5 players with best minutes-per-goal record since the 1999-00 season
The game of football never stops challenging you irrespective of your stature or experience on the pitch. It is certainly a massive task and an achievement to keep scoring goals at regular intervals.
It is not everyone's cup of tea to find goals on a consistent basis, yet some players have managed to successfully do that. Achieving it takes a lot of hard work, thorough dedication and plenty of clinical finishing.
Different leagues have different challenges and it is a big challenge to find consistency. That being said, many players have found their form in a particular league and have been dominant in them with their goal-scoring abilities.
Since the 1999-00 season, there have been some great performances in front of goal. Here, we take a look at footballers who have the best minutes-per-goal ratio in the respective leagues they have played in. This list takes into account their best form in a particular league.
Note: Players with a minimum of 50 goals in Europe's top five leagues are considered
#5 Robert Lewandowski (100 minutes)
Robert Lewandowski is arguably one of the best strikers in the world right now. The Polish striker has enjoyed a stellar time in the Bundesliga ever since joining Borussia Dortmund in the 2010-11 season.
He scored 74 goals in 131 league appearances for Dortmund before signing for Bayern Munich in the 2014-15 season. With the Bavarian club, Lewandowski's goal-scoring frequency went up a notch as he became ruthless in front of goal.
Robert Lewandowski has now equalled Gerd Muller's record of seven Bundesliga Torjägerkanone awards.
◎ 2013/14 (20)
◎ 2015/16 (30)
◎ 2017/18 (29)
◎ 2018/19 (22)
◎ 2019/20 (34)
◎ 2020/21 (41)
◉ 2021/22 (35)
Five consecutive awards for the striker. 😳 https://t.co/jO5zpjqyYZ
In his 253 appearances for Bayern, Lewandowski has scored 238 league goals so far, averaging 1.01 goals per 90 minutes. In total, the 33-year-old has scored 312 league goals in 384 appearances, scoring a goal after every 100 minutes.
It is interesting to see where the Polish striker plays next season given that he has recently rejected a new contract with Bayern (according to Sky Sport Germany via Goal).
#4 Zlatan Ibrahimovic (91 minutes)
Not many players have had the luxury of playing for some of the top European clubs but Zlatan Ibrahimovic definitely did. He has played for great clubs like Ajax, Barcelona, Manchester United and both the Milan clubs. The Swedish striker has found his goal-scoring boots at almost every club he has played for.
His best time though came with Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1. In his four seasons with the French club, Ibrahimovic won the league four times, scoring 113 goals in 122 appearances.
Ibrahimovic averaged a goal after every 91 minutes while playing for Paris Saint-Germain. Interestingly, he was the top-scorer in the league for three seasons, proving to be a deadly player in front of goal.
#3 Lionel Messi (89 minutes)
It was heart-breaking for the Barcelona fans when Lionel Messi left them to join Paris Saint-Germain last summer. The reality behind it remains uncertain but nevertheless it is a void that cannot be filled.
Understandably so, given Messi's enormous contributions to Barcelona during his 17 seasons with them. With the Catalan club, the Argentine ruled La Liga with his phenomenal dribbling and mind-boggling goal-scoring abilities.
475 Goals
193 Assists
10 titles
Lionel Messi stats in La Liga:
🏟 519 Games
⚽️ 475 Goals
🅰️ 193 Assists
🏆 10 titles
- 668 goals contribution in just 519 games.
- Averaging 1.28 G/A per game.
- 10/17 possible titles.
- 8x Pichichi.
- 6x La Liga POTY.
𝑵𝒐 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒎. 𝑵𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓! https://t.co/0OZDKMRKjK
In his 519 league appearances, Messi scored 474 goals, averaging a goal after every 89 minutes. It is truly a stunning achievement having played more than 500 appearances yet able to average a goal in every match at the highest level.
#2 Erling Haaland (87 minutes)
Manchester City recently confirmed that they have an agreement in principle for the transfer of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund via their official website. It is a fabulous signing given how badly City needed a striker and given how lethal the Norwegian could be in front of goal.
Haaland, with his tall and strong physique, amazing positioning and superb finishing, has been a delight to watch for Dortmund. In just three seasons with the German club, he has managed to make a massive name for himself with his goals.
23 assists
🏟 89 games
⚽️ 86 goals
🎯 23 assists
Erling Haaland is coming to the Premier League with an insane Bundesliga record 😳 https://t.co/uvPhSYoJDO
In a league brutally dominated by Robert Lewandowski, Haaland has scored 62 league goals in 67 league matches. He averages a goal every 87 minutes and had it not been for his injuries, he would surely have added more to his tally.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo (81 minutes)
The Portuguese superstar has achieved almost everything in his wonderful football career. Cristiano Ronaldo has been fantastic and equally dominating in front of goal in the different leagues he has played so far.
That being said, Ronaldo's best form was seen with Real Madrid in La Liga. The Portuguese forward joined Los Blancos in the 2009-10 season and went on to play nine seasons with them.
Cristiano Ronaldo's La Liga stats are out of this world.🐐 https://t.co/tXDp8ZHLdP
Ronaldo won the league twice with Los Blancos, scoring 311 goals in just 292 appearances. His average of scoring a goal every 81 minutes is unbelievable given the competitiveness of La Liga. This is what makes Ronaldo the brilliant player he is as he has adapted successfully to different leagues and proven his worth every single season.