Top 3 goalscorers from Argentina in the big 5 European leagues in the 21st century
Argentina have contributed some legendary superstars to the beautiful game. Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona and Alfredo Di Stefano are some of the all-time greats in history.
Argentineans are no strangers to European football. They have been an integral part of the top five leagues in the region for many decades. According to TransferMarkt, there are currently 69 players from Argentina plying their trade in the top 5 European Leagues.
On that note, let's look at the three greatest Argentine goalscorers in Europe's top five leagues since 2000.
#3 Gonzalo Higuain (237 goals)
Former Argentina international Gonzalo Higuain arrived in Europe to join Real Madrid from River Plate in 2007. He established himself among the best strikers in the world with Los Blancos, scoring 107 goals in 190 league games.
Higuain left the Spanish giants to join Napoli in 2013, where he continued his fine goalscoring form. The lethal striker played 104 Serie A games for the Naples outfit, scoring 71 goals. He broke the record for most Serie A goals in a season by finding the back of the net 36 times in 35 games in 2015-16.
The River Plate academy graduate then moved to Juventus in 2016 coupled with loan spells at AC Milan and Chelsea. He won the Serie A Golden Shoe in 2015-16 and was also included in the UEFA Europa League Team of the Season twice.
He left Europe to join MLS club Inter Miami in 2020. He recently announced that he will retire at the end of the current season.
#2 Sergio Aguero - 259 goals
With 259 goals at club level, Sergio Aguero is in second place on this list.
Aguero was one of the most promising attackers in South America when Atletico Madrid signed him from Independiente in 2006.
He lived up to the hype after arriving in Spain, establishing himself among the most talented strikers in the league and then across Europe.
The former Argentina international played 175 league games for Atletico, scoring 74 goals. Aguero won the Golden Boy award in 2007 and was also named the 2007-08 La Liga Ibero-American Player of the Year.
This was just the beginning of a legendary club career.
Aguero joined Manchester City in a big money move in the summer window of 2011. He continued his goalscoring exploits at the Etihad Stadium, registering 184 goals in 275 Premier League appearances for the Cityzens. The Independiente academy-graduate won 2014-15's Premier League Golden Boot and was also named in the Premier League Team of the Season twice.
His last-gasp goal against Queens Park Rangers to deliver a first Premier League title to Manchester City back in 2012 will forever be remembered as one of the greatest sporting memories in history.
The Argentine moved to Barcelona in 2021 but was forced to announce his retirement as a professional footballer due to health problems a few months later.
#1 Lionel Messi - 485 goals
Lionel Messi is the greatest South American to have played in Europe this century. The Argentina international spent most of his career with Spanish giants Barcelona, where he began his journey as a 13-year-old kid in 2003.
Messi played 520 league games during his time at Camp Nou, scoring 474 goals. He boasts eight La Liga Golden Shoes, six European Golden Shoes and seven Ballons d'Or in his trophy cabinet.
The Argentina international scored 73 goals across all competitions in 2011-12, which is a record for most goals scored in a single season in European football.
Messi left his boyhood club to join Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain during the summer transfer window of 2022. He struggled to replicate his Barca form at the Parc des Princes during his debut season, scoring just six goals in 26 appearances.
However, he returned to form in the 2022-23 season, coming up with some great performances for PSG in the league. So far, he has recorded seven goals and eight assists in 12 games across competitions this season.