Most Goals Scored in a Single Football Season

lionel messi and cristiano ronaldo

Scoring goals is the hardest job in football. Scoring them again and again in one season is even harder. The highest goal scorers in a season shows you which players reached an extraordinary level.

These seasons are remembered because the player dominated matches, broke records, and carried their team.

Below, you will find the players with the most goals scored in a season, explained clearly and simply, so you know exactly why these records matter in football history.

10 Highest Goal Scorers in a Season

The highest goal scorers in a season usually include goals from league matches, domestic cups, and European competitions. This list focuses on top-level football, where competition is high and scoring is never easy.

1. Lionel Messi – 73 Goals (2011-12)

Lionel Messi had his set ra ecord for the highest goal scorers in a season. He scored 73 goals for Barcelona in the 2011-12 season, and that was also his record for the most goals in a football season all competitions by any player.

Out of the total goals scored, Messi was responsible for 50 of them in the league, which is the most goals scored in a club football season in a top European league. He was scoring nearly every week and against every kind of opponent. This was the season that made Messi the highest goal scorer in the whole modern football.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo – 61 Goals (2014-15)

Cristiano Ronaldo was the top scorer of the season with 61 goals for Real Madrid in 2014-15. This is one of the highest numbers ever in a single season in football history. Ronaldo was a physically strong, fast, and deadly player in front of the goal. He was scoring not only in the league but also in the Champions League and domestic cups.

That season saw him almost single-handedly controlling Real Madrid’s offensive play. Even though he could not beat the record for the most goals in a single football season, his unwavering performance secured him a place among the greatest goal scorers ever.

3. Gerd Müller – 67 Goals (1972-73)

Gerd Müller scored 67 goals for Bayern Munich in the 1972-73 season. This was treated as the highest number of goals scored by a player in a single season for many years. Müller was not a star on the field but his efficiency in front of the goal was roof-high.

His speed and thirst for scoring were untouchable by any other player of that time. Still, his display is deemed one of the top ones now in the history of football concerning goals scored in a season. The record stood until the dawn of the modern age of football.

4. Ferenc Puskás – 63 Goals (1959-60)

Ferenc Puskás was the one who netted 63 goals for Real Madrid in the season of 1959-60. He was the one who lead a team which was the most powerful in the European football and who ruled the continent. Puskás was blessed with a mighty left foot and shooting accuracy that was nothing short of extraordinary.

His season is still and always will be remembered as the one with the most goals in the European football season by a single player. Although the game back then was different, scoring 63 goals in one season is still considered a remarkable feat.

5. Robert Lewandowski – 55 Goals (2019-20)

The Polish striker Robert Lewandowski netted 55 goals for Bayern Munich in the season 2019-20. He was the top scorer of the season and contributed to the team’s victory of the treble. Lewandowski found the net in every tournament that he participated in.

His strikes were cool, accurate, and always coming. When people talk about the highest goal scorers in a season recently, they mention this season very often. It proved how good Lewandowski was as a forward.

6. Eusébio – 53 Goals (1967-68)

Eusébio found the net 53 times for Benfica in the season 1967-68. He was famous for his rapidity, strength, and distances shooting. That year he was the king of both Portuguese and European soccer.

His haul puts him among the very few other players in world soccer history with that many goals scored in a season. Eusébio’s legacy was larger than life, but his scoring record is a proof of why he is still hailed as one of football’s greatest strikers.

7. Lionel Messi – 60 Goals (2012-13)

Lionel Messi is back with 60 goals this time in the 2012-13 season. Scoring 60 after once again being the holder of the highest goal scorers in a season record just goes to show how consistent he was.

Messi accounted for the goals in the league and Europe while at the same time setting up his teammates. This season confirmed that his previous record-breaking season was not just an isolated occurrence but a part of a historic high point.

8. Cristiano Ronaldo – 55 Goals (2011-12)

The Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was the one who netted 55 goals for the Spanish club Real Madrid during the 2011-12 season. Messi, on the other hand, scored a whopping 73 goals that season making it one of the most goal-rich periods in the history of football.

The number of goals scored by Ronaldo still holds the position of the most goals scored in a single season by any player across all competitions. His power, aerial ability, and exceptional shooting skills made him a player to always be wary of in every match he participated in.

9. Zlatan Ibrahimović – 50 Goals (2015-16)

The Swede, Zlatan Ibrahimović, found the back of the net 50 times for Paris Saint-Germain in the 2015-16 season. He was the king of French football and the one everyone talked about when it came to football. The record of most goals in a season by a player for PSG then belonged to Zlatan.

He scored with a variety of methods including long-range shots, headers, and penalties. His season is one of the highest goal-scoring seasons not only in domestic football but also in football history in general.

10. Jimmy McGrory – 54 Goals (1927-28)

The Scottish striker Jimmy McGrory scored 54 goals for Celtic during the 1927-28 season. Although it happened a long time ago, it is still one of the highest goal achievements in a season in British football. McGrory was famous for his powerful headers and his uncanny ability to score goals.

His outstanding performance indicates that there have always been elite goal scorers in every era, even though the game of football was vastly different during those times than it is today.

Why These Goal Records Matter

The highest goal scorers in a season tells you more than just numbers. It shows dominance, fitness, and mental strength. To score at this level, you must perform every week without losing focus.

These records also help you compare players from different eras. While football has changed, scoring goals has always been the hardest task.

Can the Record Be Broken?

Many fans ask if the record for the most goals in one football season can be broken. Right now, it looks very difficult. Modern football has more tactics, more rotation, and stronger defenses.

Even today’s top strikers would need a perfect season to challenge the most goals in a football season all competitions record.

Soumyajyoti Chakraborty

Soumyajyoti Chakraborty

Author

Soumyajyoti Chakraborty is a sports journalist who writes about football, cricket, gaming, and esports. He has worked with Sportskeeda, MancSports, and other platforms, covering everything from football clubs and match analysis to the latest games and esports events. His writing focuses on clear insights, detailed reporting, and stories that connect fans with the world of sports.

Last updated: 05.01.2026
                                               

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