Overview of Records Through the Years
The Guinness World Records book has been around for 64 years and in that time, it has listed several football goal score records. From the earliest days of the record book, several players have held the title for scoring the most goals in a calendar year.
But as with any sport, the record book has to be updated from time to time to reflect the changing nature of the game. For example, in 1992, Brazilian striker Ronaldo surpassed Gerd Muller's longstanding goal tally to become the new record holder.
In recent years, as football has become more tactical, teams have been scoring more goals from headers and set pieces, rather than through open play. This means that the current record holder for most goals in a calendar year is likely to be someone who is not well-known to the average football fan.
In this article, we'll take a look at some of the most noteworthy goal scorers in history, as well as the current title holder for most goals in a calendar year.
Most Goals in a Single Football Match
You hold the record for the most goals scored in a single football match.
It was an incredible feat- scoring 7 goals in a single match. Not only did you break the record, but you helped your team win the game 9-0.
To this day, that match is still talked about as one of the most impressive displays of goal scoring in football history.
Highest Scoring Teams in One Season
In the 1936-1937 season, Celtic F.C. scored 132 goals in 34 games played, making them the highest scoring team in a season. They averaged 3.85 goals per game, which is still a record today. This remarkable achievement was largely due to the play of striker Jimmy 'Jinky' Johnstone, who scored 52 goals in that season alone.
All-Time Top Goal Scorers in Professional Football Leagues
Now that you know a bit about the history of football goal scoring records, you might be wondering who the all-time top goal scorers are in professional football leagues.
Well, as of 2020, the top five professional football goal scorers of all time are:
1. Cristiano Ronaldo ( Portugal / Juventus F.C. ) - 725 goals
2. Lionel Messi ( Argentina / FC Barcelona ) - 644 goals
3. Pele ( Brazil / Santos F.C. ) - 638 goals
4. Gerd Muller ( West Germany / Bayern Munich ) - 568 goals
5. Ronaldo ( Brazil / Real Madrid C.F. ) - 559 goals
These five players have scored a combined total of 3,034 goals in their professional career! That's an average of over 600 goals per player!
Most Goals Scored by an Individual Player in a Given Season
The most ever goals scored in a single season is held by Lionel Messi, who netted 73 goals in the 2011-12 campaign for Barcelona. Messi's tally that year is also a record for the most goals scored in La Liga, Europe's top football league.
In the same season, Messi also set the record for the most hat-tricks in a season with 12. He would go on to break his own record the following year, scoring 13 hat-tricks.
Messi's incredible scoring feats that season helped Barcelona win the Spanish league title and the Copa del Rey, the country's top two competitions. The Argentine forward was named both La Liga's Player of the Year and Europe's Player of the Year.
Individual Goal Scoring Records From Different Countries
While the FIFA World Cup is the most widely watched football tournament, there are many different leagues and competitions around the world. As a result, there are also different record holders for goals scored in different countries.
In England, for example, the record holder is Wayne Rooney, who has scored 253 goals in 559 appearances for Manchester United as of August 2019. In Germany, the record holder is Gerd Muller, with 365 goals in 427 appearances for Bayern Munich.
And in Brazil, the record holder is Ronaldo Nazario, with 62 goals in 98 appearances for Brazil. He's also the leading goal scorer in the history of the FIFA World Cup, with 15 goals in 19 appearances.
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