The quarter-finals of Copa America 2021 are underway and the tournament is close to having it's recent champion. The Latin American giant Uruguay will face in-form Colombia in the third quarter-final at Estádio Nacional de BrasÃlia. Read the full Uruguay vs Colombia match preview and prediction on our special fantasy sports section.
Their only loss came against the group topper Argentina. However, they came back stronger as they managed to pull off wins against Bolivia with a 2-0 win. In the last match of the group stage, they defeated Paraguay by 1-0 margin to garb the second spot from group-A.
Uruguay Copa America form:L D W W
Uruguay form (all competitions):D L D W W
Colombia had started Copa America 2021 with a tag of the favourites. However, Reinaldo Rueda's men did not have the start they looked at during the group stages. A win against Ecuador (1-0) followed by a draw against Venezuela made them suffer a bit.
Uruguay vs Colombia: team news, head to head record and Probable starting xi
Uruguay
The best news for the Uruguayan fans is that there are no injury concerns for them. Ronald Araujo is expected to come back to the team after missing out in the group stages. Diego Godin is also expected to start the game along with their main man at the back, Jose Gimenez.
Luis Suarz will definietley start this match from the go. Luis Suarez was reduced to a substitute appearance in their last match. But the Atletico Madird star will surely be available from the whistle.
Another good news for them is that Cavani has scored in the last tow games in the Copa America. Therefore, Federico Valverde's role to pass it to Cavani and Suarez becomes most important in their clash against Colombia.
Uruguay possible starting lineup: Muslera; Nandez, Gimenez, Godin, Vina; Valverde, Bentancur; De Arrascaeta, De La Cruz; Cavani, Suarez
Colombia
The main concern for the Colombian team is that their drought of goals. The strikes who have been tried by Reinaldo Rueda have failed miserably. Duvan Zapata, Luis Muriel and Rafael Borre all have failed to find the back of the net in the Copa America till now. Their only goal from a striker was from Miguel Borja. Though his only goal has come from a penalty.
Yairo Moreno suffered a muscle injury against Ecuador and has since left the squad for treatment. Â Juan Cuadrado is also suspended for the Uruguay vs Colombia match.
Therefore, Everton star Yerry Mina and Tottenham Hotspur's Davinson Sanchez will have to do the most of the work in the defense if they have to win against the odds.
Having scored a brace against Villarreal in LaLiga last week, FC Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski solidified his position in the top 3 in the list of most goalscorers in Europe's top five leagues in the 21st century. Lewandowski has now scored 360 goals in the top five leagues while playing for Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga and for FC Barcelona in LaLiga.
This article will highlight 8 players who have scored the most goals in the 21st Century in Europe's top five leagues, which include the Premier League (England), LaLiga(Spain), Serie A (Italy), Bundesliga (Germany), and Ligue 1(France).
8. Luis Suarez | 245 Goals
Luis Suarez, famously known as El Pistelero is one of the greatest strikers this century has ever witnessed. The Uruguayan legend had played in two of the top 5 European leagues and left his golden mark engraved everywhere he played.
Suarez showed his attributes in LaLiga for FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, whereas he played for Liverpool FC in the Premier League. He sits in the 8th position on this particular list with 245 goals by his name.
Suarez scored 69 Premier League goals for Liverpool FC in 110 appearances. He played for three years in Liverpool before Barcelona took him in in 2014. Suarez continued to display his bossing presence on the pitch as he scored 144 goals for Barcelona in 191 Laliga appearances over six years.
A dispute with FC Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman in 2020 led him to join their rivals in La Liga, Atletico Madrid. Suarez played in 67 Laliga matches for Atletico and scored 32 goals before leaving Europe in 2022.
Leagues
Clubs
Appearances
Goals
Premier League
Liverpool FC
110
69
LaLiga
FC Barcelona
191
144
LaLiga
Atletico Madrid
67
32
7. Sergio Aguero | 259 Goals
Sergio 'Kun' Aguero is one of the best strikers that Argentina has ever produced and undoubtedly the greatest striker in Manchester City's history. His league-winning goal against QPR handed Man City their third Premier League title in 2012 and his goal remains one of the most iconic moments in football history. Aguero is 7th on this list with 259 goals in total.
