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Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have enjoyed a duopoly of sorts in the last decade or so. Both of them have continued to challenge each other to the next level, separating themselves from the rest of the players.
Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have won numerous individual and club honors. Lionel Messi has won a record six Ballon d'Or awards while Cristiano Ronaldo is close behind him with five. They have had a healthy battle against each other during their time with FC Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively and have always pushed each other to the limit.
There were also rumors that Cristiano Ronaldo could join Lionel Messi at PSG after the latter's transfer last week. Although it would have been a dream partnership, Ronaldo recently quashed the rumors for now and committed his future to Juventus.
Cristiano Ronaldo has an impeccable goalscoring record
Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been prolific goalscorers and have broken several records along the way. But the former just edges the latter in terms of goals scored for club and country. Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 782 goals in 1074 official matches while Lionel Messi has scored 745 goals in 923 official games.
But it seems that Ronaldo has slowed down in the last few years and his age seems to be catching up with him. Although he has been Juventus' highest scorer during his three seasons in Turin, he isn't the same deadly striker he once was.
As such there are plenty of other players who could outscore Ronaldo during the upcoming campaign. Let's take a look at them.
#5 Romelu Lukaku- Chelsea
Chelsea finally fulfilled their quest for a world-class striker this summer as they signed Romelu Lukaku from Inter.
Lukaku returns to Stamford Bridge on the back of a really impressive spell with Inter Milan, having spearheaded them to the Serie A title last season. He was directly competing with Cristiano Ronaldo for the Capocannoniere - awarded to the leading goalscorer in a single Serie A season.
While Cristiano Ronaldo managed to clinch the award with 29 goals in 33 appearances, Lukaku finished 2nd behind him with 24 goals in 36 Serie A appearances.
At Chelsea, Lukaku will now be hoping to improve on the previous season and has a good chance of outscoring Cristiano Ronaldo. Chelsea created a lot of chances under Thomas Tuchel and had a 62.9 xG last season. But their attacking players were unable to convert these chances.
Chelsea are now expected to score more goals with the arrival of Lukaku. There's no doubt he will have plenty of service upfront and this gives him a genuine chance to outscore Cristiano Ronaldo this season.
#4 Mohamed Salah - Liverpool
Mohamed Salah has been one of the most consistent goalscorers in the Premier League since joining Liverpool in 2017. The Egyptian winger has managed to score 126 goals in 204 appearances for the club while lifting the Premier League and the Champions League.
Salah started the 2021-22 campaign brilliantly as he managed to score a goal and provide two assists in Liverpool's 3-0 win over Norwich in the Premier League.
Although Liverpool struggled due to injuries last season, Salah still managed to score 31 goals in 41 appearances across all competitions for the Reds.
Now with key players like Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip back in the team, Liverpool will be able to tighten things at the back. This could give the Liverpool forward more freedom and will allow Salah to carry on his goalscoring exploits. Hence Salah could be a good bet to outscore Cristiano Ronaldo this season.
#3 Erling Haaland - Borussia Dortmund
Alongside Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland has been tipped to take over from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the best players in the world.
At just 20 years, Erling Haaland is quickly turning into one of the most destructive forwards the game has ever seen. The Norwegian has been scoring goals for fun since arriving at Borussia Dortmund. He has seemingly picked up from where he left off last season and has already scored five goals in two games for Dortmund.
Haaland arrived at Signal Iduna Park at the start of 2020. Since then the forward has played 61 games for Dortmund and has netted a staggering 62 goals, averaging more than one goal per game.
Haaland was linked with a move to several top clubs in the summer. But the departure of Jadon Sancho to Manchester United meant Dortmund decided to keep hold of their precious asset.
The 20-year-old's exploits in front of goal make him one of the top contenders for the European Golden Boot and hence he is in a big shout to outscore Cristiano Ronaldo.
#2 Robert Lewandowski - Bayern Munich
Last season’s European Golden Boot winner Robert Lewandowski is one of the prime contenders to outscore Cristiano Ronaldo this season.
Lewandowski managed to win the Golden Boot last season ahead of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. He scored an incredible 41 goals in 29 Bundesliga appearances for Bayern Munich, breaking the late Gerd Muller’s 49-year single-season scoring record.
Lewandowski finished the season with a total tally of 46 goals in all competitions as Bayern stormed towards another Bundesliga title.
The 32-year-old has already opened his account this season as he scored in Bayern’s 1-1 draw with Borussia Monchengladbach in the opening weekend of the Bundesliga.
#1 Lionel Messi - PSG
Cristiano Ronaldo’s eternal rival and the talk of the town, Lionel Messi, has been tipped by many to be the top scorer in Europe this season.
The footballing world was in shock when Barcelona were forced to let go of Lionel Messi due to their financial conditions. The Argentine has subsequently joined PSG alongside Neymar and Kylian Mbappe to form one of the deadliest attacking trios in football.
There's a considerable drop in quality between Ligue 1 and La Liga, so Lionel Messi will have lots of opportunities to score goals for fun. With the help of Neymar and Mbappe, Lionel Messi can run riot in Ligue 1 and might be able to break several records.
Lionel Messi has already won the European Golden Boot a record six times. With the help of attacking riches at PSG, he will look to target another one this season, potentially leaving Cristiano Ronaldo on his trail.
