The 2023-24 season is the first in 20 years that doesn’t feature either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo in one of Europe’s major leagues.
Those two names dominated the scoring charts across Europe for almost two entire decades, notching almost a thousand league goals combined and lifting no fewer than 10 European Golden Shoe awards.
But we’ve now arrived at a new era and some familiar names have already made a fast start to the new season. We’ve taken a look at the top 10 goalscorers across Europe’s big five leagues – Ligue 1, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A and the Premier League.
Note: if two players are tied on goals, we’ve ordered them by their goals-per-minute ratio.
Solly March, Taiwo Awoniyi, Takumi Minamino, Romain Del Castillo, Mousa Tamari, Erling Haaland, Mostofa Mohamed, Bryan Mbuemo and Akor Adams all miss out on cracking this top 10 due to their inferior goals-per-minute ratio so far.
10. Harry Kane – 3
The Bundesliga kicked off a week later than the Premier League, La Liga and Ligue 1 but the England captain is making up for lost time.
Kane is the most expensive player in the history of the Bundesliga and marked his full debut with a goal and an assist against Werder Bremen before nothing twice against Augsburg in a 3-1 home win.
There are four fewer games in a Bundesliga season but with his supporting cast Kane will surely back himself to beat last season’s career-best tally of 30 league goals. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise us at all if he challenges Robert Lewandowski’s record of 41 Bundesliga goals.
2️⃣ Bundesliga games
3️⃣ goals
1️⃣ assistHarry Kane is cooking 🌪️ pic.twitter.com/JOTV4Qs4xO
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) August 27, 2023
9. Serhou Guirassy – 3
A relatively lesser-known name, Guirassy signed for Stuttgart this summer after impressing there on loan from Rennes last season.
The Guinea international averaged a goal every other game in the Bundesliga last term and he’s bettering that ratio in 2023-24 so far with three goals in just two games.
8. Victor Osimhen – 3
Serie A’s top scorer last season has picked up where he left off, notching three goals as Napoli have begun their campaign to retain the Scudetto with back-to-back victories over Frosinone and Sassuolo.
Osimhen is undoubtedly one of the best No.9s in Europe right now and we’d be amazed if he isn’t somewhere towards the top end of these charts throughout the season.
What a finish from Victor Osimhen! 🙌
We cannot wait to see him light up Europe again this season! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/sSOzLCcNWw
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) August 19, 2023
7. Lautaro Martinez – 3
The Argentinian World Cup winner began the 2023-24 campaign by scoring both of Inter’s goals in a routine 2-0 win over Monza and added a third for good measure as Simone Inzaghi’s Nerazzurri went to Cagliari and won by the same scoreline.
A move to bring Romelu Lukaku back to the San Siro broke down after his flirtations with Juventus, but now it appears that Martinez is ready to be their talisman up top.
6. Alvaro Morata – 3
With a curious career that’s seen him bounce around Europe’s top clubs, Morata remains at Atletico Madrid – for now – but has made an impressive start to the 2023-24 campaign.
The 30-year-old striker has only been entrusted by Diego Simeone to start one of Atleti’s three La Liga outings so far, but he marked that with a goal and scored twice off the bench in a 7-0 mauling away to Rayo Vallecano.
5. Olivier Giroud – 3
The veteran Frenchman is having a lovely time at the San Siro surrounded by his many ex-Chelsea team-mates.
Giroud has only played 139 minutes across two appearances of Serie A football in 2023-24 but already has three goals (plus an assist), scoring one and setting up another away to Bologna before notching a brace in a 4-1 home win over Torino.
It’s early days but the Rossoneri are looking the part.
4. Kylian Mbappe – 3
Having registered a respectable average of 24 league goals a season for PSG since arriving from Monaco back in 2017, Mbappe has surprisingly only broken the 30-goal mark once (33 back in 2018-19) and is yet to claim a European Golden Shoe.
But Haaland has serious competition if he wants to retain the accolade from last season.
Now that Messi and Neymar have left, this season is Mbappe’s first in which he’s undoubtedly the main man at the Parc des Princes. Having scored three goals in just two appearances that total 129 minutes, we have a feeling that this could be the year his numbers go truly stratospheric.
Back in the squad… back on the scoresheet! 🤩
Kylian Mbappe brilliantly makes it 2-0 to PSG! 🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/MH5aPVRC7q
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) August 26, 2023
3. Jude Bellingham – 4
The England international has scored in each and every one of his La Liga appearances for Real Madrid and his contributions have been absolutely vital in Carlo Ancelotti’s side sitting pretty at the top of the table with nine points from three games to date.
He only turned 20 and already he looks like a leader at the heart of Los Blancos’ midfield. Ridiculous.
READ: 9 incredible stats behind Jude Bellingham’s unbelievable start at Real Madrid
2. Jonas Wind – 4
The forward only scored six Bundesliga goals for Wolfsburg last term but he’s already two goals off matching that tally in 2023-24.
Wind has kicked off the 2023-24 campaign in sensational style with all four of Wolfsburg’s goals so far, notching back-to-back braces in wins over Heidemheim and Koln.
The 24-year-old Dane could be one to watch this season.
1. Kevin Behrens – 4
Union Berlin continue to demonstrate that they’re no flash in the pan and have started 2023-24 in sensational style by registering back-to-back 4-1 victories over Mainz and Darmstadt.
Striker Behrens scored a hat-trick on the opening weekend against Mainz and added another for good measure against Darmstadt.
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