Though he is mostly remembered for his achievements with Manchester City, it was Atletico Madrid that brought Aguero to European top-flights in 2006. Spending 5 years in LaLiga, Aguero scored 74 goals in 175 appearances for Atletico.
Then he moved to the Premier League to join Manchester City in 2011 and the following season he scored that iconic goal in the final matchday. Before moving back to LaLiga with Barcelona in 2021, Aguero already had scored 184 Premier Goals for City in 275 appearances.
This legendary striker had to decide to retire in December 2021 because of a rare heart condition and could only play 4 matches for FC Barcelona before his retirement and managed to score only 1 goal.
Leagues
Clubs
Appearances
Goals
LaLiga
Atletico Madrid
175
74
Premier League
Manchester City
275
184
LaLiga
FC Barcelona
4
1
6. Edinson Cavani | 267 Goals
Another Uruguayan striker, Edinson Cavani is on the list and holds the 6th position. Cavani spent a significant amount of time playing for Paris Saint-Germain in the Ligue1. Cavani had also played for a long time for Palermo and Napoli in Serie A. He also had short stints at Premier League club Manchester United and LaLiga club Valencia.
Cavani moved to Europe to play for Palermo in Serie A in 2007. Though having scored 34 goals in 109 appearances he was loaned to Napoli in 2010. Napoli signed him permanently after the loan agreement ended in 2011.
Cavani spent two years at Napoli scoring 78 goals in 104 Serie A appearances. His spell at Paris SG is often underappreciated though he showed his best goalscoring prowess for them, with 138 Ligue1 goals in 200 appearances by his name.
Cavani joined Manchester United in 2020 and before leaving in 2022, he had 12 Premier League goals in 41 appearances. His last stint in Europe was in LaLiga as Valencia signed him in 2022 on a free transfer and he left Europe after just one year in Spain.
Leagues
Clubs
Appearances
Goals
Serie A
Palermo
109
34
Serie A
Napoli
104
78
Ligue1
Paris Saint-Germain
200
138
Premier League
Manchester United
41
12
LaLiga
Valencia CF
25
5
5. Karim Benzema | 281 Goals
Karim Benzema was a name that was always mentioned after Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale during their time together at Real Madrid. But after Cristiano's departure, Benzema managed to unveil his potential and showcased his absolute brilliance for Real Madrid. Most importantly, Benzema won Ballon D'or in 2022 for his monstrous performance in the Real Madrid shirt in the LaLiga and the UEFA Champions League.
Having spent more than a decade in Real Madrid, he scored 238 goals in 439 LaLiga appearances. Before joining Real Madrid in 2009, he spent 4 years at Olympique Lyonnais where he scored 43 goals in 112 Ligue1 appearances. Benzema left Real Madrid and Europe in 2023. He is 5th in the list with 281 goals in total.
Leagues
Clubs
Appearances
Goals
Ligue1
Olympique Lyonnais
112
43
LaLiga
Real Madrid
439
238
4. Zlatan Ibrahimovic | 302 Goals
No other player in this list has had the pride of playing for six top European clubs in the top five European Leagues but we have always witnessed that Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a different breed. His famous arrogance also reflected on the pitch. This Swedish striker had appeared in the Premier League, LaLiga, Ligue1, and Serie A and played for AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, Manchester United, FC Barcelona, and Paris Saint-Germain.
Ibrahimovic's career was nothing short of a roller-coaster ride. He joined Serie A side Juventus from Ajax in 2004. After two years He joined another Serie A side, Inter Milan. After spending three years at Inter, Zlatan left Italy and signed for the Spanish club FC Barcelona.
However, his time in Barcelona was not very special as he was loaned back to Italy, and the other side of Milan welcomed him this time. He spent a year on loan in AC Milan and they permanently signed him in 2011. But his expedition continued as he signed for Paris Saint-Germain in 2012. Zlatan left Paris in 2016 and went to test himself in the Premier League with Manchester United signing him. But in 2018, his sudden move to the USA to play for Los Angeles Galaxy shocked everyone.
Zlatan came back to Europe again in 2020 and spent the last three years of his illustrated career at AC Milan. During his long exploration of 18 years in the top five European leagues, he collected 302 goals in total and now stands 4th in this list.
