10 players with the most goals for a single club

#3 Gerd Muller (Bayern Munich) - 566 goals

Gerd Muller's goalscoring record is one of the greatest ever for both club and country.

Gerd Muller is one of the most prolific strikers to have graced the game. The only player to score over 350 Bundesliga goals, Muller amassed a stunning 566 strikes across competitions for Bayern Munich during the mid-60s and 70s.

The seven-time Torjegarkannone winner's staggering exploits coincided with Bayern's emergence as a force to be reckoned with in Europe. Muller, who passed away earlier this year, won four Bundesliga titles and also the 1974 FIFA World Cup with Germany as well as the 1972 European Championships.

The diminutive striker held the record for most goals (40) in a Bundesliga season for five decades before Robert Lewandowski surpassed him this year.

1971-72: Gerd Muller scores 40 goals in 34 games2020-21: Robert Lewandowski scores 40 goals in 28 gamesLewanGOALski matched Muller's Bundesliga goal record in six fewer matches 👑 pic.twitter.com/wXEj8TURtT

— Goal (@goal) May 16, 2021

Nicknamed Der Bomber, Muller won the 1970 Ballon d'Or award and was also a prolific scorer for West Germany, netting 68 times in just 62 games.

Franz Beckenbauer, Muller's teammate at Bayern and West Germany, once said about his compatriot:

"Gerd Muller was quite simply the greatest guarantee of goals in the history of football. I had the great fortune of playing alongside Gerd Müller – and also sharing a room for many years. We weren’t just teammates but sworn friends. Gerd was like a brother to me. I’m sure people will still talk about Gerd Müller in 100 years. And they’ll still wonder how he scored so many goals. He was a phenomenon.”

Those were words of the highest praise, coming from a legend of a game himself.

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#2 Pele (Santos) - 643 goals

Pele is regarded as the greatest player to have played the game by many.

Widely regarded as the best player ever to have graced the game, Brazilian legend Pele needs no introduction.

The only player to win three FIFA World Cups, Pele scored almost 650 times for Santos. That was a record for most competitive goals scored for a single club before Pele was pipped to second place by another legend of the game (more about him later).

Pele is the only teenager to score a brace in a World Cup final, which he did so as a 17-year-old against Sweden in 1958. That happened only a few months after a sceptical Santos handed the then-teenager his first big break. And there would be no looking back for Pele from that moment.

On This Day in 1958Pele scored his first World Cup goal ⚽️He ended his career with three World Cup trophies 😎 pic.twitter.com/pkvsFEKpHi

— Goal (@goal) June 19, 2020

Pele was diminutive in stature, which made his aerial prowess astounding, as he would regularly outsmart taller, physically imposing defenders with nonchalance. Recently, Pele's record for most goals in club football was broken by Cristiano Ronaldo.

The 81-year-old, a six-time Brazilian Serie A winner with Santos, shared a picture of him hugging Ronaldo and wrote:

"My only regret is not being able to give you a hug today. But I leave this photo in your honour, with great affection, as the symbol of a friendship that has existed for many years."

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#1 Lionel Messi (Barcelona) - 672 goals

Lionel Messi tops the list with an astounding number of goals for Barca.

Lionel Messi, like Pele, is considered one of the finest players to have played the beautiful game.

During an illustrious near two-decade-long career, Messi scored an astounding 672 goals for Barcelona, surpassing Pele's record for most goals for a single club. The six-time Ballon d'Or winner, who is also the all-time La Liga top scorer, is one of two players to score 100 Champions League goals for one club.

HISTORY MADE.Lionel Messi scores his 644th goal for Barcelona, breaking Pelé's record for the most goals for a single club 👏 pic.twitter.com/IkOd2bpIzl

— ESPN (@espn) December 22, 2020

Messi won two continental trebles, ten La Liga titles and eight Pichichi awards with the club. But just when it looked like he would retire at the Camp Nou, Barcelona announced that they had failed to renew their superstar's contract owing to La Liga's financial fair play regulations.

Now at PSG, Messi will hope to continue his prolific ways with his newest employers.