The 10 players with the most combined goals and assists in Europe in 2020-21
Despite enduring disappointing seasons in Spain by their own relative high standards, Real Madrid and Barcelona were still able to count among some of the most prolific forwards in Europe in terms of goals and assists.
We’ll always have time for a ruthless goal poacher, but with most teams now operating with a solitary striker, a forward now requires a much broader skillset.
We’ve taken a look at the 10 players with the most direct goal contributions in Europe’s big five leagues in 2020-21. On occasions where players have been tied on the same number, we have separated them by who has played the fewest minutes.
10. Memphis Depay
After failing to live up to expectations at Manchester United, Depay joined Lyon in January 2017 and has been able to rediscover his best form.
The Netherlands international registered 20 goals and 12 assists in 37 Ligue 1 appearances in 2020-21, the only player to reach double figures for both creating and finishing in the division.
Despite his impressive individual performances, Lyon narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification, and he now looks set to join Barcelona on a free transfer.
READ: Man Utd, beware: Memphis Depay is ready for a second shot in the big time
9. Karim Benzema
Having spent years playing second fiddle to others, Benzema cemented his status as the main man at Real Madrid in 2020-21.
The striker enjoyed his second-most prolific La Liga season with 23 goals in 34 appearances and also registered nine assists for his team-mates.
With 32 direct goal contributions, he was responsible for 47.7% of Madrid’s 67 La Liga goals in 2020-21.
8. Cristiano Ronaldo
It has been a season to forget for Juventus, yet Ronaldo still ended 2020-21 with 29 goals and three assists in 33 Serie A appearances.
At 36, he’s showing no signs of slowing down.
7. Andre Silva
Silva has bounced back from a difficult spell at AC Milan, scoring 28 goals in 32 league games for Eintracht Frankfurt in 2020-21, breaking the club’s record for most Bundesliga goals scored by a player in a single season.
The 25-year-old also had five assists to his name, helping Adi Hutter’s side to a fifth-place finish in the Bundesliga.
6. Erling Haaland
After enjoying an incredible breakout 2019-20 campaign with Red Bull Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund, Haaland quickly proved that he’s no one-season wonder.
The Norway international notched 27 goals and six assists in 28 Bundesliga appearances in 2020-21, averaging a direct goal contribution every 73 minutes.
He also finished the campaign as the Champions League’s top scorer with 10 goals in eight appearances in the competition.
🐝 @ErlingHaaland got 27 #Bundesliga goals for @BlackYellow in 2020/21 – and surely none better than the first of these! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/PXK9BZy0Y8
— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) May 30, 2021
5. Kylian Mbappe
Mbappe couldn’t stop Lille from winning the Ligue 1 title in 2020-21, but he still enjoyed another brilliant season on a personal level.
The PSG striker continued to star in the Champions League and also scored 27 goals in 31 league games to win the Ligue 1 Golden Boot for a third consecutive season.
While he had a respectable return of seven assists in the league, we can’t help but think about the assist that could have been.
4. Romelu Lukaku
The second former Manchester United player to feature on this list, Lukaku has silenced his doubters once and for all at Inter Milan.
He built on an impressive debut season and fired Inter to their first Scudetto since 2010, scoring 24 goals in 36 Serie A appearances in 2020-21.
The Belgium international also proved that he’s more than just a goalscorer by providing 11 assists for his team-mates during the season.
READ: ‘Cyclone’ Lukaku & the assist of a striker more Road Runner than target man
3. Harry Kane
While Kane has long been considered one of the best strikers on the planet, he really took his game to another level during 2020-21.
The 27-year-old registered 23 goals and 14 assists in 35 games for Tottenham, winning the Premier League Golden Boot and the Playmaker of the Season award.
He’s only the third player to finish top of both rankings in a Premier League season, following in the footsteps of Andy Cole and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.
✨ 𝗚𝗢𝗟𝗗𝗘𝗡 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗧 𝗪𝗜𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗥 ✨
🎥 All of @HKane's 𝟮𝟯 @premierleague goals from 2020/21. #THFC ⚪️ #COYS pic.twitter.com/cvznk7AWAk
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) May 24, 2021
2. Lionel Messi
After admitting that he wanted to leave Barcelona last summer, Messi had a relatively slow start to the season by his own standing, registering just seven goals and one assist in La Liga before Christmas.
He was back to his old freakish self in the second half of the campaign, scoring 23 goals and providing eight assists in his last 21 league appearances.
The 33-year-old has now reached 30 La Liga goals in a season on nine different occasions in his career.
1. Robert Lewandowski
Like a fine wine, Lewandowski just keeps on getting better with age and there was absolutely nothing defenders could do to stop him in 2020-21.
The Bayern Munich striker netted an incredible 41 goals in 28 Bundesliga appearances, breaking Gerd Muller’s long-standing record for most goals for a single Bundesliga campaign.
Even if we ignore his seven assists, he’d still be top of this list, which underlines just how ridiculous his campaign has been.
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