Who will be the top scorer of 2025?

Even though Kylian Mbappé hasn’t contributed significantly to team successes this year, he has consistently scored goals throughout 2025. As a result, he is now on track to become the top scorer of the year, with a total of 60 goals so far across club and national team matches.
 

Focusing on his club performance first: playing for Real Madrid, Mbappé has scored 53 goals in 54 matches this year, 23 of which have come in the current season. Remarkably, 56% of Real Madrid’s total goals this season (41 goals) have been scored by him. In the 2024 calendar year, Mbappé scored 53 goals. For the French national team, he has added 7 goals in 2025.
 

Mbappé still has opportunities to increase his tally. Before the year ends, he is scheduled to play five more matches for his club in December. If he scores at least seven goals in these matches, he could reach 60 goals in a single calendar year for his club, moving into second place in the 21st-century records for goals scored in one calendar year. Cristiano Ronaldo currently holds that spot with 59 goals, so Mbappé would surpass him.
 

However, topping this list seems unlikely for now. Lionel Messi holds the record with 79 goals in a single calendar year. To surpass Messi, Mbappé would need to score 27 goals in these remaining five matches=an almost impossible task. Even so, moving past Ronaldo to second place would be a remarkable achievement.
 

Among other top scorers this year, Harry Kane is 11 goals behind Mbappé with 42 goals, including 9 for his national team. Erling Haaland has a combined total of 48 goals for club and country, making it difficult for them to catch up to Mbappé.
 

Considering goals for both club and national team, Mbappé’s 60-goal tally in 2025 places him alongside Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Robert Lewandowski in the 21st century for players who have scored 60 or more goals in a calendar year. He still has the chance to climb higher on the list.
 

For reference, Messi scored 91 goals in 2012, topping the list, followed by Gerd Müller with 85 and Pelé with 75. If Mbappé scores at least 15 goals in his remaining five matches, he could match Pelé’s record. Even scoring 10 goals would allow him to surpass Ronaldo and Lewandowski, making 2025 a record-breaking year for the French star.