Manchester City forward Erling Haaland reached an elusive career milestone during City's crumbling 1-5 defeat against Arsenal on February 2nd, 2025.

The Norwegian goal-machine powered a header into the net to score City's only goal in the game, which took him to reach the milestone of 250 senior club goals.

Erling Haaland nets his 250th club career goal! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/0KxqUxpauA

— Sky Sports (@SkySports) February 2, 2025

The 24-year-old striker is now on par with the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who have named themselves as one of the fastest footballers to achieve such a feat.

However, where does the Norwegian striker find himself among the fastest players to achieve this impressive milestone? In this article, Sportz Point finds the answer by exploring the Top 5 Fastest players to score 250 career goals in the 21st century.

Top 5 Fastest players to score 250 career goals in the 21st century

5. Robert Lewandowski and Cristiano Ronaldo

Robert Lewandowski and Cristiano Ronaldo are both considered one of the finest goalscorers to ever play football, as their numbers surely back the statement.

Lewandowski, the current FC Barcelona forward, completed his milestone of 250 senior club goals while playing his 451st game in senior club football.

Before ascending to greatness with a long-standing career with Bayern Munich, Lewandowski played for Znicz Pruszcow, Lech Poznan, and Borussia Dortmund, accumulating a total of 165 goals while playing for these three clubs. As of now, Lewandowski has scored 598 goals in 803 appearances in his senior club career.

Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese great, is on the same par with Lewandowski as he also took 451 games to reach the 250-goal milestone.

Starting his senior career with Sporting CP, Ronaldo played for Manchester United before joining Real Madrid, where he completed the milestone and went on to etch himself as one of the greatest footballers ever born. The current Al-Nassr forward has a remarkable 780 club goals in 1037 games. 

4. Harry Kane

Harry Kane took 431 games to reach the 250-goal milestone in senior club football as he achieved this feat while playing for his beloved Tottenham Hotspur.

The current Bayern forward and England international spent some short loan stints at Norwich, Millwall, Leicester City, and Leyton Orient before permanently joining Tottenham in 2013. Since then, the 31-year-old forward has registered 366 goals in 572 appearances as of now, proving himself as one of the most lethal goalscorers of this generation.

3. Kylian Mbappe

Considered to be the footballer to inherit the legacies of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe only made 332 appearances to reach 250 senior club goals.

The French youngster broke the headlines while playing for AS Monaco, as he made a blockbuster move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017. Mbappe has already bagged 312 goals in just 417 games- a staggering figure for a 26-year-old player. 

Now that he is playing for Real Madrid, despite having a slow start, it can be surely said that the goalscoring milestones are not safe, as Kylian Mbappe will chase after those.

Read Also | Most Goals for Real Madrid in debut season: Can Mbappe beat Ronaldo's record?

2. Lionel Messi

Arguably the greatest of all time, Lionel Messi truly lived up to the hype as the ultimate wonder-kid by reaching the 250-goal mark in only 327 appearances.

Playing for FC Barcelona since his youth days, the Argentinian quickly established himself as a world-class player at a young age. At that point, he also bagged 100 assists along with his 250 goals. Messi not only emerged as one of the greatest footballers of this generation but also won the Ballon d’Or twice at that time. 

Currently donning the Inter Miami shirt, Messi has 738 senior club goals in 892 appearances to his name. 

1. Erling Haaland 

After scoring against Arsenal on Sunday, Erling Haaland registered his 250th goal in senior club football after making only 313 appearances for Bryne, Molde, Red Bull Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund, and Manchester City.

Haaland topping the chart with such all-time greats on the list is surprising but for the Norwegian goal-machine. Since joining City in the summer of 2022, Haaland has broken numerous records and received several personal honors, including two Premier League Golden Boots in both of his full campaigns to date.

With such an immense record at his disposal, no one knows where Erling Haaland will stop as the 24-year-old has a long career ahead of him, and he will surely continue to dominate the charts as one of the best goalscorers of this generation.

*Stats are accurate as of 3 February 2025.

The European Golden Boot or European Golden Shoe is awarded annually to the leading goal scorer in league matches in the top divisions of European football. First awarded in 1968, this prestigious honour is judged on a points-based system.

Also Read: Players with the most champions league titles

Golden Boot: Rules

The winner is not simply the player with the most goals in the season. There is a weighting system where the goals scored in the top-ranked leagues are worth more. Players from the five highest ranked leagues according to UEFA (based on results of each league's clubs in European competition over the previous five seasons) get 2 points per scored goal, leagues ranked 6-22 get 1.5 points per goal and the remaining leagues get 1 point per goal.

The top five ranked leagues in 2022 were Germany, Spain, England, Italy, and France. The winners usually come from the top-ranked leagues.

Historical Overview

Between 1968 and 1991, the award was given by L'Équipe to the highest goalscorer in any European league. Between 1991 and 1996 there were no official awards given to the top goal scorers, but the leading goalscorer for those years have since been recognized.

Since the 1996–97 season, the award, given by European Sports Media, has used a weighted points system.

