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Although the role of strikers and forwards has evolved in recent times, prolific goalscorers are always in a whole different breed. Scoring goals is the primary objective for any football side and every team needs players that can find the back of the net on a regular basis.
We have seen plenty of wonderful goalscorers throughout the history of the game. The likes of Pele, Gerd Muller, Romario, Ferenc Puskas, Uwe Seelar, Josef Bican, Eusebio, Alfredo Di Stefano, and Zico are some of the greatest goalscorers of the 20th century.
There has been no shortage of top forwards in the 21st century either. Without further ado, let's take a look at five players with the most goals in Europe's top five leagues in the 21st century.
#5 Edinson Cavani - 267 goals
Edinson Cavani epitomizes the Uruguayan warrior spirit and that's one of the reasons why he is still going strong at the age of 35. He currently plays for La Liga side Valencia and has scored five goals in nine league appearances so far this term.
Cavani has been an extremely prolific forward for almost the entirety of his career. After turning heads as a reliable young striker at Palermo, Cavani burgeoned into one of the best in the business during his time with Napoli.
He subsequently had a wonderful stint at Paris Saint-Germain. He left the Parisians in 2020 to join Manchester United. Largely written off as a player walking into the twilight of his career, Cavani became a huge fan favorite at Old Trafford by virtue of his tenacity and elite marksmanship.
In total, Cavani has scored 267 goals in Europe's top five leagues in his impressive career.
#4 Zlatan Ibrahimovic - 301 goals
The self-proclaimed 'Lion' of football, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, is one of the greatest strikers of the 21st century. Ibrahimovic has had a journeyman career of sorts, but the most impressive thing about it is that he has played for some of the biggest clubs in Europe.
Ibrahimovic has played for Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, and Manchester United in Europe's top five leagues. He has found success at almost every single one of those clubs and is currently back at AC Milan.
He is a phenomenal athlete and won the Serie A title with the Rossoneri last season at the age of 40. Ibrahimovic has scored 301 goals in Europe's top five leagues so far in his illustrious career.
#3 Robert Lewandowski - 325 goals
Robert Lewandowski has climbed up this list the quickest in recent years. He has won the European Golden Shoe in the last two seasons. The Poland international is arguably the greatest center-forward of his generation and is the complete package.
In the 2020-21 season, Lewandowski beat Gerd Muller's record for most goals scored in a single Bundesliga season (40 goals) by scoring 41. He left the Bundesliga giants to join Barcelona last summer and has made sure his levels haven't dropped at his new club.
Lewandowski has scored 325 goals in Europe's top five leagues so far in his career.
#2 Lionel Messi - 488 goals
After enduring a difficult debut season at Paris Saint-Germain, Lionel Messi is back to his best this term. The legendary Argentinian forward is arguably the greatest footballer of all time and he is also one of the greatest goalscorers in the history of the sport.
This is only Messi's second season away from Barcelona and he has been in sublime form for Paris Saint-Germain. Messi has scored a whopping 488 goals in his career in Europe's top five leagues.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo - 495 goals
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest footballers of all time. He is also arguably the greatest goalscorer of all time. The Portuguese icon is the all-time leading goalscorer in men's international football (118) and the Champions League (140).
With 495 goals in the top five leagues, Ronaldo is currently the leading goalscorer in Europe's top five leagues in the 21st century. However, that is bound to change soon as Ronaldo has now moved to Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr and is no longer playing in Europe's top five leagues.
As such, Messi could overtake him any time now.
