Ranking 5 forwards with the most match-winning goals in club football in the 21st century
Scoring in a top-flight game is deemed hard, continuing it is deemed harder, and scoring winners week in and week out is deemed the hardest. But some of the top forwards in world football have done the hardest part of the game on a regular basis. These players have scored match-winning goals on several occasions for their respective teams and have taken them home in such crucial games.
It's no surprise that some of the biggest forwards in world football have scored match-winning goals on a regular basis. With the help of data from Transfermarkt, we take a look at five such forwards with the most match-winning goals in club football in the 21st century:
#5 Robert Lewandowski - 122 goals
Robert Lewandowski is arguably the hottest striker in the world at the moment. The 33-year-old has been in incredible form over the last couple of years. But his performances in the Bundesliga have been pretty consistent since arriving in Germany and is undoubtedly one of the best strikers to ever play in the league.
The forward has scored 475 goals during his club career with 310 of them coming for his current side Bayern Munich. A well-rounded forward, Lewandowski possesses all the necessary qualities of a traditional number nine. Primarily operating as a goal-poacher in the penalty area, his positional sense and excellent technical skills make him a nightmare for opposition defenders.
Lewandowski has scored 122 match-winning goals so far in his club career - one for his childhood club Znicz Pruszkow, 16 for Lech Poznan, 25 for Borussia Dortmund and 80 for Bayern Munich.
With nine Bundesliga titles, four German Cups and one Champions League, Lewandowski has surely etched his name as one of the best in the world. The striker recently broke Gerd Muller's record of most goals in a single Bundesliga campaign (41) and has continued to perform exemplarily for the Bavarians.
Robert Lewandowski's consistency is unrivaled 😲 https://t.co/J0ADJ66ovW
#4 Samuel Eto'o - 123 goals
The only player on this list who has retired, Samuel Eto'o, is widely remembered for his exploits with Barcelona, as well as his short but rewarding stint at Inter. With 360 goals during his 22-year club career, the Cameroonian is arguably the greatest player to emerge from Africa.
Graduating from Real Madrid's academy, Eto'o spent five fruitful seasons at RCD Mallorca before moving to Barcelona in 2004. There, he established himself as one of the best in the game, scoring 130 goals during his five seasons at the club. He was also a key part of Barcelona's historic treble win during the 2008-09 season.
Eto'o later moved to Inter Milan in 2009 where he spent two successful years under the management of Jose Mourinho, winning another treble in the 2009-10 season. He scored 53 goals for the Nerazzurri before departing the club in 2011.
Samuel Eto'o is the only man in football history to win back-to-back trebles.
2008-09 x Barcelona 🇪🇸
2009-10 x Inter Milan 🇮🇹
What an incredible record. 😍👏 https://t.co/ZZYbtgOmrV
The forward had spells in Russia and Turkey and also in England with Chelsea and Everton before finally retiring from the game in 2019.
Eto'o had the knack of turning up in crunch moments for his team, with the forward scoring 123 match-winning goals during his career. He especially had the habit of turning up on the big stages, having scored in four major finals during his career.
The former Barcelona man won several major honors during his career, including three La Liga titles, one Serie A and three Champions League trophies. He is definitely one of the most decorated footballers of all time.