Ranking the 10 attackers with the most calendar year goals in the 21st century
As 2021 draws to an end, it is time to look back at the year that was, with a lot of things happening over the course of the calendar year. Lionel Messi finally won his first international trophy with Argentina and also moved on to PSG from Barcelona.
Cristiano Ronaldo won the top-scorer's award in yet another league with Juventus in Serie A, while he returned to Manchester United in what was the biggest transfer of the season.
Robert Lewandowski breaks Gerd Muller's 50-year-old record of most goals in a calendar year in the Bundesliga! 👏 https://t.co/IrDsjGNa5m
Robert Lewandowski finishes as the player with most goals in the calendar year 2021
One thing that hasn't changed this year was the fact that Bayern Munich's goal-machine Robert Lewandowski ended up with the most goals in the calendar year. The prolific striker has been the player with the most calendar year goals since 2019 and is showing no signs of slowing down.
As Lewandowski takes home the crown for the player with the most calendar year goals in 2021, here we take a look at the players who have scored the most goals in a calendar year in the 21st century (for club and country).
#10 Lionel Messi - 58 goals (2014) | Barcelona & Argentina
2014 was not a fruitful year for Lionel Messi, as he did not win a single major trophy with Barcelona. It was a monumental year for the Argentine forward though as he made it into the FIFA World Cup final only to lose to Germany. But his performances earned him the best player award in the competition.
The left-footed forward had a great outing in front of the goal that year and was able to find the back of the net 50 times for the Catalan club and eight times for La Albiceleste.
This is just the third-highest goal tally in a calendar year for Messi, a figure most attackers fail to achieve even once in their careers.
#9 Lionel Messi - 59 goals (2011) | Barcelona & Argentina
Lionel Messi was probably the greatest footballer during the 2010s and in the first year of the decade, he enjoyed great success with Barcelona and helped the La Liga giants to five trophies in 2011.
He won the third Champions League of his career that year as he finished as the top-scorer in the continental competition that season, scoring 12 goals as he led the club to glory that season.
He scored twice in the first-leg semi-final at the Santiago Bernabeu against Real Madrid and also one in the 3-1 win over Manchester United in the final. The 59 goals that year and a trophy-laden season with Barcelona earned him a third consecutive Ballon d'Or in January 2012.
#8 Lionel Messi - 59 goals (2016) | Barcelona & Argentina
2016 was another great year for Lionel Messi in front of the goal. Though he did not win the top-scorer's award in either La Liga or the Champions League in the 2015-16 season, he was able to rack up 51 goals for Barcelona across all competitions.
On this day in 2016, Lionel Messi retired from international football after Argentina lost the #CopaAmerica final 💔
Five years later, he's back and trying to win his first major tournament with his country 🇦🇷 https://t.co/MOvVM4tZXM
He also had a good outing with the Argentina national team and was able to find the back of the net eight times in international competitions. He scored five times in the Copa America as they made it to the final for the second time in a row, only to lose to Chile again.