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Before 2012, the record for the most goals scored in a calendar year was held by Gerd Muller of Germany, who scored 85 goals for club and country in the year 1972. The German striker had scored 72 goals for Bayern and 13 goals for Germany, achieving the feat in 60 games in total. It was deemed untouchable for 40 years when many tried and failed until a little magician did the impossible in 2012.
Lionel Messi was perhaps the only player in the world who had both the audacity and the capability to surpass the record. And Messi did so in style, scoring an unbelievable 91 goals from 69 games for Barcelona and Argentina. He netted 79 times for Barcelona from 60 games, while also scoring 12 times in 9 games for Argentina. The achievement sent a shock-wave across the football world, with the entire football fraternity in awe of the footballing genius of Lionel Messi.
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Since then, the total goals scored in a calendar year has drawn considerable interests. While those phenomenal numbers have never been replicated, the stats are impressive every year. The race for the top scorer in 2018 has also intensified as we draw closer to the end of the year and today, we look at the 5 contenders who are currently in the running to end up as the top scorer in the calendar year 2018.
#5 Mohamed Salah (Egypt, Liverpool)
Goals Scored - 35
The Egyptian scored 37 goals in 2017, as he marked his rise in the world of football and has scored 35 goals from 45 games in 2018 so far. Salah started the year with a goal against Manchester City in a fabulous 4-3 win at home. After missing out against Swansea in the next game, the Egyptian scored again against West Bromwich Albion in the FA Cup, which marked the start of a 7 game scoring streak in the Premier League and the Champions League, where he scored 8 goals. By the end of the season, Salah had scored 21 goals for Liverpool in 2018. This included 5 goals from 7 games in the Champions League, 15 goals from 15 games in the Premier League and 1 goal in 1 game in the FA Cup.
Over the summer, Salah represented Egypt in the 2018 FIFA World Cup and scored 2 goals in 2 games. However, it was not enough as Egypt crashed out of the group stages.
The Egyptian might have lost his prolific form in the new season so far, but he has still scored 8 goals from 17 games. In the Premier League, he has 6 goals from 12 games, while he has scored 2 more in the Champions League.
At the start of this International Break, Mohamad Salah has 29 goals from 40 games for Liverpool, and 6 goals from 5 games for Egypt, which sees him fifth among the top scorers for the Calendar Year.
#4 Luis Suarez (Uruguay, Barcelona)
Goals Scored - 36
Luis Suarez is experiencing a mixed year so far, but has still managed to already better his stats from last season. The Uruguayan scored 34 goals in 2017 and this year, he has already scored 36 goals from 55 games so far.
From the start of 2018 till the end of last season, Suarez was in good form. He scored 1 goal from 4 games in the Champions League, 15 goals from 19 games in La Liga and 5 goals from 6 games in Copa del Rey. In total, he registered 21 goals and 15 assists from 29 games.
In the summer, Suarez scored 2 goals from 5 games in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, as Uruguay's run in the tournament ended with a quarterfinal loss at the hands of eventual champions France.
Since the start of the season, Suarez has scored 9 goals in 17 games. Incidentally, the Uruguayan is yet to score in the Champions League this season but has scored 9 goals from 12 games in La Liga.
Suarez has scored 30 goals for Barcelona and 6 goals for Uruguay so far in 2018 and is ranked 4th among the top scorers in the calendar year.
#3 Robert Lewandowski (Poland, Bayern Munich)
Goals Scored - 39
The Polish Striker's dexterity in front of goal is unparalleled. In 2017, Lewandowski scored 52 goals from 54 games. While he has not reached those heights this season, the striker's returns are still phenomenal so far.
From January 2018 till the end of the season, the Polish striker scored 14 goals from 13 games in the Bundesliga, 2 goals from 6 games in the Champions League, and 4 goals from 3 games in DFB-Pokal. He finished with 20 goals from 22 games from the start of the year till the end of the season. The striker failed to score in 3 games in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and Poland could not cross the group stages of the tournament.
This season, Lewandowski has already scored 15 goals from 16 games for Bayern, which includes a hat-trick in the DLF-Supercup and 7 goals from 10 games in the Bundesliga. He has also scored 4 times for Poland this year, from 10 games and with 39 goals scored till now, Lewandowski is currently third among the top goal scorers for this calendar year.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Juventus)
Goals Scored - 43
Since 2010, Ronaldo has scored more than 40 goals for club and country every year without fail. In 2017, the Portuguese superstar finished with 53 goals and 13 assists from 60 games in total and he is on course to break that 50 goal barrier once again this year.
2018, so far, has been quite eventful for Ronaldo, as he switched allegiance over the summer, joining Juventus in Serie A from Real Madrid. Since the start of the year, Ronaldo has scored 43 goals and registered 11 assists in total, from 44 games. Out of these, 28 goals were for Real Madrid - 22 goals in La Liga and 6 goals in the Champions League.
In the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Ronaldo was in inspired form, scoring 4 goals from 4 games, yet he could not prevent Portugal's early exit from the tournament, when they were beaten by Uruguay in the round of 16.
After making the switch to Juventus, Ronaldo has scored 9 goals from 15 games. In the Serie A, he has scored 8 goals from 12 games, while he also has 1 goal from 3 games in the Champions League. One can safely assume that the Portuguese will definitely add to his tally till the end of the year, but as of now, Cristiano Ronaldo is second among the top scorers in this calendar year.
#1 Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona)
Goals Scored - 44
For the man who has the record for the most goals in a calendar year, it is no surprise that Lionel Messi is at the top of this list once again. The Argentinean has reached some phenomenal numbers over the years, and has scored more than 40 goals every year since 2009. Last year, Messi recorded 54 goals and 16 assists for club and country, from 64 games.
Messi started off 2018 with 8 goals from his first 7 games in La Liga and Copa del Rey. From January until the end of the season, Messi notched up 26 goals from 29 games. This included 19 goals from 19 games in La Liga, 4 goals from 6 games in Copa Del Rey and 3 goals from 4 games in the Champions League.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup finished as a disappointment for Messi, as Argentina were knocked out in the round of 16 by eventual champions France and the magician could only score 1 goal.
However, the new season has seen the Argentinean return hungrier than ever and he has already scored 14 goals from 13 games so far, even though he has missed 5 games with a forearm fracture! Messi has scored 9 goals from 10 games in the La Liga and 5 goals in 2 games in the Champions League. He has also scored 4 goals in 2018 for Argentina, from 5 games.
As such, Messi is currently on 44 goals and 16 assists from 47 games and is deservedly the top scorer in the 2018 calendar year so far.
