In a surprising revelation, Manchester City’s Erling Haaland has topped the list for the best goals-per-game ratio in the 21st century, surpassing football legends Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Is this really the end of an era?
Messi and Ronaldo have dominated football for over two decades, amassing a combined 13 Ballon d’Ors and breaking countless records along the way.
Messi, who rose through the ranks at Barcelona claimed nine La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies before moving to Inter Miami after a brief stint with PSG.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo has enjoyed success across multiple leagues with notable achievements at Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, and currently at Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
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Haaland impressive career start compared with Messi and Ronaldo
Despite Messi’s impressive 0.78 goals-per-game ratio, netting 838 times in 1069 matches and Ronaldo’s 0.73 ratio with 987 goals in 1233 games it is Haaland who leads the pack.
The 23-year-old Norwegian striker boasts an astonishing 0.82 goals-per-game ratio, scoring 257 goals in just 315 professional matches.
This feat places Haaland ahead of other notable scorers including Robert Lewandowski and Kylian Mbappe. Lewandowski, who is now at Barcelona, has a ratio of 0.70 with 654 goals in 928 games, while Real Madrid’s Mbappe follows closely with a 0.72 ratio from 332 goals in 462 matches.
As Haaland continues his career, his goal-scoring prowess shows no signs of slowing down suggesting his already impressive ratio might climb even higher in the coming years.