Most Golden Boots win

Lionel Messi has won the European Golden Boot a record six times (2009-10, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19). The next closest is Cristiano Ronaldo with four (2007-08, 2010-11, 2013-14, 2014-15).

Let's take a look at the most Golden Boots win in football history.

Also Read: Manchester United Trophy Cabinet

Most Golden Boots win in football history (All Time)

1. Lionel Messi | 6 Times

2. Cristiano Ronaldo | 4 Times

3. Luis Suárez | 2 Times

4. Thierry Henry | 2 Times

5. Robert Lewandowski | 2 Times

The European leagues are up and running and we have already witnessed some great encounters between the top European teams. The hunt to win the European Golden Boot is also taking shape for the 2024-25 season.

Some big names from the Top five European leagues are already in full swing and they are scoring loads of goals to clinch the coveted annual award for the highest goalscorer in Europe. However, some young and talented players have enlisted themselves in the charts as well; even from outside of the top five European leagues.

According to the coefficient rankings updated by UEFA on 7 November 2024, the top five European Leagues are the English Premier League, Serie A (Italy), LaLiga (Spain), Bundesliga (Germany), and French Ligue 1 respectively. 

Sportzpoint brings you all the details about the leading goalscorers in the top five European leagues, details of the UEFA League ranking, and the leading goalscorers competing for the 2024-25 European Golden Boot.

The European Golden Boot Race

The Golden Boot is awarded by European Sports Media (ESM) which is a unified association of Football Magazine publications such as Marca, Kicker, La Gazzetta dello Sport, Frankfurter AZ, etc. They took over since 1996-97 season and started a new ranking system based on the position of the league for the respective players. 

The UEFA coefficient ranking is considered a measure for weighting points, with the principle being to acknowledge players who score in leagues of higher quality according to rankings, which makes it tougher to find the back of the net.

The number of goals scored in the top five leagues of Europe are counted with a multiplier of two, while those from leagues ranked six to 21 receive a 1.5 multiplier, and goals from all other leagues are counted as one.

This is how the points system works. 

⚽️🏆 Players with the Most European Golden Boot Wins:

🇦🇷 Lionel Messi: 6
🇵🇹 Cristiano Ronaldo: 4
🇺🇾 Luis Suarez: 2
🇫🇷 Thierry Henry: 2
🇵🇱 Robert Lewandowski: 2

😳😳😳🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/AObaXoSpah

— Sholy Nation Sports (@Sholynationsp) July 26, 2024

Before looking at the players' list, here is the official UEFA ranking of league coefficients:

UEFA Ranking: League coefficients

Rank 1-5

Goal scorers from these five leagues receive a multiplier of 2. 

Rank 6-21

Goal scorers from these leagues ranked from 6 to 21 receive a multiplier of 1.5. 

Top goalscorers of the 2024-25 season in the top 5 European Leagues (as of 24th May 2025):

Premier League | England

1. Mohamed Salah | 28 Goals

• Club: Liverpool FC
• Nationality: Egypt
• Appearances: 37
• Goals: 28

2. Alexander Isak | 23 goals

• Club: Newcastle United
• Nationality: Sweden
• Appearances: 33
• Goals: 23

3. Erling Haaland | 21 goals

• Club: Manchester City
• Nationality: Norway
• Appearances: 30
• Goals: 21

4. Chris Wood | 20 goals

• Club: Nottingham Forrest
• Nationality: New Zealand
• Appearances: 35
• Goals: 20

5. Bryan Mbeumo | 19 goals

• Club: Brentford
• Nationality: Cameroon
• Appearances: 37
• Goals: 19

Serie A | Italy

1. Mario Retegui | 25 goals 

• Club: Atalanta BC
• Nationality: Italy
• Appearances: 35
• Goals: 25

2. Moise Kean | 18 goals

• Club: AFC Fiorentina
• Nationality: Italy
• Appearances: 10
• Goals: 5

3. Ademola Lookman | 15 goals

• Club: Atalanta BC
• Nationality: Nigeria
• Appearances: 30
• Goals: 15

4. Romelo Lukaku | 14 goals

• Club: Napoli
• Nationality: Belgium
• Appearances: 36
• Goals: 14

5. Marcus Thuram | 14 goals 

• Club: Inter Milan
• Nationality: France
• Appearances: 32
• Goals: 14

LaLiga | Spain

1. Kylian Mbappe | 30 goals

• Club: Real Madrid
• Nationality: France
• Appearances: 34
• Goals: 30

2. Robert Lewandowski | 25 goals 

• Club: FC Barcelona
• Nationality: Poland
• Appearances: 33
• Goals: 25

3. Ante Budimir | 21 goals 

• Club: CA Osasuna
• Nationality: Croatia
• Appearances: 37
• Goals: 21

4. Ayoze Perez | 19 goals 

• Club: Villarreal
• Nationality: Spain
• Appearances: 30
• Goals: 19

5. Raphinha | 18 goals

• Club: FC Barcelona
• Nationality: Brazil
• Appearances: 35
• Goals: 18

Bundesliga | Germany 

1. Harry Kane | 26 goals 

• Club: Bayern Munich
• Nationality: England
• Appearances: 31
• Goals: 26

2. Serhou Guirassy | 21 goals

• Club: Borussia Dortmund
• Nationality: Guinea
• Appearances: 30
• Goals: 21

3. Patrik Schick | 21 goals

• Club: Bayer Leverkusen 
• Nationality: Czech Republic
• Appearances: 31
• Goals: 21

