Yearender 2021 - Top five goal scorers in 2021

Bengaluru, Dec. 27: There are just a few good days left into the 2021 calendar year and it has now become clearer who will be at the top of the goalscoring charts at the end of the year.

But some of the game’s greatest names will not be featured in this year's top scoring charts. Neither Messi nor Ronaldo are in the top five list although many others have continued their good form this year as well while a surprising few have joined them early this year with blistering form.

Here we have enlisted five players across Europe who have scored the most number of goals in 2021 (including club and country):

1. Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)

The Polish striker has scaled new heights this year setting a new benchmark for the most goals scored within a single calendar year in Germany. He has scored the most goals in 2021, 69 in 55 appearances. He was also nominated for the Ballon d’Or but only lost it to Lionel Messi. He also edged past Gerd Muller’s 40-year-old record of most Bundesliga goals in a single season.

2. Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund)

Despite missing almost one month in action, the Dortmund sensation still has managed to score the second most number of goals this year with 43 goals in 42 appearances this year. The Norway striker is just 21 and considering his goal-scoring streak, it is fair to say he is on the way to becoming one of the greatest of the game.

3. Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)

The French striker is only improving with each passing day and is already an incredible player in high demand. He has scored the third most goals in 2021, 41 goals in 52 matches reaching 100 Ligue 1 goals for Paris Saint-Germain this year. He is only the third player to reach it after Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani.

4. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

The Egyptian king has never stopped scoring since joining the Reds and just like previous seasons also has enjoyed a stellar year in 2021. He has scored 37 goals in 51 matches this year and also became the fastest Liverpool player to score 100 times in the Premier League this year.

5. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)

The French international is almost single-handedly carrying the attacking output of the Spanish giants and one of the big reasons why they are on top of La Liga this year. Benzema has scored 36 goals in 48 appearances in 2021 including four goals in the Euro 2020 Championship for France.