In the 2022-23 season, two young players dominate the goal charts, marking the passing of the baton from the duopoly of Messi and Ronaldo.
Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are regulars on the goal sheet. Meanwhile, Ronaldo has regained his reputation in this year’s top scorer rankings in both international and club football.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner added another goal in 2023 after scoring from a free-kick in the Saudi Professional League against Damak FC nearly seven months later.
As the race for 2023-24 gets tighter, here’s a list of this year’s top scorers:
1. Cristiano Ronaldo: 44 games, 41 goals
Ronaldo made headlines for his controversial interview with Piers Morgan on the eve of the World Cup. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has since retired from European club football, joining Saudi Professional League side Al Nasr in 2023.
Although he scored 14 goals for the team, he did not fully return to form until this season. As of October 22, 2023, he has scored 12 goals in appearances.
2. Erling Haaland: 44 games, 40 goals
As the winner of the Premier League Golden Boot in the 2022-23 season, Haaland has played an important role in making Manchester City a truly threatening team. The Norwegian joined Guardiola’s side from Borussia Dortmund last summer and won the treble in his debut season.
Manchester City player Haaland celebrates scoring against Brighton in the Premier League. | Image source: Getty Images
He has started exactly as many times in the league this season as he has finished, scoring nine goals in as many appearances. He scored twice against newly promoted Burnley and scored a hat-trick against Fulham.
3. Barnabas Varga: 42 games, 39 goals
Barnabas Varga also plays in the Hungarian Football Second Division in 2021. But he has been a nightmare for opponents since his debut in Hungary’s top flight.
For Parks, he scored 26 goals in the league last season and won the Golden Boot. He has continued the same momentum since joining Ferencvaros this summer, scoring eight goals and assisting two in eight league appearances.
Varga celebrates after scoring his first goal in the Euro 2024 qualifying Group G match against Serbia at the Puskas Arena in Budapest. | Photo source: Associated Press
Varga is not yet a high-profile name in European club football. However, with numbers like these, he will certainly continue to make headlines in 2023 alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Haaland.
4. Kylian Mbappe: 38 games, 37 goals
As Paris Saint-Germain sees Lionel Messi and Neymar leave the club, Kylian Mbappe has taken center stage after a stand-off between him and the club was resolved. The winger scored his eighth goal against Strasbourg to help PSG move into second place in Ligue 1.
While he once played on the right wing alongside Messi and Neymar in the team, after their exit he took on more of a central role, playing as a second forward alongside Goncalo Ramos.
5. Harry Kane: 45 games, 36 goals
When Tottenham Hotspur’s top scorer left England, there were doubts as to whether he would go on to score in a different league. Within a month, he scored his first hat-trick in the Bundesliga, scoring for Bayern Munich against Bochum.
He has contributed 15 goals in 11 games for Bavaria so far, ranking fifth on the all-time goalscoring list, with eight goals for the Three Lions in 2023.