10 players with the best goals-per-game ratio since 2000 named – Cristiano Ronaldo only 3rd

• Erling Haaland is the most efficient goalscorer in the 21st century according to a latest statistics.
• Haaland’s goals-per-game ratio of 0.82 sees him pip some of the most legendary faces in the game.
• Harry Kane is the highest ranked Englishman with a goals to game ratio of 0.63.

The beautiful game today is blessed with attacking players being compared by all different kinds of statistics. Some will say player X can’t be considered world-class because of their low xG (expected goals), while others say player Y is the best in their league due to the amount of times they press the ball. In reality, attackers should be compared by one statistic only. Goals.

It’s not just about the number of times a player puts the ball in the back of the net, though. It’s also about the frequency in which they do so. After all, 100 goals in 200 games reads a lot better than 100 goals in 1000 games. With that in mind, these are the ten best goals to game ratios of the 21st century.

10 Zlatan Ibrahimovic

0.58

When you’ve won titles across Europe’s top divisions as a striker, you have definitely got the knack for scoring goals. Zlatan Ibrahimovic may have had one of the biggest egos in football but he certainly has the record to back it up. Having represented giants such as Barcelona, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and both Milan clubs, the Swede finished his career with 567 goals in 980 appearances.

His record is one that not only will the man himself be proud of, but his former teams will be grateful for too, as it helped the striker pick up a total of 32 career trophies, leaving him one of the most decorated names in the sport.

9 Luis Suarez

0.60

Now playing in the MLS, Luis Suarez still has a knack for finding the back of the net, with 576 goals in 968 games giving him a solid 0.60 goal-to-game ratio. This consistency is why he’s considered one of the top strikers of his era, which helped him win several pieces of silverware and individual awards in his career.

Suárez has won the European Golden Shoe twice, once with Liverpool in 2013-14 and again with Barcelona in 2015-16. These awards, which go to Europe’s top league scorer, showcase just how deadly he is in front of goal, and between 2010-2019, the Uruguayan was the only man not named Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to claim the coveted prize.

8 Ruud van Nistelrooy

0.60

The man who once thought that entirety of Old Trafford was booing him when he scored, only to realise they were in fact chanting his name. Ruud van Nistelrooy epitomised what an old school number nine was. Lethal within the 18-yard-box and very rarely operating in any other area of the pitch.

Whether it was for the Red Devils or Real Madrid, the former Dutch international knew where to find the net, but incredibly, he only ever won the Premier League golden boot once. Now back at Manchester United as a member of the coaching staff, he will be looking to pass his knowledge onto stars like Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford.

7 Neymar

0.61

After becoming the latest superstar to be snapped up by Saudi Arabia, Neymar has barely had an opportunity to add to his already impressive numbers thanks to a long-term injury that kept him out of Al-Hilal’s title-winning campaign. The Brazilian was known for a long time as ‘the best of the rest’ when Ronaldo and Messi were conquering 21st-century football.

Despite having a notoriously bad reputation for being injured, Neymar has still managed to play in 719 games over the course of his career. He is Brazil’s all-time top goalscorer with 79 goals, two more than the legendary Pele. The forward’s 0.61 average puts him in an elite class, but doesn’t do enough to push him into the top five.

6 Harry Kane

0.63

The quality that is on display is so strong that even someone like Harry Kane, who is arguably the greatest number nine gracing the sport today, still can not break into the top half of the list despite being a goal machine. The England skipper had the Premier League goalscoring record all but sewn up, but his desire to win trophies was greater, leading to him swapping London for Munich.

In his first Bundesliga season, the 31-year-old became the quickest player to reach the 30 goal mark and broke the record for the most number of goals in a debut campaign in Germany. With such prowess, it’s no surprise to see him break into the top 10. However, he still has more to do to eclipse another Bundesliga legend.

5 Robert Lewandowski

0.71

When you’re given the nickname ‘LewanGOALski’ by Thomas Muller, you probably know a thing or two about finding the back of the net. Which is undoubtedly the case for Robert Lewandowski. Having established himself as one of the most lethal strikers in modern football, the Polish icon has managed to notch well over 600 goals in a glittering career.

He’s claimed the European Golden Shoe twice, in 2020-21 and 2021-22, solidifying his place among the best. Whether leading the line for Bayern Munich or Barcelona, Lewandowski has consistently been a source of goals and, more often than not, victories and is one of the few players who seems to only get better with age.

4 Kylian Mbappe

0.72

It is well known that Kylian Mbappe was a massive fan of Cristiano Ronaldo growing up. The 25-year-old has followed in his hero’s by finally making the move to Real Madrid, but will also hope to eclipse his goal-to-game ratio when it is all said and done, something he is already incredibly close to doing.

Mbappe has scored 332 goals in 462 matches, the majority of which came at Paris Saint-Germain where he had to share the load with the likes of Edinson Cavani, Neymar and Lionel Messi. As he heads over to the Spanish capital, he will once again share that responsibility with other superstars, but make no mistake, the Frenchman will have goals galore in his sights.

3 Cristiano Ronaldo

0.73

The greatest marksman in football history, Cristiano Ronaldo has probably scored every goal imaginable in his career and even won the first ever Puskas Award in 2009 when he scored from distance in the Champions League against Porto. The naysayers will say that scoring close to 900 goals can only come with plenty of game time, but the veteran’s goal to game ratio has proven that he has managed to smash that record in double quick time.

Ronaldo has managed 30+ goal campaigns in four different countries, the most recent being in Saudi Arabia for Al-Nassr. Whether or not he can still compete at the elite level is another question, but there can be no denying the impact that this man has had on the beautiful game.

2 Lionel Messi

0.78

It may be Ronaldo who has the edge over his longtime rival in terms of number of goals scored, but it is Lionel Messi who leads the way with his efficiency. The winningest and most voted for player in Ballon d’Or history is nothing short of a genius in the final third of the pitch and, like the man before him, can score in any which way he chooses to.

Whether it be for Inter Miami, PSG, Argentina or Barcelona, the little magician can produce the goods whenever required, which is partly what has left him with a goal to game ratio of 0.78, with 838 goals in 1069 games. For all his accolades though, this is one record that Messi falls just shy in.

1 Erling Haaland

0.82

If Mbappe vs Erling Haaland is the new Messi vs Ronaldo, then its the man filling in the shoes of the Portuguese legend who takes the cake when it comes to the frequency in which he scores goals. The scary thing about the Norwegian’s record is that its safe to assume he’s not even in his prime yet. Despite that, he still boasts an incredible ratio of 0.82.

Perhaps more impressive is where some of his counterparts were at by this stage of their careers. For example, after 328 games, Ronaldo had managed just 118 goals. If Haaland can manage the same type of longevity, he could still make a run for the legendary striker’s all-time scoring record.