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#6 Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/Portugal) - 60 goals (2011)
Cristiano Ronaldo had his first truly goal-rich year as he amassed 60 goals in as many games for club and country in 2011.
The Portuguese began the year with 23 goals in the second half of the 2010-11 La Liga season, including four hat-tricks. But he underwhelmed in the Champions League knockout stages, scoring only twice as Real Madrid endured a semi-final exit against arch-rivals Barcelona.
Ronaldo endured a slow start to his 2011-12 Champions League campaign, scoring only thrice in four games. But he enjoyed rich dividends in La Liga, netting 20 times, including a staggering five hat-tricks.
He also scored five times for Portugal to round off a stellar year. Thanks to his blistering start in La Liga, Ronaldo won his first Spanish top-flight title later that season.
#5 Lionel Messi (Barcelona/Argentina) - 60 goals (2010)
Lionel Messi truly had a memorable year in 2010. The Argentine scored goals galore, especially in La Liga. Messi recorded 25 goals in the second half of the 2009-10 season to help his club successfully defend their league title.
The 2009 Ballon d'Or winner also sizzled in the Champions League. After a brace against Stuttgart, Messi produced a four-goal salvo against Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-finals. However, Barcelona were stopped by Inter Milan in the last four.
Messi endured an uncharacteristically poor campaign at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, failing to score in five games, though he assisted thrice. Nevertheless, he started the 2010-11 season on fire, netting 17 league goals to set Barcelona on their way to a La Liga three-peat.
Overall, Messi scored 60 goals in 64 games during the year en route to winning his second Ballon d'Or award.
#4 Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/Portugal) - 61 goals (2014)
Cristiano Ronaldo had a memorable goalscoring year for club and country in 2014. He scored goals galore, both in La Liga and the Champions League. Real Madrid won their much-awaited La Decima in the latter competition that year, with the Portuguese scoring eight times in the knockout rounds, including a goal in the final.
That made Ronaldo the first player to score for two different winning teams in a Champions League final. He also became the first player to score 17 times in a single edition of the competition, a record that still stands.
Ronaldo started the 2014-15 season on fire, netting a staggering 25 goals to set the pace for another record-breaking campaign.
Thanks to Ronaldo's blistering exploits - 61 goals in 60 games - that year, Real Madrid won the Copa Del Rey, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup titles. The Portuguese clinched his third Ballon d'Or award, second on the trot, for his exploits in 2014.
