Ranking the 10 attackers with the most calendar year goals in the 21st century

#3 Cristiano Ronaldo - 69 goals (2013) | Real Madrid & Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo scored 38 league goals in 2013

Cristiano Ronaldo's best-ever outing in a calendar year came in 2013. But unfortunately, the Portuguese forward did not win a single trophy to show for all of his goalscoring exploits.

It was also the first calendar year in which he reached double-digits in goals for Portugal, with most of them coming in the qualification campaign for the 2014 World Cup.

He also recorded 11 assists in the Spanish top-flight that year while also finding the back of the net 15 times in the Champions League in the calendar year. He was awarded the Ballon d'Or that year, one of the rare occasions on which a player lifted the trophy after a trophyless calendar year.

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#2 Robert Lewandowski - 69 goals (2021) | Bayern Munich & Poland

Robert Lewandowski has been the top scorer in a calendar year three years in a row

The list of records Robert Lewandowski has broken in recent years has continued to grow. With 43 goals scored in the calendar year, he has become the highest-scoring player in a single year in Bundesliga history.

Including goals from the Champions League, DFB Pokal, and international competitions with the Poland national team, he has scored a total of 69 goals this year. His tally is the same as third-placed Cristiano Ronaldo, but Lewandowski required one fewer game to do so.

He has won two titles with Bayern Munich this year and was the winner of the inaugural Best Striker of the Year award at the Ballon d'Or ceremony in November.

While he has not won any silverware with Poland in his career, 2021 was the most prolific calendar year in national colors as he scored 11 goals in 12 outings for the White and Reds.

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#1 Lionel Messi - 91 goals (2012) | Barcelona & Argentina

Lionel Messi had one of the greatest individual calendar year outings ever in 2012

Lionel Messi achieved an almost impossible goalscoring record in 2012, as he scored a whopping 91 goals for club and country, overtaking Gerd Muller's record of most goals scored in a calendar year. It was an amazing accomplishment for the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, who also provided 22 assists that year.

Out of the 91 goals, an astonishing 59 came in 38 La Liga appearances, a goal every 57 minutes. In 2012, Messi scored the most goals in a calendar year for Argentina as well, finding the back of the net 12 times. It remains the only year when he has reached double-digit figures with the national team.

While he won just one trophy with Barcelona in 2012, he was showered with individual honors during the calendar year and won the Ballon d'Or, Pichichi Trophy, European Golden Shoe, La Liga Best Player of the season and Argentina Footballer of the year awards.