The top 10 goalscorers in Europe in 2022-23: Osimhen, Kane, Balogun…

We’re past the halfway point of the season and the race for the European Golden Shoe has taken shape, with many of the usual suspects already in the top 10 goalscorers in Europe’s big five leagues.

It’s still taking time to get used to not seeing Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s names here. Messi has turned into more of a provider at PSG, topping the assists charts, while Ronaldo scored just one Premier League goal before departing for Saudi Arabia.

But fear not – there are still plenty of familiar names, alongside a few surprise packages, in the top goalscorers from the Premier League, La Liga, Ligue 1, Serie A and the Bundesliga.

Note: where two players are tied on goals, we’ve put them in order of their best minutes-per-goal ratio. Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette, RB Leipzig’s Christopher Nkunku, Lille’s Jonathan David, PSG’s Neymar and Nice’s Terem Moffi have also scored 12 but miss out on cracking our top 10.

10. Ademola Lookman – 12

The Wandsworth-born Nigeria international has been tearing it up in Serie A this season, firing Atalanta’s top-four charge.

Lookman is in contention for the Capocannoniere award, especially given his form after the World Cup break. The former Leicester and Fulham winger has scored seven goals in six league appearances in 2023, with braces in successive matches against Salernitana, Spezia and Juventus.

9. Wissam Ben Yedder – 12

Somewhat unfortunate to miss out on a place in France’s World Cup squad, Ben Yedder has done brilliantly with relatively limited minutes for Monaco in Ligue 1.

The 32-year-old has 12 goals from just 18 appearances (15 starts), averaging a goal every 89 minutes – a ratio only bettered by the man that tops this list.

Six of those goals have come in five appearances since the World Cup break. A strong message sent out to Didier Deschamps.

8. Ivan Toney – 13

A Brentford player up there with the European elite. What a time to be alive.

Thomas Frank’s Bees will certainly miss Toney if (or when?) he serves a ban for alleged breaches of FA betting rules. He’s scored 13 goals this season, nine from open play and four penalties – you just know he’s not going to miss when he steps up from 12 yards.

7. Niclas Fullkrug – 13

Werder Bremen’s surprise package up top has burst into the wider footballing world’s attention this season, not least with his deserved call-up to Germany’s squad for Qatar 2022.

No player in the Bundesliga has scored more goals.

6. Kylian Mbappe – 13

One of the best forwards in the world, Mbappe looks set to dominate these goalscoring lists for years to come.

He’s looked a little out of sorts since France’s World Cup final heartbreak, scoring just one goal in five Ligue 1 appearances for PSG.

But Mbappe has also produced some of his very best football in 2022-23 so far. He looked particularly lethal in a 7-1 victory over Lille, opening the scoring after just eight seconds and going on to complete a hat-trick in the mauling back in August.

5. Folarin Balogun – 14

The Arsenal loanee at Reims has just overtaken Mbappe to sit top of the Ligue 1 goalscoring charts.

After scoring a coolly-taken last-gasp equaliser at PSG, the 21-year-old followed that up with a brilliant hat-trick against Lorient. The future looks very bright indeed for Mikel Arteta’s Gunners, doesn’t it?

4. Victor Osimhen – 14

Osimhen has had his struggles with injury this season, missing a few games, but he’s been absolutely lethal when fit and available, scoring 14 goals from 16 Serie A appearances.

The Nigeria international is proving a vital part of the remarkable Napoli story this season.

3. Robert Lewandowski – 14

Gunning to become the only other player not named Lionel Messi to win a third successive European Golden Shoe, it looks like Lewandowski has stiff competition this year.

Playing in La Liga, with four more games than the Bundesliga, will help. The 34-year-old striker drew a blank on his competitive debut for Barcelona, an underwhelming 0-0 draw with Rayo Vallecano, but has silenced any doubts he’ll need time to adapt to a new league.

Lewandowski averages a goal every 89 minutes in La Liga this season.

2. Harry Kane – 16

“Antonio’s been fantastic. He has probably taken fitness levels to another level for me,” Kane said in the summer.

“Mentality, being with him every day, seeing the way he prepares, the way he brings his passion and brings the best out of the lads, I’ve learnt from that.”

A famously slow starter, being given the runaround in an Antonio Conte pre-season appears to have done the trick. The England captain was straight out of the blocks with four goals in his first four appearances in August and hasn’t let up since.

Tottenham have been faltering this season but their talisman looks as good as he ever has. He might even best his career-best tally of 30 Premier League goals, set back in 2017-18.

1. Erling Haaland – 25

The Norwegian is already the fastest player to reach 50 goals in a major European league from his time at Borussia Dortmund, but he’s well on course to obliterate his own record.

Twenty-five goals in his first 19 Premier League appearances. One every 62 minutes. The boy’s an absolute monster.