Cristiano Ronaldo showcased his scoring prowess by notching his 26th goal of the season during Al Nassr’s dominant 5-2 victory over rivals Al Shabab, securing a spot in the semi-finals of the Saudi King Cup. The prolific Portuguese forward found the net with 16 minutes left in the match, bringing his tally to 26 goals in 28 appearances for the Saudi Pro League club in the ongoing 2023/24 season.
This latest goal also marked Ronaldo’s 50th for the calendar year, achieving this milestone for the eighth time in his illustrious career. While this figure falls short of his record-setting year in 2013 when he scored an astounding 69 goals for both club and country, Ronaldo still has three more fixtures left in 2023 to add to his goal tally.
Lionel Messi’s 91 goals in 2012:
In 2012, Lionel Messi left an indelible mark in football history by scoring an astounding 91 goals, representing Barcelona (79) and Argentina (12) — a record that appears unlikely to be surpassed any time soon. The closest any player has come to challenging Messi’s record in his era is Cristiano Ronaldo, who notched 69 goals in 2013, and Robert Lewandowski, who matched the same tally in 2021 during his final year at Bayern Munich.
Before Messi’s record-breaking feat, the previous benchmark for most goals in a calendar year was held by Gerd Muller, who scored 85 goals for Bayern Munich and West Germany in 1972. Other legendary goal-scorers who enjoyed remarkable goal returns in a calendar year include Brazilian icons Pele (75 goals in 1958; 72 goals in 1965), Zico (72 goals in 1979), and Romario (72 goals in 2000).
Players with most 50+ goals in a calendar year
At the age of 36, Lionel Messi has achieved the remarkable feat of scoring 50 or more goals in a calendar year on nine occasions (2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019). While his goal-scoring output has seen a gradual decline in recent times, Messi’s influence on the field remains as potent as ever. This was vividly demonstrated during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where Messi played a pivotal role in Argentina’s success.
- Josef Bican – 4
- Pele – 5
- Gerd Muller – 5
- Cristiano Ronaldo – 8
- Lionel Messi – 9
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