{
  "id": 13127710,
  "title": "FULL LIST: Top 10 footballers with most goals in calendar year",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/full-list-top-10-footballers-with-most-goals-in-calendar-year-13127710",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-09T13:57:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch Nigeria",
    "slug": "punch-nigeria",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/full-list-top-10-footballers-with-most-goals-in-calendar-year/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "1. Lionel Messi holds the record for the most goals scored in a calendar year, amassing 91 goals in 2012 while representing both Barcelona and Argentina. This extraordinary achievement remains unrivaled to this day.\n\n2. Gerd Müller, a German striker, set a calendar-year record in 1972 by scoring 85 goals. Müller's remarkable performance helped West Germany secure the European Championship that year, as he netted twice in the semi-final against Belgium.\n\n3. Pelé, the Brazilian football legend, achieved a 72-goal milestone twice in his illustrious career. In 1965, the World Cup-winning star scored 72 goals in just 28 appearances for Santos and Brazil. In 1979, at the age of 34, he scored another 72 goals for Flamengo.\n\n4. Kylian Mbappé, the young French forward, ranks ninth on the list with 62 goals in his impressive 2025 season. The pacey and clinical finisher has established himself as one of the most dangerous attackers in modern football, combining pace, movement, and finishing prowess.\n\n5. Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski share the seventh position, with Ronaldo scoring 69 goals in 2013 and Lewandowski matching that tally in 2021. Both players demonstrated their exceptional finishing ability and won multiple trophies with their respective clubs and national teams.\n\n6. Romário, a Brazilian striker, scored 72 goals in 2000 and is known for his positioning and finishing skills inside the penalty area. The 34-year-old continued to score prolifically well into his late thirties before retiring from professional football.",
  "summary": "Lionel Messi holds the record for most goals in a calendar year with 91. See the full list of top 10 scorers, including Pelé, Gerd Müller, and Ronaldo. Read More: https://punchng.com/full-list-top-10-footballers-with-most-goals-in-calendar-year/",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Punch",
        "title": "FULL LIST: Top 10 footballers with most goals in calendar year",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/full-list-top-10-footballers-with-most-goals-in-calendar-year",
        "published": "2026-10-09T13:54:59.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}