There have been many great football players over the years but scoring goals consistently over a period takes something special. As we come to the end of this year, the record for the most goals in a calendar year will remain intact for another year.
Cristiano Ronaldo or Robert Lewandowski who have been scoring goals consistently in the last years, couldn’t find a place in the top 5 list. So you can definitely imagine how hard it is to achieve!
So let’s take a look at the top 5 football players who have scored the most goals in a calendar year:
Top 5 football players who have scored the most goals in a calendar year
5. Romario (72 goals)
The Brazilian goalscorer is one of the greatest in history. Romario won the FIFA World Cup in 1994 for Brazil.
Romario scored 72 goals for Brazil and his club Vasco da Gama in 2000, which places him in fifth place in this list of top 5 football players who have scored the most goals in a calendar year.
4. Pele (75 goals)
Pele is often considered the best footballer in history. He made his World Cup debut at the tender age of 17 years. He is the youngest player ever to win the FIFA World Cup.
The Brazilian scored 75 goals for Brazil and his club Santos in that year and has etched his name in history.
3. Gerd Muller (85 goals)
The German has been one of the prolific scorers in German football. He scored 85 goals in 60 appearances in 1972 while playing for West Germany and Bayern Munich
2. Lionel Messi (91 goals)
Lionel Messi jumped to the second spot in this list of top 5 football players who have scored the most goals in a calendar year when he scored 91 goals in just 69 appearances for both his country Argentina and club Barcelona in the year 2012.
1. Godfrey Chitalu (116 goals)
The top spot in this list goes to a somewhat unknown football player compared to Messi, Pele, etc. Godfrey Chitalu is a Zambian footballer who won the Zambian Footballer of the Year five times in his career.
Chitalu scored 116 goals in the year 1972 which puts him at the top of this list.
Another interesting fact about Chitalu, via Khel Now: “In 1968, during his Kitwe United days, Chitalu broke Pele’s record of 75 goals after he netted 81. FIFA’s spokesperson however announced that no official FIFA world record had ever existed for Chitalu since FIFA never monitored domestic competitions.”
Read: Sunil Chhetri equals Pele’s International goal scoring record
