Top scorers in 2023: Haaland v Kane now a battle for the ages
Erling Haaland has scored 42 goals in 2023 and that just keeps him clear of Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe and co.
Mbappe led the 2022 top goalscorers list by six goals from the old man Robert Lewandowski at Barcelona. But he could not win France the World Cup, the daft fraud.
The criteria: All club goals in all competitions for clubs in Europe’s top 10 leagues.
10) Lois Openda – RB Leipzig (25 goals)
Behind Harry Kane and this season’s sensation Serhou Guirassy in the Bundesliga scoring charts comes Openda, who ended last season like a train and has carried that form into this season, throwing a couple of Champions League goals in for good measure.
9) Mo Salah – Liverpool (26 goals)
It’s only a goal every 135 minutes for Salah. But 10 goals in 12 games is not bad for a 31-year-old whose best years are supposedly behind him.
8) Victor Osimhen – Napoli (27 goals)
Scored the title-clinching equaliser against Udinese, then one more for good measure in the procession of a win over Fiorentina, before confirming the Serie A Golden Boot with a late flourish. Napoli should have sold him then because they have now massively p***ed him off. Though he did react by scoring his first goal in a month v Udinese, then Lecce and Fiorentina.
7) Luuk de Jong – PSV (30 goals)
Nearly a decade on from a seriously poor Newcastle spell, De Jong is in the form of his life for PSV. He has scored 17 goals already this season and has taken his side to the brink of a Champions League knock-out place.
6) Santiago Gimenez – Feyenoord (32 goals)
After ending last season like a train, the Mexican has carried his form into this campaign with 15 goals, including a hat-trick v Ajax and a brace v Lazio in the Champions League. No wonder Arsenal are interested.
5) Lautaro Martinez – Inter Milan (34 goals)
There was disappointment in the Champions League final but Martinez put together his third 20-goal Inter season, and the most prolific campaign of his entire career thus far. He has already reached 14 goals this season as Inter have been pretty imperious in both Italy and Europe.
4) Mauro Icardi – Galatasaray (34 goals)
Galatasaray have made Icardi’s loan move from PSG permanent after an excellent season which powered the Lions to the Turkish title and he has already scored 15 goals this season, including one to beat Manchester United.
3) Kylian Mbappe – PSG (36 goals)
No goals in defeats to Bayern Munich, Rennes, Lyon or Nice kept him well off the pace in 2023, though 10 goals in the last eight Ligue Un games put the bully back on a flat track. Finished the Ligue Un season as champion and top scorer. After a summer of drama, he has scored 15 goals in 15 games, including a hat-trick v Stade Reims.
2) Harry Kane – Spurs/Bayern Munich (39 goals)
The fraudulent one-season wonder produced a 30-goal Premier League campaign for that Tottenham team. Is he actually… good? His stats last season were ridiculous. And he is casually scoring a whole raft of goals for Bayern, including an absurd Puskas contender from inside his own half in a hat-trick against Darmstadt. Casually followed that up with another hat-trick against Borussia Dortmund. That’s already three Bundesliga hat-tricks in just 10 games. And four in four in the Champions League.
1) Erling Haaland – Manchester City (42 goals)
A 52-goal debut campaign. His first season in the Premier League was ridiculous from Haaland and his second started with a drought-ending brace against Burnley and a strike v Sheffield United before a hat-trick to demolish Fulham. There’s been a lot of nonsense talk about him being off form but he has still casually scored 17 goals so far this season, six times claiming at least two goals.
