The race for the Ballon d’Or has begun. Football fans all over the world are scrutinizing various metrics to see if their favorite player has a chance to win football’s most prestigious individual award.
In football, strikers or goal scorers are usually the ones who walk away with the accolades. That is simply the nature of the game, as matches are won by the team with the most goals.
Being the top scorer in Europe could help a player establish his or her credentials in the race for the Ballon d’Or. Europe is rife with prolific goal scorers. In this article, we look at five players who have the best goals per game rate for club and country in 2021.
Number 5: Karim Benzema – 0.70 goals per game
Karim Benzema has had an incredible year. Benzema was called up to the national team this summer after scoring 30 goals in 46 appearances for Real Madrid across all competitions in the 2020-21 season.
He hadn’t been called up in six years, and he justified his selection by scoring four goals in four Euro 2020 appearances. Benzema then scored crucial goals for France in the UEFA Nations League semi-finals and finals. Les Bleus went on to win the competition, and Benzema was there to celebrate.
In the new season, the 33-year-old has been nearly unstoppable. Benzema has scored 14 goals in 15 appearances across all competitions this season. This year, the Frenchman has 35 goals in 50 appearances for both club and country, averaging 0.70 goals per game.
Number 4: Cristiano Ronaldo – 0.75 goals scored per game
The five-time winner of the Ballon d’Or, Cristiano Ronaldo, has only a remote chance of winning the award this year. His chances this season have been hampered by a lack of major trophies. Individually, however, Ronaldo has had a pretty spectacular year.
Last season, he won the Serie A Golden Boot after scoring 29 goals in 33 games in the Italian top flight. Ronaldo then won the Euro 2020 Golden Boot for being the tournament’s top scorer, with five goals in just four games.
Despite Manchester United’s slow start to the 2021-22 season, Ronaldo has scored. He scored several crucial goals for the Red Devils, totaling nine in 13 appearances across all competitions.
Ronaldo broke Iran’s Ali Daei’s record for most goals scored in men’s international football (109) this summer. The 36-year-old has now scored 115 global goals. Ronaldo has scored 39 goals in 52 appearances in 2021, averaging 0.75 goals per game.
Number 3: Lionel Messi – 0.80 goals scored per game
Lionel Messi took a while to find his stride in the 2020-21 season. But he found his groove around the turn of the year and was by far Barcelona’s best player last season. Last season, he won the Pichichi trophy after scoring 30 goals in 35 La Liga appearances.
Messi went on to win the Golden Boot as well as the Best Player Award at Copa America 2021. The 34-year-old scored four goals and provided five assists to help La Albiceleste win the continental title.
Messi’s pace has since slowed at his new club. After joining PSG in the summer, he has yet to score in Ligue 1. Even so, Messi’s statistics are impressive. He has 40 goals in 50 appearances for club and country in 2021. He has 0.80 goals per game ratio.
Number 2: Erling Haaland – 0.96 goals scored per game
Erling Haaland, the goal-scoring machine for Borussia Dortmund, turned 21 this summer. However, he is already one of the best strikers in the world and the most sought-after marksman.
Haaland’s speed, athleticism, and agility have earned him the moniker “The Terminator.” His off-the-ball work is brilliant, and his ability to get a shot off even in the most difficult of situations is simply amazing.
Haaland is another player who will finish well outside the Ballon d’Or podium due to a lack of major trophies. Nonetheless, he achieved mind-boggling results this year.
In 2021, Haaland has 43 goals in 45 games, averaging 0.96 goals per game.
Number 1: Robert Lewandowski – 1.17 goals per game
Robert Lewandowski scored 41 goals in 29 appearances in the 2020-21 Bundesliga season, breaking Gerd Muller’s record of 40 goals in a single Bundesliga season. The Bayern Munich striker is currently the most prolific striker in the world.
For the majority of the last decade, Lewandowski has been an elite striker, but in recent years, he has established himself as one of the greatest of all time. The Polish international is difficult to contain because he is both technically adept and intelligent.
Lewandowski is right to feel cheated out of the Ballon d’Or in 2020, as the award was canceled in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, he has a strong case this year as well. Lewandowski has 54 goals in 46 appearances for both club and country in 2021, averaging 1.17 goals per game.