Leagues
Clubs
Appearances
Goals
Serie A
Inter Milan
88
57
Serie A
Juventus
70
25
Serie A
AC Milan
125
76
LaLiga
FC Barcelona
29
16
Ligue1
Paris Saint-Germain
122
113
Premier League
Manchester United
33
17
3. Robert Lewandowski | 360 Goals*
The Polish Goal-machine Robert Lewandowski is the only active player in this list who is playing in a European top-flight league. The current Barcelona forward spent most of his career in the Bundesliga playing for Borussia Dortmund and mostly for Bayern Munich. Lewandowski achieved many triumphs with Bayern Munich and broke many individual and league records. He also won the Sextuple with Bayern in 2020.
Lewandowski came to the Bundesliga in 2010 to play for Borussia Dortmund and during his 4-year stint at Dortmund, he scored 74 goals in 131 Bundesliga appearances. He joined Dortmund's arch-rival Bayern in 2014 and spent eight long years for the Bavarians. He registered 238 goals in 253 Bundesliga appearances for Bayern.
Lewandowski joined FC Barcelona in 2022 and currently plays for them and has already scored 48 goals for the Blaugranas in 75 LaLiga appearances. With a total of 360 goals, he stands in the 3rd position and is the only active player from this list who is playing in Europe.
Leagues
Clubs
Appearances
Goals
Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund
131
74
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich
253
238
LaLiga
FC Barcelona
75
48
2. Cristiano Ronaldo | 495 Goals
Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably the greatest player of all-time alongside Lionel Messi and without a doubt, he is one of those few clutch players who can change a game in seconds. The 'CR7' is considered the greatest goalscorer ever because of his immense talent and most effective goalscoring prowess. The Portuguese bossed in three top European Leagues for nearly two decades while playing for Juventus, Manchester United, and mostly for the club that is almost synonymous with him, Real Madrid.
Ronaldo holds many individual and club records and is considered one of the greatest players in Real Madrid's history. Alex Ferguson brought him to Manchester United in 2003 and at a very young age. Ferguson nurtured Ronaldo and turned him into one of the most dependable players of Manchester United at that time. He scored 84 goals in 196 Premier League appearances before signing for Real Madrid in 2009.
His chapter in Real Madrid lasted a decade but carved a story that would impress people from all over the world. Ronaldo scored 311 goals in 292 appearances in LaLiga.
In 2018, Ronaldo moved to Italy to play for Juventus and registered 81 goals in 98 Serie A appearances. In 2021, he came back to his younghood club Manchester United but it did not go as he wished.
Ronaldo left the club in 2022 after a contract termination but with 19 goals in 40 PL appearances in his second spell in England. Ronaldo left Europe in 2023. He scored 495 goals in total and stands 2nd on the list.
Leagues
Clubs
Appearances
Goals
Premier League
Manchester United
236
103
LaLiga
Real Madrid
292
311
Serie A
Juventus
98
81
1. Lionel Messi | 496 Goals
Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest footballer of all-time and a phenomenon that has impressed generations. The 'LM10' is considered the greatest because of his immaculate skills and literally everything he does on the pitch. Messi is undoubtedly the greatest player to ever grace Barcelona's crest as well. Messi played in LaLiga for FC Barcelona for almost two decades and has taken possession of many personal records and accolades. Messi also played for Paris Saint-Germain in the Ligue1.
The greatest La Masia graduate was promoted to the senior Barcelona team in 2005. He lived every minute on the pitch and gave his blood and sweat to Barcelona for nearly two decades. During this long journey, Messi made 520 LaLiga appearances and scored 474 goals.
Messi joined PSG in 2021 over a dispute over his contract renewal with FC Barcelona and played two years for them. Before leaving PSG and Europe in 2023, he scored 22 goals for the French team in 58 Ligue1 appearances. Lionel Messi tops the list of the highest goalscorers in the top five leagues in the 21st century.
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Football facts: Most Premier League goals after 100 games
In our latest article on football facts, we'll see the top ten players with the most Premier League goals after 100 games. Blackburn and Newcastle legend Alan Shearer is at the top of the list.
The hype around theEnglish Premier Leagueis unreal. The players become legends with great performances in Europe's top league. Scoring goals is considered the most glamorous skill in football. Those who consistently find the back of the net can earn legendary status in the game. Just like Alan Shearer has done for Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United. So in our latest article on football facts, we'll have a look at the players with the most number of Premier League goals in their first 100 games.
