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Which players have scored the most goals in a season?

Which players have scored the most goals in a season? It is one of the most searched-for questions on the internet and one which we’re delighted to answer.

We’ve looked at all the top domestic leagues and international competitions to identify which players have written their names into the record books with their goalscoring exploits.

Premier League

Andrew Cole (1993/94) and Alan Shearer (1994/95) jointly hold the record for the most goals in a Premier League season, netting 34 for Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers respectively.

While Cole was unable to help the Magpies win the league, Shearer had more joy as his tally contributed to Rovers’ memorable title success.

However, their achievements are dwarfed by Dixie Dean, whose 60 goals for Everton in 1927/28 are the most by any player in a single season in the English top flight.

La Liga

The 2011/12 La Liga season saw Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo push each other to truly ridiculous levels in the goalscoring stakes.

Messi netted a record 50 goals for Barcelona during the campaign, but his efforts were not enough to stop Ronaldo and Real Madrid from clinching the title.

The pair’s combined tally of 96 goals was the most ever by two players playing in the same major European league in the same season.


Serie A

Often dubbed a defensive league, Serie A has also been home to some of the finest attacking players to grace the sport.

Gino Rossetti’s tally of 36 goals for Torino in the 1928/29 season stood until 2015/16 when Napoli’s Gonzalo Higuain matched the feat.

Ciro Immobile made it a three-way tie at the top with three dozen goals for Lazio during the 2019/20 Serie A campaign.

Bundesliga

Robert Lewandowski bagged 41 Bundesliga goals for Bayern Munich in 2020/21, breaking a record that had stood for almost half a century.

Gerd Muller netted 40 goals for the same club in 1971/72, but Lewandowski overhauled him in the final game of the season.

Augsburg goalkeeper Rafal Gikiewicz made a series of fine saves from the Polish striker, before gifting his compatriot a goal in the final minute.

Ligue 1

The top flight in France changed its name in 2002, which has led to confusion regarding which player has scored the most goals in a single season.

Zlatan Ibrahimovich’s tally of 38 goals for Paris Saint-Germain in 2015/16 is often cited as the best goalscoring season in Ligue 1.

However, Marseille striker Josip Skoblar eclipsed that total in 1970/71, netting 44 goals to help his team win their third French title.

Eredivisie

PSV Eindhoven striker Coen Dillen etched his name into the record books in the inaugural season of the Eredivisie in 1956/57.

The Netherlands international banged in 43 goals during the campaign to set a record that still stands today.

Between January 27 and March 31, Dillen scored a whopping 20 goals in nine games – a run that included two hat-tricks and one four-goal haul.

Championship

Aleksandar Mitrovic scored 43 goals in 44 appearances in the 2021/22 season to help Fulham clinch promotion to the Premier League.

Mitrovic beat the English second-tier record of 42 set by Portsmouth striker Guy Whittingham almost 30 years earlier.

The Serbian star’s efforts fired Fulham back into the top flight just one year after they had been relegated back into the Championship.

Scottish Premiership

The top flight in Scotland has undergone several name changes, with the Scottish Premiership established as recently as July 2013.

Leigh Griffiths holds the record for most goals in a single season, netting 31 goals for Celtic during the 2015/16 campaign.

However, the record for the most top-flight goals in a season in Scotland belongs to Willie MacFadyen, who scored 52 for Motherwell in 1931/32.

Champions League

Having finished as the top scorer in the Champions League in 2007/08, Cristiano Ronaldo saw Lionel Messi claim the accolade for the next four seasons.

He set the record straight in 2012/13 by topping the charts with 12 goals and bettered that tally the following season with a record-breaking 17-goal haul.

Ronaldo went on to top the charts in each of the following four seasons and is the current all-time top scorer in the history of the tournament.

Europa League

Radamel Falcao’s 44th-minute header in the 2010/11 Europa League final helped Porto overcome Braga in Dublin.

The goal was his 17th of the campaign, putting him two clear of the previous record set by Jurgen Klinsmann for Bayern Munich in the 1995/96 UEFA Cup.

Falcao subsequently tested himself in the Premier League, but injuries limited the impact he made for Manchester United and Chelsea.

World Cup

Just Fontaine holds the record for the most goals scored in a single World Cup, firing home a whopping 13 for France in 1958.

His efforts proved to be in vain as Brazil lifted the trophy for the first time on the back of some inspirational performances from a teenage Pele.

Fontaine netted four in the third-place play-off against West Germany, helping France gain some consolation with a 6-3 victory over the outgoing champions.

European Championship

For many people, Michel Platini is best known for being banned from football over ethics violations from his time as UEFA president.

However, he was previously one of the finest players of his generation and demonstrated his talent to perfection as France won the 1984 European Championships.

Platini scored in each of the five games, including consecutive hat-tricks against Belgium and Yugoslavia and the opening goal against Spain in the final.

Copa America

Three players jointly hold the record for scoring the most goals in a single edition of the Copa America (9) – Jair, Javier Ambrois and Humberto Maschio.

Jair was the first player to achieve the feat for Brazil in 1949, while Ambrois matched his tally for Uruguay seven years later.

Argentina forward Maschio joined the pair at the top of the standings in 1957, and no player has been able to overhaul them since then.

Africa Cup of Nations

Pierre Ndaye Mulamba etched his name into the Africa Cup of Nations record books in 1974 with a nine-goal haul for Zaire.

He netted three goals during the group stage before bagging a brace as his team stunned hosts Egypt to reach the final.

Mulamba scored twice against Zambia in a 2-2 draw and repeated the feat as Zaire finally got their hands on the trophy in the replay.