With the festive dust settled and another calendar year wrapped up, the race to crown football’s most prolific scorer for club and country in 2025 has officially been decided.
After Viktor Gyökeres dominated the charts in 2024, the sport’s biggest hitters returned with a vengeance — joined by a few unexpected names who refused to stay in the shadows.
From evergreen legends to ruthless modern finishers, here’s how the final top 10 stacked up.
10. Jorge Rivera (Metropolitan FA / Puerto Rico)
40 goals | 35 games
One of the year’s quiet revelations. Rivera caught fire domestically, posting outrageous numbers and announcing himself as one of 2025’s most efficient finishers.
9. Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr / Portugal)
41 goals | 46 games
Approaching 41 and
still defying logic. Ronaldo muscled his way back into the top 10, scoring freely in Saudi Arabia and delivering crucial goals for Portugal — including overhead kicks that proved time hasn’t caught him yet.
8. Guilherme Bissoli (Buriram United / Brazil)
44 goals | 60 games
A relentless scorer in Southeast Asia, Bissoli continued to pile up goals at an astonishing rate, underlining the depth of elite finishing talent beyond Europe’s top leagues.
7. Vangelis Pavlidis (Benfica / Greece)
45 goals | 73 games
Consistency personified. Pavlidis carried his Eredivisie form into Portugal, becoming a reliable source of goals at both club and international level.
6. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami / Argentina)
46 goals | 54 games
At 38, Messi rolled back the years. He led Inter Miami to their first MLS Cup, claimed MVP honours, and reminded the world that genius never expires.
5. Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray / Nigeria)
46 goals | 52 games
Power, pace and precision. Osimhen continued his upward trajectory, scoring relentlessly for club and country and cementing his status among the game’s elite strikers.
4. Kevin Hernandez (Puerto Rico SSC / Puerto Rico)
48 goals | 37 games
Statistically unmatched. Hernandez posted the best goals-per-game ratio of anyone in the top 10, finishing at an astonishing rate throughout the year.
3. Erling Haaland (Manchester City / Norway)
57 goals | 55 games
A goal machine by design. Haaland raised his output yet again, terrorising defences and reaffirming his place as football’s most feared pure No.9.
2. Harry Kane (Bayern Munich / England)
60 goals | 65 games
Relentlessly reliable. Kane combined ruthless finishing with veteran polish, delivering another outstanding year at both club and international levels.
1. Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid / France)
66 goals | 67 games
Unmatched. Mbappé finished 2025 as football’s deadliest scorer, averaging nearly a goal per game. Silverware may lag, but statistically, no one came close.