Football facts: Most Premier League goals after 100 games
1. Alan Shearer - 79 goals (Blackburn Rovers)
Alan Shearer was a top striker in terms of scoring goals. He is still leading the top-scoring chart of Premier League by over 50 goals which shows how lethal a finisher Shearer was. In his four Premier League seasons with Blackburn, he scored 30-plus goals on three occasions. Alan scored 79 goals in his first 100 games at the Premier League. Before joining Newcastle, the English forward smashed 112 goals for Blackburn in 138 appearances.
2. Ruud van Nistelrooy - 68 goals (Manchester United)
The former Dutch lethal striker Ruud van Nistelrooy is second in this list. He has scored 95 goals in his Premier League career after featuring in 150 games. The Manchester United legend struck 150 goals for the Red Devils in 219 appearances before joining the Spanish giant Real Madrid in 2006/07. The current assistant manager of Manchester United netted 68 times in his first 100 Premier League appearances.
3. Sergio Aguero - 64 goals (Manchester City)
The former Argentine striker Sergio Aguerois fourth on this list with 64 goals to his name. He played a huge role in the transformation of Manchester City. Aguero scored 20 or more Premier League goals in six of his 10 seasons at the club. The Argentine comes fifth in the list of the highest goalscorers in the English top-division football league. Aguero netted 64 times for City in his first 100 appearances in the league.
4. Andy Cole - 63 goals (Newcastle & Manchester United)
Andrew Cole was a brilliant striker of his time. Cole scored 34 goals for Newcastle in his first Premier League season. He couldn't continue that same stats in the next two seasons due to injury which is one of the biggest reasons why he is fifth on this list. He could only manage to score 63 goals in his first 100 Premier League appearances. Cole played for 7 English Clubs throughout his career and scored a total of 187 goals in 415 appearances.
5. Fernando Torres - 63 goals (Liverpool)
The former Liverpool striker Fernando Torres comes fifth in this list. He had a sensational start to his career in the Premier League as the Spaniard netted 24 times in 33 games in the 2007/08 season. He became one of the most crucial players for the Reds and continued his good goal-scoring record in the English top division. He managed to score 63 goals in his first 100 Premier League appearances before joining Chelsea in the 2010/11 season.
6. Robbie Fowler - 62 goals (Liverpool)
Robbie Fowler comes sixth on this list with 62 goals to his name. He started his career in Liverpool and netted a total of 162 goals in 379 appearances in the Premier League. His best season came in the 1994/95 season when he netted 25 times in the English top division after making 42 appearances. He joined Leeds and Manchester City before returning to Liverpool once again in the 2005/06 season.
7. Luis Suarez - 62 goals (Liverpool)
Luis Suarezwas a beast at Liverpool. The Uruguayan forward joined the Reds in the 2010/11 season and became a very important asset for them. Suarez struck 69 goals in the Premier League and 82 goals in all competitions for Liverpool before joining Barcelona in the 2014/15 season. He struck 31 times in 33 games in his last season for the Reds in the Premier League.
Unfortunately, Liverpool fell two points short of Manchester City in the title chase. He single-handedly carried the Reds to victory in several crucial games. He was named PFA Player of the Year and Premier League Player of the Season.
8. Thierry Henry - 59 goals (Arsenal)
Henrywas a special player and he proved that again and again by his magical performances. The French forward joined Arsenal in the 1999/00 season and left for Barcelona in 2007/08 with 228 goals and 98 assists to show in his CV for the Gunners. Henry scored 175 goals and provided 75 assists in 258 Premier League appearances. He could have easily gotten past Alan Shearer in the most goals in Premier League record if he had stayed at Arsenal for another 3 years minimum.
9. Harry Kane - 59 goals (Tottenham Hotspur)
Harry Kaneis one of 34 players to have scored 100 or more Premier League goals, but one of only three to have netted over 200. Kane leads the chart for players to have scored the most goals for a single club too, topping the list ahead of Sergio Aguero (184 goals for Manchester City) and Rooney (183 goals for Manchester United).
Kane left for Bayern scoring 213 goals in 320 appearances in the Premier League. He took his time at first as he could score only 59 goals in his first 100 appearances for Spurs but soon excelled and took his tally to 200+.
