Beyond titles and collective success, individual goal records continue to define careers and shape reputations. Each season, strikers chase both team glory and the Golden Boot, making goals the ultimate currency of elite football.

Using league data, we compare the most effective and least productive top scorers across Serie A, Ligue 1, the Premier League, La Liga and the Bundesliga.

Scoring power across the Big Five leagues

Serie A stands out for its relatively modest scoring returns. Lautaro Martinez leads the Italian charts with 12 goals, averaging 0.55 per game.

However, the drop-off is steep: Christian Pulisic follows with eight goals (0.50), while Kenan Yildiz sits third on the same tally but with a lower 0.38 average. Compared to the other major leagues, Italy's leading scorers lag noticeably behind.

Ligue 1 presents a more balanced picture. Mason Greenwood tops the French standings with 12 goals at a healthier rate of 0.67 per game.

He is closely followed by Strasbourg's Emanuel Panichelli with 11 (0.58) and Rennes' Martin Lepaul with nine (0.47), confirming a higher level of attacking output than in Serie A.

The Premier League continues to be driven by Erling Haaland. The Norwegian has 20 goals and averages 0.87 per match, ahead of Igor Thiago at Brentford (16 goals, 0.70) and Antoine Semenyo (0.50).

England's elite forwards clearly outperform their Italian and French counterparts in both volume and consistency.

In La Liga, Kylian Mbappe operates on another level. His 21 goals from 20 appearances give him an average of 1.05 per game. Vedat Muriqi follows with 14 (0.70), while Ferran Torres completes the podium with 11 (0.58), again underlining Spain's stronger scoring efficiency at the top.

The Bundesliga, however, remains the most prolific environment of all. Harry Kane matches Mbappe with 21 goals but surpasses him in efficiency, averaging 1.11 per game.

Deniz Undav (11 goals, 0.73) and Michael Olise (10 goals, 0.53) trail behind, reinforcing Germany's reputation for high-scoring forwards.

A 360-degree look at scoring profiles

Per-90 statistics reveal notable stylistic differences among Europe's top scorers. Haaland and Kane are the most effective at opening the scoring (0.47 goals per game), followed by Lautaro Martinez (0.39). Greenwood (0.24) and Mbappe (0.11) contribute less frequently in that specific context.

In the air, Lautaro stands out with 0.16 headed goals per game, ahead of Haaland (0.13) and Kane (0.11). Mbappe and Greenwood have yet to score with a header this season.

From the penalty spot, the contrast is equally stark: Lautaro is the only one of the five yet to score a penalty, while Mbappe leads with 0.33 per game, followed by Kane (0.32) and Greenwood (0.24).

Footedness also highlights distinct profiles. Mbappe dominates with his right foot (0.90 goals per game), Haaland excels with his left (0.64), and Kane shows balance with 0.86 right-footed goals and 0.16 with his left. Greenwood and Lautaro display more evenly distributed but lower returns.

In shooting volume, Mbappe leads with 4.6 attempts per match, ahead of Greenwood (3.6), Kane (3.49), Lautaro (3.43) and Haaland (3.42).

When it comes to shots on target, Mbappe and Kane again top the list (2.09), followed by Haaland (1.71), Lautaro (1.51) and Greenwood (1.48). In terms of efficiency, Greenwood requires the fewest shots per goal, ahead of Lautaro, Mbappe and finally Kane and Haaland.

Overall, the data underlines Serie A's relative struggles in producing elite-level scorers compared to its European peers, while also showcasing the wide variety of profiles among the continent’s top forwards: aerial specialists, penalty experts, volume shooters and ruthless finishers.

statistics of top five European league strikers

M. Greenwood

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