One particular news that has stolen the spotlight this weekend is that of Lionel Messi equalling Pele’s record of 643 goals for a single club.
The Argentine playmaker nodded in from a rebound of a penalty of his, which was initially saved, to score an equaliser – and, as usual, help Barcelona get back on track – in Saturday’s draw with Valencia.
That goal – even though it wasn’t enough to satisfy football betting enthusiasts who had their money on Barça – was however a big milestone for the 33-year-old forward and, in fact, Barcelona as it proved to be that which ties him with the great Pele for most one-club goals scored by a player.
In this article, we will take a brief look at some prolific goalscorers who, like the two colossal South American stars, have managed to get the top ten biggest tallies of goals for a single clubside in the course of their careers.
- Cristiano Ronaldo [Real Madrid] – 450 goals
The Portuguese superstar is no doubt a scoring machine. In just 432 appearances over his nine-year spell at Real Madrid, he managed to score a massive 450 goals. More or less, averaging a goal for every 85 minutes of action. That, you would agree, is quite outrageous.
- Eusebio [Benfica] – 473 goals
Eusebio is another Portuguese legend who had an unquenchable thirst for goals. He spent the best part of his career (14 years) at Benfica where he scored 473 goals in 440 competitive matches.
- Uwe Seeler [Hamburg] – 507 goals
Seeler is one of Germany’s greatest strikers. For his hometown club Hamburg, he scored 507 goals out of which were 404 scored in league appearances.
- Jimmy Jones [Glenavon] – 517 goals
The Northern Irish striker spent over 10 years at his hometown club Glenavon, where he scored a massive 517 goals. In the 1956/57 season, he scored 74 goals (in all competitions) for the club – which is still the highest recorded number of goals scored in a single campaign till date.
- Jimmy McGrory [Celtic] – 522 goals
McGrory is a Celtic and Scotland legend who scored 522 goals over his 15-year spell with The Bhoys. He yet holds a British record of most hat-tricks in topflight football with a huge 55!
- Josef Bican [Slavia Prague] – 534 goals
You cannot wholly talk Czech football history with mentioning Bican. The Austrian-Czech striker scored 534 goals over the course of his 11-year spell at Slavia Prague. He was indeed the best in his time – during the World War II period – while many of his rivals were in the battlefields.
- Fernando Peyroteo [Sporting Lisbon] – 544 goals
Eusebio and Cristiano Ronaldo are more familiar names but Peyroteo is arguably the greatest Portuguese goalscorer of all time. The Sporting Lisbon legend, who played his entire senior career for the side, scored an astonishing 544 goals in just 334 competitive games for the Green and Whites.
- Gerd Müller [Bayern Munich] – 566 goals
The Bayern Munich legend is one of the very best finishers the world has ever known. With a huge 566 goals over his 15-year spell at the German club, Müller holds the seemingly unbeatable record of most goals by a player for the Bavarians. He also has some Bundesliga goal records where are yet unbroken: 40 goals in a single season (1971/72), and the 365 goals in 427 league games which earns him top spot on the all-time scorers chart.
- Pele [Santos] – 643 goals
Pele is regarded as one of the greatest in the sport. Of course, a player who, in no small measure, contributed to three World Cup successes for his country deserves the GOAT shout. But his commitment and great contribution in elevating the Brazilian league amazes one the more. Pele played for Santos for good 18 years and bagged 643 goals. He yet holds the record of most goals scored in a single campaign of the Campeonato Paulista with 58 goals.
- Lionel Messi [Barcelona] – 643 goals
Messi needs no long introduction. He broke into Barça’s first team in 2004 and has since then not looked back. So far, he has scored 643 goals in 747 appearances for the Blaugranes. He holds the record for the most goals in a calendar year with a massive 91! With 450 LaLiga goals, he is the competition’s leading scorer of all-time. His 50-goal league tally (2011/12) also stands unbroken.