The 2020s have produced some of the most impressive scoring numbers European football has seen. Strikers across the continent have kept defenders busy week after week.
This list ranks 15 forwards by their goal totals for club and country so far this decade. Totals are approximate and can change as new matches are played.
1. Kylian Mbappé: 185 goals
Speed has always been the calling card of Kylian Mbappé, and the goal totals show how dangerous it can be. He leads this list with 185 goals, a mark built at Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and for France.
Mbappé reached the world stage as a teenager and kept climbing. He scored a hat trick in the 2022 World Cup final, a rare feat in any era.
Few players have ever done that on football’s biggest night.
Fun fact: he grew up in a suburb of Paris called Bondy, a place known for producing top young talent. His burst of pace over short distances lets him beat defenders before they can react.
Add calm finishing with either foot, and goalkeepers rarely get an easy afternoon against him.
His consistency across several seasons is what earns him the top spot here.
2. Erling Haaland: 183 goals
Some strikers seem built in a lab for scoring, and Erling Haaland fits that picture. His 183 goals place him just two behind the leader, and he got there with remarkable pace of output.
He started the decade at Red Bull Salzburg, moved to Borussia Dortmund, and then joined Manchester City. In his first Premier League season he set a record with 36 league goals in a single campaign.
Standing around 6 feet 4 inches, Haaland mixes size with surprising speed. He attacks the space between defenders and finishes with power from close range.
His father, Alf-Inge, also played in the Premier League, so football runs in the family. Haaland keeps scoring at a rate that few players have matched, which makes him a strong challenger for the top spot.
3. Harry Kane: 179 goals
Ask any coach about a complete striker, and Harry Kane is likely to come up. His 179 goals this decade came for Tottenham Hotspur, Bayern Munich and England.
Kane is more than a finisher. He drops deep, spots passes that others miss, and then still arrives in the box to score.
That mix of skills keeps his totals high year after year.
After leaving Tottenham in 2023, he joined Bayern Munich and scored 44 goals in all competitions in his first season. He also became England’s all-time record goalscorer.
Penalties have helped his numbers, but plenty of his goals come from long shots and clever headers. Reliable and steady, Kane has stayed near the top of scoring charts for more than ten years.
4. Robert Lewandowski: 174 goals
Age is only a number for Robert Lewandowski. Now in his late thirties, he has still piled up 174 goals during the 2020s.
His peak came at Bayern Munich, where he scored 41 Bundesliga goals in the 2020-21 season. That broke a record that had stood since the 1970s.
He later moved to Barcelona and kept scoring in Spain.
What sets him apart is his positioning. Lewandowski seems to know where the ball will land before anyone else does.
He finishes well with both feet and his head.
He also trains with a strict focus on diet and fitness, which helps him last longer than most strikers. As Poland’s captain and record scorer, he remains a model of steady, professional excellence.
5. Mohamed Salah: 128 goals
Cutting in from the right wing and curling a shot into the far corner has become a trademark for Mohamed Salah. That move has helped him reach 128 goals this decade.
Salah plays for Liverpool, where he has won the Premier League and the Champions League. He has also claimed several Golden Boots as the league’s top scorer.
Unlike many on this list, he is not a traditional center forward. He starts wide, yet still outscores most strikers in Europe.
That says a lot about his sharp finishing and smart movement.
Back home in Egypt, he is a national hero, and fans often call him the Egyptian King. His work rate and steady output keep Liverpool in the title race season after season.
6. Lautaro Martínez: 122 goals
Called El Toro, the Bull, Lautaro Martínez earned that nickname through relentless pressing and strong finishing. He has 122 goals this decade, mostly for Inter Milan.
Martínez led Inter to a Serie A title and to the 2023 Champions League final. He also became captain, which shows how much the club trusts him.
On the international stage, he helped Argentina win the 2022 World Cup and the Copa America in 2021 and 2024. He scored the winning goal in the 2024 Copa America final.
Compact and quick, he links well with teammates and holds the ball under pressure. His ability to score in big matches has made him one of Italy’s most respected forwards.
7. Serhou Guirassy: 103 goals
Not every star arrives on the scene early. Serhou Guirassy took a winding path before he became one of Europe’s most feared finishers, and he now has 103 goals this decade.
His big breakthrough came at VfB Stuttgart, where he scored 28 Bundesliga goals in the 2023-24 season. That form earned him a move to Borussia Dortmund.
Guirassy is strong, good in the air, and calm when one-on-one with a goalkeeper. He also represents Guinea, where he is a leading figure for the national team.
His story shows that patience pays off. Years of steady work at several clubs prepared him for a late surge that put him among the continent’s top scorers.
