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The race for the Ballon d'Or is heating up. Football fans around the world are looking at various metrics to see whether or not their favourite player might be able to win the most prestigious individual prize in football.
In football, it's the strikers or goalscorers who usually end up walking away with the plaudits. That's just the nature of the game because matches are won by the team that scores the most goals.
Being the top scorer in all of Europe could go a long way towards establishing a player's credentials in the race for the Ballon d'Or. There are plenty of prolific goalscorers in Europe. Here, we take a look at five players with the best goals per game rate for club and country in 2021.
#5 Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid) - 0.70 goals per game
Karim Benzema has had a sensational year. After scoring 30 goals in 46 appearances for Real Madrid across all competitions in the 2020-21 season, Benzema earned a call-up to the national side this summer.
He hadn't been called up in six years and he justified the decision by scoring four goals in four appearances at Euro 2020. Benzema then scored important goals for France in the semi-finals and finals of UEFA Nations League. Les Bleus went onto win the competition and Benzema was at the citre of iit.
The 33-year-old has been nearly unstoppable in the new season as well. In 15 appearances across all competitions this term, Benzema has scored 14 goals in 15 appearances. In total, the Frenchman has scored 35 goals in 50 appearances for both club and country this year at 0.70 goals per game.
#4 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Manchester United) - 0.75 goals per game
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo only has an outside chance in this year's race for the prize. A lack of major trophies has greatly hampered his chances this term. However, Ronaldo has had a pretty spectacular year on an individual basis.
He won the Serie A Golden Boot last term, scoring 29 goals in 33 Italian top-flight games. Ronaldo then picked up the Euro 2020 Golden Boot as well for the top scorer in the tournament with five goals in just four games.
Despite Manchester United's poor start to the 2021-22 season, Ronaldo has been amongst the goals. He has already scored several important goals for the Red Devils and has netted nine in 13 appearances across all competitions.
This summer, Ronaldo broke Iran's Ali Daei's record for most goals scored (109) in men's international football. The 36-year-old now has 115 international goals to his name. In 2021, Ronaldo has scored 39 goals in 52 appearances at a rate of 0.75 goals per game.
#3 Lionel Messi (Argentina/Paris Saint-Germain) - 0.80 goals per game
It took a while for Lionel Messi to hit his stride in the 2020-21 season. But he kicked into gear at the turn of the year and was Barcelona's best player by a country mile last term. He won the Pichichi trophy for scoring 30 goals in 35 La Liga appearances last term.
Messi then went onto pick up the Golden Boot and the Best Player Award at Copa America 2021. The 34-year-old scored four goals and provided five assists as he lavishly contributed to La Albiceleste's continental triumph.
Messi has since slowed down a bit at his new club. He is yet to score in Ligue 1 after joining PSG in the summer. But even then, Messi's numbers make for impressive reading. In 2021, he has scored 40 goals in 50 appearances for both club and country. He has a goals per game ratio of 0.80.
#2 Erling Haaland (Norway/Borussia Dortmund) - 0.96 goals per game
Borussia Dortmund's goalscoring machine Erling Haaland just turned 21 this summer. But he is already one of the best strikers on the planet and is the most sought-after marksman in the world right now.
Haaland's pace, athleticism and movement have earned him the nickname 'The Terminator'. His off-the-ball work is brilliant and his ability to get a shot away even in the most difficult situations is simply extraordinary.
Haaland is another player whose lack of major trophies will see him finish well outside the Ballon d'Or podium. But he still managed to register mind-boggling numbers this year.
In 2021, Haaland has scored 43 goals in 45 games at a rate of 0.96 goals per game.
#1 Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich) - 1.17 goals per game
In the 2020-21 season, Robert Lewandowski broke Gerd Muller's record of most goals scored (40) in a single Bundesliga season by netting 41 in just 29 appearances. The Bayern Munich striker is the most prolific striker in the world right now.
He has been an elite striker for the majority of the last decade but over the past few years, Lewandowski has established himself as one of the greatest of all time. The Polish international is hard to contain as he is as technically adept as he is intelligent.
Lewandowski is justified in feeling robbed off the Ballon d'Or in 2020 as the award was canceled in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. But he has a strong claim this year as well. In 2021, Lewandowski has scored 54 goals in 46 appearances for both club and country at 1.17 goals per game.
