Football facts: Longest goal-scoring streak in consecutive league games

Numerous goal-scoring records were made by some world-class players and broken as well. One such record is scoring in consecutive league games. Lionel Messi scored in 21 consecutive La Liga matches in the 2012-13 season and still holds the record of keeping the longest goal-scoring streak in any European league. No other footballer in world football has ever come close to breaking this sensational record and it is safe to say that none will be for at least five or six years. In our latest article on football facts, we bring you a list of seven players who hold the record of keeping the longest goal-scoring streak in consecutive league games. 

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Football facts: Longest goal-scoring streak in consecutive league games

1. Lionel Messi - 21 games - 2012/13 for FC Barcelona in La Liga

Lionel Messi broke the records of Josef Bican, Gerd Muller, and Toeder Peterek in the 2012/13 season, scoring in 21 consecutive La Liga games. During those 21 games, he scored 33 goals, which is a record in itself. Messi scored 46 league goals that season in 32 appearances and provided 12 assists. He missed three games between that run due to a hamstring injury but came back and continued his riot. Messi even scored four goals against Osasuna in January 2013. The run continued until May, and it ended when he failed to score against Atletico Madrid. It is an unbelievable record and he is still top of this list even after 11 years which proves how great of a player the world football has witnessed.

2. Josef Bican - 16 games - 1939/40 for SK Slavia Prague in Czech First League

Bican is widely regarded as the greatest goalscorer in the history of the sport. He is also the greatest player to have ever pulled on the Austrian international jersey. Later on, he applied for Czech citizenship when he started to play for Slavia Prague. The legendary striker Josef Bican established the longest goal-scoring streak record during the season 1939-40 playing for Slavia Prague in the Gauliga Bohemia and Moravia (Czech league under the German occupation during World War II). He matched Toeder's record, scoring in 16 consecutive league games for Slavia Prague. He also scored 5 back-to-back hattricks in the league which is a separate record in itself. 

3. Gerd Muller - 16 games - 1969/70 for FC Bayern Munich in Bundesliga

The Bayern Munich legend Gerd Muller was the greatest goal-scorer of his time. He scored in 16 consecutive Bundesliga games during the 1969/70 season. After he scored in eight consecutive games, he was out of the squad for a week. But, he returned and scored in another eight consecutive matches to create history. He ended the season, scoring 38 goals in 33 appearances and providing 9 assists.

4. Toeder Peterek - 16 games - 1937/38 for Ruch Chorzow in Ekstraklasa

Toeder Peterek made history during the 1937/38 season when he was with Ruch Chorzow, as he scored in 16 matches in a row. Then Josef Bican went on to match the record in the 1939/40 season. Toeder is regarded as a very ambitious, success-oriented player, who would never give up. Peterek's 16-game goal-scoring streak remained a record until Lionel Messi broke it by a huge margin during the 2012/13 season. 

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5. Robert lewandowski - 15 games - 2020/21 for FC Bayern Munich in Bundesliga

The world-class Polish striker scored 48 goals in all competitions during the 2020/21 season and 41 of those came only in the Bundesliga. He scored in 15 consecutive league games and ended the season on high, winning the league title with his side. Robert Lewandowski was on fire in the 2020-21 Bundesliga season and he broke Gerd Muller’s record of 40 goals. The Polish striker scored those 41 Bundesliga goals in just 29 appearances. Lewa scored a hat-trick against Borussia Dortmund and finished the season with 4 hat-tricks.

6. Tor Henning Hamre - 15 games - 2003 for FC Flora in Meistriliiga

The Norwegian scored in 15 consecutive league matches during the 2003 season with FC Flora. Hamre scored 21 goals in 15 games without taking a break and etched his name in the history books. He even scored 7 goals during his side’s 17-0 win over Kuressaare. He ended the season with an impressive 39 goals and won the Meistriliiga top scorer award, and he was even in contention for the ESM Golden Boot. There is no doubt why he is on this list.

7. Stan Mortensen - 15 games - 1950/51 for Blackpool FC in English Football League Division One

During the 1950/51 season, the Blackpool legend Stan Mortensen scored in 15 consecutive First Division matches. He missed two matches through injury in the middle of that but came back to continue the streak. Stan's best goal-scoring season in front of goal came in 1950/51. He netted 35 times in all competitions, finishing top goalscorer in the English First Division as Blackpool finished third in the table. He also holds the record of the first Englishman to score at a World Cup when he scored against Chile in 1950.