Footballers Who Scored the Most Goals in a Year

Argentina’s captain Lionel Messi holds the record for the most goals scored in a year, netting an incredible 91 times in 2012.

Messi achieved this while playing for Barcelona and the Argentina national team. This record has not been beaten since then.

The 39-year-old’s amazing achievement is one of the best in football, with many legendary players also making the all-time list.

A ranking shared by Planet Football on Friday shows that England captain Harry Kane is having a great 2026 season with 55 goals, moving closer to the all-time top 10.

But, the Bayern Munich striker still has to score more to join the exclusive group of players with at least 62 goals in a calendar year.

Brazilian legend Pele appears three times on this list, showing his incredible scoring ability during his career.

Below is the list of players with the most goals scored in a calendar year:

10. Pele, 64 goals (1959)

Pele scored 64 goals in 51 matches for Santos and Brazil in 1959, earning his spot among football’s top calendar-year goalscorers.

9. Kylian Mbappe, 62 goals (2025)

French player Kylian Mbappe netted 62 goals in 2025, placing him among the highest goalscorers in a single calendar year.

Joint 7th. Cristiano Ronaldo, 69 goals (2013)

Ronaldo had the best year of his career in 2013, scoring 69 goals in 59 matches for his club and country.

Even with this great individual performance, he finished the year without a major team trophy but won the Ballon d’Or.

Joint 7th. Robert Lewandowski, 69 goals (2021)

The Polish striker also scored 69 goals in 2021, having a fantastic year with Bayern Munich.

His efforts helped the German club win many trophies, including the Bundesliga, DFL-Supercup, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup.

Lewandowski came second in the Ballon d’Or voting behind Lionel Messi.

6. Romario, 72 goals (2000)

Brazilian forward Romario scored 72 goals in 2000 while playing for Vasco da Gama and the national team.

He kept scoring well into his later years before retiring in 2009.

5. Zico, 72 goals (1979)

Brazilian star Zico recorded 72 goals in 1979 while playing for Flamengo and the national team.

Even though he was not a typical striker, he showed great attacking skills all year.

4. Pele, 72 goals (1965)

Pele appears again on the list with 72 goals in 1965.

The Brazilian legend had a great season, scoring 49 goals in 28 league matches, averaging 1.75 goals each game.

3. Pele, 75 goals (1958)

Pele’s amazing 1958 season saw him score 75 goals in a year.

The young Brazilian helped his country win the FIFA World Cup in Sweden, scoring in the quarter-final, semi-final, and final.

2. Gerd Muller, 85 goals (1972)

German striker Gerd Muller scored 85 goals in 1972, setting a record that lasted until Messi broke it in 2012.

Muller helped West Germany win the European Championship, scoring twice in the final against the Soviet Union.

1. Lionel Messi, 91 goals (2012)

Messi tops the list with 91 goals scored in 2012 while playing for Barcelona and Argentina.

He broke Gerd Muller’s record of 85 goals, achieving one of the most amazing scoring performances in football history.

In an interview with ESPN, Messi said he never played to break records.

"In 2012, I scored around 91 goals," he said.

"I don’t play for that, I never cared about it. It wasn’t in my mind to make an assist just to break a record or surpass someone else."

He also mentioned that picking his best year is hard because he has had many great seasons.

"It’s hard to choose one year as my best; thankfully I’ve had many very good ones," Messi said.

With 91 goals in one year, Messi is ahead of other football legends. Kane’s strong 2026 form has brought new focus to these impressive scoring feats.