4. Jonathan Burkardt | 18 goals

• Club: 1.FSV Mainz 05
• Nationality: Belgium
• Appearances: 29
• Goals: 18

5. Tim Kleindienst | 16 goals 

• Club: Borussia Mönchengladbach
• Nationality: Germany
• Appearances: 31
• Goals: 16

Ligue 1 | France

1. Ousmane Dembele | 21 goals 

• Club: Paris Saint-Germain
• Nationality: France
• Appearances: 29
• Goals: 21

2. Mason Greenwood | 21 goals 

• Club: Olympique de Marseille
• Nationality: England
• Appearances: 34
• Goals: 21

3. Arnaud Kalimuendo | 17 goals

• Club: Stade Rennais FC
  
• Nationality: France
• Appearances: 33
• Goals: 17

4. Jonathan David | 16 goals

• Club: Lille OSC
• Nationality: Canada
• Appearances: 32
• Goals: 16

5. Alexandre Lacazette | 15 goals

• Club: Lyon
• Nationality: France
• Appearances: 30
• Goals: 15

Read Also | Most goals in Europe's Top Five Leagues in 2023/24 Season

The Ultimate European Golden Boot Race (Among the top 10 European Leagues according to UEFA coefficient rankings)

Considering the players from the top 10 European leagues in this list, this is what the current race of chasing the 2024-25 European Golden Boot looks like:

The Champions League has always been a huge honour for any team. Teams like Real Madrid have won the trophy as many as 15 times while AC Milan, FC Barcelona, Ajax and Bayern Munich have won found success in Europe's biggest club competition. 

As a result, the players from such elite teams as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Ajax, and AC Milan dominate the charts of players with the most Champions League titles.

Also Read: Most Champions League titles won by Football Clubs

Players who have won the most Champions League titles

Iconic Real Madrid left-winger Paco Gento used to hold the record for the most Champions League titles by a player. He has won six trophies in his 18 years at the Santiago Bernabeu.

However, Real Madrid legends Toni Kroos, Dani Carvajal, Luka Modric and Nacho have equalled his record and became the only players to win six Champions League titles in the UCL era. 

Former Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo is tied up at 5 UCL titles with players like Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Costacurta and Larence Seedorf as well as other Real Madrid giants in Hector Rial and Marquitos, Lucas Vázquez, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and a few others.

Also Read: Top 5 Defenders with the Most Champions League Goals

Former Barcelona superstars, Lionel Messi, Xavi and Iniesta, and Gerard Pique won four titles as a player. 

List of Players who have won more than four UCL titles:

Hello and welcome to another grand evening of UEFA Champions League football. This is Koushik Biswas, with the third final night of the Champions League this season. 

Tonight, we will be bringing you LIVE updates, scores, news and free commentary of the Inter Milan vs FC Barcelona UEFA Champions League 2024-25 semi-final 2nd leg match at the San Siro. 

Barcelona and Inter played out a 3-3 draw in the first leg in Barcelona last week. Inter Milan are looking to win the Champions League after 15 years, whereas Barcelona are looking for their first one since 2015. 

So, both teams have everything to play for, and we can expect nothing but a Champions League classic tonight. Stay tuned and enjoy the coverage. 

Do not forget the follow us on Twitter and Instagram for all the updates of the match as well. 

Hansi Flick announced FC Barcelona's squad for the Inter vs Barcelona UCL semi-final second leg match at the San Siro, tomorrow. Barcelona's top scorer, Robert Lewandowski, returned to the squad after missing the first leg due to injury. 

Lewandowski got injured against Celta Vigo on 19 April, and after spending two weeks in rehab, the Polish striker was given the green signal after Sunday's training session. 

However, Alejandro Balde, another youngster on the rise for Barcelona, could not be fit for the tie. Balde has a hamstring injury, and the team management does not want to risk him in the second leg.

Read Also | Every record of Lamine Yamal so far in his career

If Barcelona can make it to the Champions League final in Munich, the team wants him to be ready for that. Along with Balde, Jules Kounde, who had featured in every game for Barcelona this season, has already been ruled out due to a hamstring injury. 

BCN ✈️ MIL pic.twitter.com/vfqsaBZd1B

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) May 5, 2025

Full Barcelona squad for the UCL semi-final second leg vs Inter

Cubarsí, R. Araujo, I. Martinez, Gavi, Ferran, Pedri, Lewandowski, Ansu Fati, Raphinha, Iñaki Peña, Christensen, Fermín, Pau Víctor, Lamine Yamal, Olmo, ⁠F. De Jong, Eric, Szczęsny, Astralaga, H. Fort, Gerard Martín, Landry and Darvich.