The top 10 goalscorers in Europe in 2022-23: Mbappe, Osimhen, Rashford…

Quick Reads
Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain FC celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the UEFA Champions League football match between Juventus FC and Paris Saint-Germain FC

The race for the European Golden Shoe has taken shape, with many of the usual suspects in the top 10 goalscorers in Europe’s big five leagues.

It’s still taking time to get used to not seeing Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s names here. Messi has turned into more of a provider at PSG, topping the assists charts, while Ronaldo scored just one Premier League goal before departing for Saudi Arabia.

But fear not – there are still plenty of familiar names, alongside a few surprise packages, in the top goalscorers from the Premier League, La Liga, Ligue 1, Serie A and the Bundesliga.

Note: where two players are tied on goals, we’ve put them in order of their best minutes-per-goal ratio. Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette has also scored 14 but miss out on cracking our top 10.

10. Marcus Rashford – 14

Ten of Rashford’s 14 Premier League goals have come since the season restarted in December.

Arguably the best player in the world right now?

READ: 10 mindblowing stats that show Marcus Rashford is in Ballon d’Or territory

 

 

 

9. Ivan Toney – 14

A Brentford player up there with the European elite. What a time to be alive.

Thomas Frank’s Bees will certainly miss Toney if (or when?) he serves a ban for alleged breaches of FA betting rules. He’s scored 14 goals this season, 10 from open play and four penalties – you just know he’s not going to miss when he steps up from 12 yards.

8. Wissam Ben Yedder – 14

Somewhat unfortunate to miss out on a place in France’s World Cup squad, Ben Yedder has done brilliantly with relatively limited minutes for Monaco in Ligue 1.

The 32-year-old has 14 goals from just 20 appearances, averaging a goal every 86 minutes – a ratio only bettered by the man that tops this list.

Eight of those goals have come in five appearances since the World Cup break. A strong message sent out to Didier Deschamps.

7. Jonathan David – 15

The Canada international is making the race for Ligue 1’s Golden Boot interesting.

David recently scored in Lille’s 4-3 defeat to PSG and looks set for a big move in the coming years. Premier League-bound?

 

6. Folarin Balogun – 15

The Arsenal loanee at Reims sits joint-top of the Ligue 1 goalscoring charts.

After scoring a coolly-taken last-gasp equaliser at PSG, the 21-year-old followed that up with a brilliant hat-trick against Lorient. The future looks very bright indeed for Mikel Arteta’s Gunners, doesn’t it?

READ: Arsenal’s Folarin Balogun outshone Messi & Mbappe with a heroic dink

 

5. Kylian Mbappe – 15

One of the best forwards in the world, Mbappe looks set to dominate these goalscoring lists for years to come.

He’s looked a little out of sorts since France’s World Cup final heartbreak, scoring in just two of six Ligue 1 appearances for PSG.

But Mbappe has also produced some of his very best football in 2022-23 so far. He looked particularly lethal in a 7-1 victory over Lille, opening the scoring after just eight seconds and going on to complete a hat-trick in the mauling back in August.

His brace against Lille showed he’s gearing up for a big 2023. You didn’t expect him to rest on his laurels after France’s World Cup heartbreak, did you?

4. Robert Lewandowski – 15

Gunning to become the only other player not named Lionel Messi to win a third successive European Golden Shoe, it looks like Lewandowski has stiff competition this year.

Playing in La Liga, with four more games than the Bundesliga, will help. The 34-year-old striker drew a blank on his competitive debut for Barcelona, an underwhelming 0-0 draw with Rayo Vallecano, but has silenced any doubts he’ll need time to adapt to a new league.

Lewandowski averages a goal every 100 minutes in La Liga this season.

3. Harry Kane – 17

“Antonio’s been fantastic. He has probably taken fitness levels to another level for me,” Kane said in the summer.

“Mentality, being with him every day, seeing the way he prepares, the way he brings his passion and brings the best out of the lads, I’ve learnt from that.”

A famously slow starter, being given the runaround in an Antonio Conte pre-season appears to have done the trick. The England captain was straight out of the blocks with four goals in his first four appearances in August and hasn’t let up since.

Tottenham have been faltering this season but their talisman looks as good as he ever has. He might even best his career-best tally of 30 Premier League goals, set back in 2017-18.

2. Victor Osimhen – 18

Osimhen has had his struggles with injury this season, missing a few games, but he’s been absolutely lethal when fit and available, scoring 18 goals from 19 Serie A appearances.

The Nigeria international is proving a vital part of the remarkable Napoli story this season.

1. Erling Haaland – 26

The Norwegian is already the fastest player to reach 50 goals in a major European league from his time at Borussia Dortmund, but he’s well on course to obliterate his own record.

Twenty-six goals in his first 23 Premier League appearances. One every 71 minutes. The boy’s an absolute monster.

READ NEXT: The 6 players to score back-to-back Premier League hat-tricks: Rooney, Kane, Haaland…

TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every winner of the European Golden Shoe since 2000?

Erling Haaland Harry Kane La Liga Premier League Serie A