilian and Lewandowski are by far the most prolific duo in Europe's top leagues this season, with a combined 46 goals in all competitions.Next are Kane and Jamal Musiala at Bayern with 36, followed by Liverpool's Salah and Luis Diaz on 33.
And the actual top scorer in Europe is...
None of the players mentioned above are actually Europe's top scorer, though. That honour falls to Sporting and Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres.The 26-year-old ex-Coventry City frontman, who has been linked to Arsenal, has scored a sensational 32 goals in 30 Sporting games this season.He has netted 21 times in just 17 league games this term.But because the Portuguese league is ranked seventh in Europe, those goals are not weighted as heavily as the others in the contest for the European Golden Shoe.