8. Jonathan David: 96 goals
Born in Brooklyn, raised in Ottawa, and now a goal machine in Europe, Jonathan David has an international story. He has scored 96 goals in the 2020s.
David first made his name at Gent in Belgium, then moved to Lille in France. There he hit double figures in league goals in several seasons and helped the club win Ligue 1 in 2021.
He is known for clever movement and cool finishing rather than raw power. Defenders often lose track of him until the ball is already in the net.
For Canada, he is the national team’s all-time leading scorer. His success has also helped raise the profile of football across North America.
9. Ante Budimir: 96 goals
Late bloomers deserve a spotlight, and Ante Budimir is a fine example. He has 96 goals this decade, many of them for Osasuna in Spain.
Budimir is big and strong, and he wins plenty of headers. Still, his game is not only about power.
He moves well in the box and finishes with both feet.
He turned 30 during the 2020s, an age when many forwards slow down. Instead, he scored 18 La Liga goals in the 2023-24 season and finished among the league’s top scorers.
His success has also earned him a place in Croatia’s national squad. Hard work, patience, and a steady scoring touch explain why he has climbed this list at an age when others fade.
10. Patrik Schick: 92 goals
Remember the goal from near the halfway line at Euro 2020? That was Patrik Schick, and it is still one of the tournament’s most talked-about strikes.
He has 92 goals this decade, mostly for Bayer Leverkusen and the Czech Republic. Schick scored 24 Bundesliga goals in the 2021-22 season, which made him the league’s second-best scorer that year.
He was also part of Leverkusen’s unbeaten league title run in 2023-24. That season was historic for the club and a proud moment for him.
Schick is tall and technically gifted. He can finish with his head, either foot, or from long distance.
His mix of skill and size keeps defenders guessing from the first minute.
11. Ollie Watkins: 91 goals
Few forwards run as hard as Ollie Watkins. His non-stop pressing and sharp finishing have produced 91 goals this decade.
Watkins joined Aston Villa in 2020 and has been a key figure ever since. He scored 27 goals in all competitions in 2023-24, helping the club return to the Champions League.
His path was not simple. He came through the lower leagues with Exeter City before reaching the top flight.
That journey gave him a work ethic coaches love.
For England, he scored a late winner against the Netherlands in the Euro 2024 semi-final. That moment turned him into a national hero.
He proves that determination can take a player a long way.
12. Alexander Isak: Approximately 86+ goals
Smooth is the best word for Alexander Isak. Despite being tall and slim, he glides past defenders as if the ball were glued to his boot.
He has roughly 86 or more goals this decade.
Isak rose to fame at Real Sociedad in Spain before moving to Newcastle United in 2022. In 2023-24 he scored 25 goals in all competitions for the club.
Calm finishing is his specialty. He often waits until the goalkeeper commits, then slots the ball into the opposite corner.
Sweden has long looked for a successor to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and many fans think Isak could be the one. His style is different, but his eye for goal is just as sharp.
13. Dušan Vlahović: Approximately 86+ goals
Power and a thunderous left foot define Dušan Vlahović. He has about 86 or more goals during the 2020s, and many of them came from strong, direct finishes.
He broke through at Fiorentina, scoring 21 Serie A goals in 2020-21 and 24 the next season before the club sold him to Juventus in early 2022. The move made him one of Italy’s most talked-about forwards.
At around 6 feet 3 inches, Vlahović is strong in the air and tough to push off the ball. Yet he also has a soft touch that surprises opponents.
Serbia relies on him as its main attacker. When he is fit and confident, he can take over a match with just one or two chances.
14. Wissam Ben Yedder: Approximately 80+ goals
Small in size but big in impact, Wissam Ben Yedder proved that height is not everything for a striker. He has about 80 or more goals this decade.
Most of them came for AS Monaco, where he became the club’s all-time leading scorer in Ligue 1 history among recent players. His quick thinking in the box often leaves bigger defenders a step behind.
Ben Yedder played earlier for Sevilla, where he learned to finish with precision under pressure. He also took penalties with great reliability.
He has played for France as well, though his best work has come in club football. A sharp instinct for rebounds and loose balls has been the secret behind his long run of success.
15. Alexandre Lacazette: Approximately 78+ goals
Few players have reinvented themselves like Alexandre Lacazette. After years in England with Arsenal, he returned to Olympique Lyonnais in 2022 and found his scoring touch again.
He has about 78 or more goals this decade.
In 2022-23 he scored 27 Ligue 1 goals, which put him among the top scorers in France. That season showed he still had plenty left to give.
Lacazette is a clever forward who links play well and finishes with either foot. He also takes set pieces and penalties with confidence.
Lyon fans appreciate his leadership, and he later wore the captain’s armband. His career shows how a change of scenery can bring back a player’s best form.
Share this story