10. Ian Wright - 56 goals (Arsenal)
Ian Wright was a lethal goal scorer in his time. The British striker started his career at Crystal Palace but joined the Gunners in the 91/92 season. In his 7-year tenure at Arsenal, Wright scored 180 goals in all competitions. Out of those 180 goals, 113 were in the Premier League. He scored 56 goals in his first 100 Premier League appearances and took it to 100+ in 213 matches. After leaving Arsenal, he went to West Ham, Burnley, Nottingham Forest, and ultimately Celtic.
Most goals in a Premier League season - Erling Haaland leads the list
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland holds the record of scoring the most goals in a Premier League season. It's time we look at the list before the arrival of the Premier League 2024-25 season.
There's always been hype about theEnglish Premier Leagueand its competitiveness. The players can become legends with great performances in Europe's top league. Scoring goals is considered the most glamorous skill in football. Those who consistently find the back of the net can earn legendary status in the game. So, it's time we look at the top players who have scored the most goals in a single Premier League season.
Erling Haaland broke the record for most goals in a Premier League season in his first season at Manchester City. He scored 35 times in just 31 games and won the Golden Boot award in his debut season with the club. He scored five hat-tricks in the League and played a key role in winning the treble.
Andy Cole (Newcastle United) - 34 goals, 1993-94
Andy Cole comes second in terms of scoring the most goals in a Premier League season. In the second edition of the revamped Premier League (1993-94), Cole smashed 34 goals for the Magpies in 40 matches, and none of those goals that season were penalties. He finished the season with 41 goals in 45 matches across all competitions.
Alan Shearer (Blackburn Rovers) - 34 goals, 1994-95
Premier League’s all-time leading goal-scorer, Alan Shearer led Blackburn Rovers’ fairytale title run in 1994-95, the only PL medal he won in his career. He scored 34 goals in 42 matches, including two hat-tricks against Ipswich Town and Queens Park Rangers. Later he joined Newcastle and became the best striker in the history of the Premier League.
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) - 32 goals, 2017-18
Salah, the Egyptian maestro surpassed Luis Suarez and Cristiano Ronaldo’s tally of 31 goals in his debut campaign with Liverpool. Salah joined Liverpool for £37m which was a club record fee back then. On the final day of the season, Salah scored his 32nd goal against Brighton in a huge 4-0 win for Liverpool. He is still one of the best wingers in the world and the best in the Premier League. He has won the Premier League Golden Boot three times in his career.
Luis Suarez (Liverpool) - 31 goals, 2013-14
Luis Suarez, another Liverpool legend is on this list. In the 2013-14 season for the Reds, Suarez smashed 31 goals. Unfortunately, Liverpool fell two points short of Manchester City in the title chase. He single-handedly carried the Reds to victory in several crucial games. He was named PFA Player of the Year and Premier League Player of the Season.
Copa America 2024 Semi-finals schedule, fixture and streaming details
World Champions Argentina will face Canada on 10th July while Uruguay will face Colombia on 11th July in the Copa America 2024 semi-finals. The winner of these two semis will play the Final on 15th July.
Argentina, Canada, Uruguay, and Colombia qualified for the semi-finals of the Copa America 2024after some high-voltage action and dramas in the quarter-finals.
Argentina beat Ecuador 4-2 on Penalties to book their spot in the semi-final of the 2024 Copa America. Unfortunately, Lionel Messi missed the spot kick but shot-stopper Emiliano Martinez became the saviour and took his side further. Canada too beat Venezuela on penalties (4-3). The first match of the Copa America 2024 campaign was played between Argentina and Canada and now they are set to face each other once again in the semi-finals.
Colombia showed no mercy and thrashed their opponent Panama by 5-0 in the third quarter-final match. James Rodriguez and Luis Diaz were on the scoresheet as Panama could create nothing. Colombia took only 7 shots and 5 of those were on target which ultimately resulted in goals. They are playing clinical football at the moment and are now set to face Bielsa's high-flying Uruguay in the second semi-final.
Uruguay reached the semis after defeating Brazil by 4-2 on penalties. Eder Militao and Douglas Luiz missed the penalties in the shootout for Brazil while Jose Gimenez missed for Uruguay. Marcelo Bielsa's side will now face Colombia which is going to be a quality football match.