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So much has happened in the 21st century when it comes to football. We have seen a drastic change in approach from teams, especially in the tactical department.
At club level, the mindset of most teams has been to adopt an attacking game style that has produced plenty of goals. The modern era of football has helped us witness some amazing goal-scorers.
The 21st century will always be remembered for the greatness of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Both these players have been scintillating and absolutely wonderful when it comes to scoring goals.
They have not just done well at club level but have been dangerously effective at the international level as well. Along with these superstars, many top players have enjoyed goal-scoring at the highest level. Here, we take a look at the footballers with the highest number of goals in the 21st century.
Note: Goals at both club and country level are considered.
#5 Luis Suarez (521 goals)
Coming through the ranks at Nacional in Uruguay, the right-footed striker initially got his recognition while playing for Ajax. With 81 goals in 110 league appearances, Luis Suarez was a delight to watch at the Dutch club.
This helped him earn a move to Liverpool in the 2010-11 season, where he exceeded expectations, scoring 69 Premier League goals in 110 appearances. He was unlucky not to win the league with the Reds but his stellar form was rewarded with a move to Barcelona in the 2014-15 season.
With the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar around him, Suarez's form in front of goal only got better at the Catalan club as he scored 192 goals in 281 appearances. He has been quite effective for the Uruguayan national team, having scored 68 goals which takes his career goal tally to 521 goals, scoring 0.61 goals per game.
#4 Zlatan Ibrahimovic (572 goals)
Not many players have had the luxury of playing at multiple top European clubs, but the same cannot be said for Zlatan Ibrahimovic. In his stellar club career, the Swedish striker has played for a number of top-quality clubs.
Since starting his career at Malmo, Zlatan has gone on to play for Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and AC Milan. Amazingly, he has found goals everywhere and has managed to win silverware at almost every club.
At the national level, Zlatan has scored 62 goals for Sweden and is currently their all-time top goalscorer. Even at the age of 40, he's going strong and, to date, has 572 career goals to his name, averaging 0.58 goals per game. It is a fabulous record given how regularly he has switched clubs, played with different teammates and adapted to various tactics.
#3 Robert Lewandowski (601 goals)
It is surprising how Barcelona managed to sign Robert Lewandowski this summer given their financial struggles. The Polish striker was superb during his time at Bayern Munich, scoring loads of goals.
Lewandowski is bound to shine in Spain in the same fashion as he did in Germany. The right-footed striker made his name at Borussia Dortmund, scoring 92 goals across all competitions in just 165 appearances.
Since joining rivals Bayern Munich in the 2014-15 season, there was no stopping Lewandowski as he was ruthless in front of goal. With a total of 312 Bundesliga goals in his career, only Gerd Muller has a better record than the Polishman.
Lewandowski has scored 76 goals for Poland and is the country's all-time top goalscorer. To date, the 33-year-old striker has 601 goals to his name, averaging 0.72 goals per game.
#2 Lionel Messi (769 goals)
When it comes to goals, it is impossible to leave Lionel Messi out of the discussion. The Argentine forward has been a delight to watch ever since he made his senior competitive debut for Barcelona in 2004.
Messi has scored goals for fun and with utter ease, breaking records every now and then. The Argentine superstar was brutal in La Liga and to date holds the record for scoring the most goals in La Liga (474).
The 35-year-old has won the Pichichi Trophy for the most goals scored in the league eight times in his career, showcasing his stellar form in La Liga. Messi joined PSG last summer and despite struggling initially, he looks back on track with his form in front of goal.
The Argentine has 769 goals to his name so far this century, scoring 0.79 goals per game and is 46 goals behind his toughest rival Cristiano Ronaldo. With his abilities, Messi still has the chance to close the gap before he plans to hang up his boots.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo (815 goals)
Where there's Messi, there's a high chance of Cristiano Ronaldo being present too. No goal-scoring chart is complete without the presence of these goats in football.
Ronaldo has been a goal-scoring machine throughout his career, playing for different clubs in different leagues. To date, he holds the record for scoring the most goals in the Champions League (42), European Championship (14) and at the international level for men (117).
The Portuguese superstar has scored 815 goals in the 21st century, scoring 0.73 goals per game. No European player has managed to score more goals than Cristiano Ronaldo has in the game.
