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International football for 2021 ended last night, but what a rollercoaster year it was! Qualifying games for the 2022 FIFA World Cup dominated the fixture list for almost every national team in the world. But there were various continental championships in the summer across the globe too.
Suffice to say, it was a busy year for national sides, who'd be relieved to see the end of the year. Throughout the past eight months, we saw a lot of enticing action that merits a look back. Many goalscorers enjoyed prolific years, scoring a glut of goals in qualifiers, championships and friendlies.
On that note, here's a look at the ten players who accumulated the most goals in the 2021 calendar year in all competitions:
#10 Lionel Messi (Argentina) - 9 goals
We'll start off arguably one of the greatest players of all time. Lionel Messi enjoyed arguably his best calendar year with Argentina, winning the 2021 Copa America to end his long senior international title drought.
He was also the top scorer in the competition with four goals. In the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, the PSG ace netted five times in nine games, helping Argentina qualify for the showpiece event.
#9 Eran Zahavi (Israel) - 9 goals
One of the most underrated strikers in the world, Eran Zahavi was the face of Israel's FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifying campaign. He netted eight strikes - a tally bettered by only two players in Europe.
His efforts eventually proved futile, as Israel failed to qualify for the World Cup, but Zahavi did showcase his fearsome striking potential. He also scored once in a friendly win over Montenegro during the year.
#8 Yuya Osako (Japan) - 9 goals
Yuya Osako scored nine goals in only six games, managing the same tally in nine and seven fewer games, respectively than Messi and Zahavi. That explains why he's ranked above them on our list.
The 31-year-old striker netted all his goals in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. That included two hat-tricks, with one of them being a five-goal salvo in Japan's 10-0 demolition of Myanmar.
#7 Romelu Lukaku (Belgium) - 11 goals
The big Romelu Lukaku continued his imperious exploits with Belgium this year. He netted 11 times across four different international tournaments, including four at Euro 2020.
He also bagged one in the third-place play-off loss in the UEFA Nations League. Had it not been for his injury. Romelu Lukaku might well have added to his five strikes in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
#6 Robert Lewandowski (Poland) - 11 goals
Up next is another all-time goalscoring great, Robert Lewandowski. He netted 11 times for Poland in 2021, with eight of them coming in the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers.
Lewandowski scored the other three at Euro 2020, against Spain and Sweden in the group stage. However, his strikes weren't enough to see Poland through to the knockouts.
#5 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) - 13 goals
The year saw Cristiano Ronaldo surpass Ali Daei's long-standing international record of 109 goals. The 36-year-old also bagged the Golden Boot at Euro 2020, bagging five goals and an assist.
However, his international campaign during the year ended in a whimper. That's because the Manchester United star failed to score in Portugal's last two qualifying matches. That meant the Euro 2016 winners dropped to the playoffs after failing to secure a direct qualification berth for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
#4 Cyle Larin (Canada) - 14 goals
Canada are witnessing a renaissance on the international stage. They have many talented attacking stars in their ranks, like Cyle Larin, who bagged 14 goals for them in 2021.
He has been their key player in the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers. Larin scored 11 goals, including a hat-trick against Bermuda. He also bagged another three in the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
#3 Ali Mabkhout (UAE) - 14 goals
The UAE are edging closer towards their first FIFA World Cup appearance since 1990. That has been possible, thanks to their prolific striker Ali Mabkhout, who has led their cause with his imperious scoring.
He struck eight times in the qualifying campaign, most of them being match-winners, equalisers or opening goals. The remaining six have come in friendlies, as part of hat-tricks against India and Jordan.
#2 Harry Kane (England) - 16 goals
Speaking of hat-tricks, Harry Kane ended the calendar year with two in consecutive qualifying games for England. His second was a four-goal salvo against San Marino.
Kane ended England's successful FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifying campaign as the joint top-scorer with 12 goals. He also bagged four at Euro 2020, helping The Three Lions finish runners-up to Italy on home soil.
#1 Memphis Depay (Netherlands) - 17 goals
Memphis Depay has stormed to fourth on the all-time list of goalscorers for the Netherlands, thanks to his blistering 17-goal haul this year. The Barcelona attacker now has 38 goals for the Oranje.
Depay was in inspired form in 2021 for Netherlands. The Oranje will return to the FIFA World Cup fold after missing out in 2018, thanks to Depay's 12 goals, including a hat-trick against Turkey.
