Loyalty Goals

Despite the complexities involved in modern football, one thing has never changed, the supremacy of goals. A goal is an event that generates the maximum noise in a stadium. And even when there is talk of the best players in the game, the list is dominated by goalscorers. However, in modern football, several players move through multiple clubs during their careers due to the massive influx of money.

Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. Some players do manage to stay at a single club and score at an astonishing rate for a single club. Players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been doing it for the better part of their careers. And there are others as well.

So, we at FootTheBall look at the top 10 highest goalscorers for a single club. 

10. Cristiano Ronaldo – 450 goals for Real Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo has played at Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus throughout his career. However, his goal-scoring proficiency has been such that he finds his place among the top 10 single club goalscorers. After moving to Real Madrid at a world-record fee, Ronaldo got to his main job, scoring goals. 

The Portuguese scored a whooping 450 goals in 438 matches, an average of 1.02 goals per match. In his nine-year stay at the club, Ronaldo won 15 trophies. On top of that, he was at his best in the Champions League, where he helped Real win four titles. Moreover, he did this while perhaps having the best football rivalry with Lionel Messi. 

9. Eusebio – 473 goals for Benfica

While Ronaldo may have broken several records in all-time goals for a single club, he is behind his countrymen. Eusebio was one of the game’s biggest stars in the 60s and 70s. The Portuguese played most of his career at SL Benfica, where he scored an impressive 470 goals. 

His brute goals scoring would lead to an era of Benfica domination where the team won 11 titles in 15 years. Eusebio would also win a European Super Cup and help Portugal finish third in the 1966 World Cup. Eusebio would score 50 goals in the 1967-68 season, his most prolific. 

15) Eusebio* : 600 (1.22 p90) 512 goals + 88 assists
14) Neymar : 605 (1.07 p90) 388 goals + 217 assists
13) Henry : 643 (0.85 p90) 414 goals + 229 assists
12) Lewandowski : 662 (0.99 p90) 511 goals + 151 assists
11) Zico* : 664 (0.99 p90) 473 goals + 191 assists pic.twitter.com/0a5UbP3nBf

— Gasipo (@gasipo_opinions) August 8, 2021

8. Uwe Seeler – 496 goals for Hamburg

The ‘Uns Uwe’ finds himself in the eighth spot. The German striker had the best phase of his career at SV Hamburg. Seeler was the star of Germany when the Bundesliga started in 1963-64. And he did not disappoint as he top scored with 30 goals. He would continue to churn out goals at an incredible rate for the next decade.

On the international stage, Seeler participated in four World Cups between 1958-70. While he failed to win a World Cup, he came close in 1966 and 1970, where Germany lost to Italy in what is dubbed the ‘match of the century.

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7. Jimmy Jones – 517 goals for Glenavon

Jimmy Jones was the star for Glenavon, who he represented for a decade in the Irish league, the greatest player to ever come out of Ireland. The striker was a goal-scoring freak and topped the scoring charts in the Irish league for ten consecutive seasons. He would win three Irish League and two Irish Cups with the team.

In the 1956-57 seasons, he would score 74 goals as Glenavon won the league and the cup. Jimmy Jones is the only player who scored more goals in the Irish league than the great Glenn Ferguson.

6. Jimmy McGrory – 522 goals for Celtic

Jimmy McGrory is the all-time top scorer for Celtic. His closest rival, Bobby Lenox, is more than 200 goals behind him. McGrory played in Celtic for 14 years and scored a whopping 522 goals for the Celts. He is the highest British scorer in the club and international football. 

🗓 Jimmy McGrory made his #CelticFC debut #OnThisDay in 1923.

Our most prolific goal-scorer. ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/6Wltj20Gha

— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) January 20, 2019

McGrory has 55 hattricks to his name, 48 in league and seven in the Scottish cup. He also has scored a double-hattrick in an 8-0 win over Dunfermline. He remains the highest scorer in the Scottish league.

5. Josef Bican – 534 goals for Slavia Prague

The most prolific goal scorer to come out of Eastern Europe, Josef Bican, was the star of the 1930S. Born in Vienna, Bican played for several clubs before joining Slavia Prague. His eleven-year stint at the club brought 534 goals, a record that still stands even today.

He represented Austria in the 1934 World Cup, where they reached the semi-finals losing to eventual winners Italy. Bican would represent Czechoslovakia in the 1938 World but couldn’t play due to a clerical error. Bican had refused to play for a German team that included Austrians. This was done as a means of protest against Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime that had conquered Austria.

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4. Fernando Peyroteo – 544 goals for Sporting CP

The third Portuguese on the list, Fernando Peyroteo, was the best goal scorer Portugal ever produced. He scored 544 goals in just 344 matches at an astonishing rate of 1.62 goals per match, making him the best striker in terms of goals per game.

Peyroteo’s goals would bring Sporting five league titles and league cups. His goal-scoring rate was so high that his worst season for Sporting still yielded 37 goals, while in his best season, he would score 56 goals. 

3. Gerd Muller – 566 goals for Bayern Munich

The Der Bomber was one of the biggest football stars in the 60s and 70s. Gerd Muller spent 15 fruitful years at Bayern Munich, where he would score 566 goals, a record that still stands to this day. He was the top scorer in the Bundesliga on seven occasions. He was one of the main reasons Bayern became a force in Germany and Europe.

Gerd Müller's career in stats [Goal] pic.twitter.com/Xk8D3N1FEf

— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) November 3, 2017

Muller would win four Bundesliga titles and four DFB-Pokal and also help Bayern win three consecutive European Cups. In addition, he would help Germany win the 1972 European Championship on the international stage. Two years later, he would win the World Cup defeating Johan Cruyff’s TotalFootball Netherlands. 

2. Pele – 643 goals for Santos

One of the greatest players to ever play the game, Pele was a great goal scorer and a serial winner. The Brazilian who won three World Cups (the only player to do so) played his entire career at Santos and New York Cosmos. He spent 18 years at Santos, where he would score 643 goals, making him the highest-scoring Brazilian ever. 

He was also the all-time leading club goal scorer before Cristiano Ronaldo broke his record. Pele was also a part of the World Team of the 20th Century. He was also the highest goalscorer for a single club before his record was broken by the man that is number 1 on our list.

1. Lionel Messi – 672 goals for Barcelona

Is this even a surprise? Since he made his debut in 2004, Messi has smashed records after records with Barcelona. And his fantastic return of 672 goals proves why he is regarded as the best player to play the game. Messi spent almost his entire career at Barcelona, winning 10 La Ligas, seven Copa del Rey, and four Champions League.

Messi has won six Ballon d’Or, the most by any player in history. In addition, Messi has scored more than 100 goals in Champions League, with only Ronaldo, the other player, to do so. Messi has also been the top scorer in the league on eight occasions. in an illustrious career.

30 – Lionel Messi 🇦🇷 has scored 30+ goals in each of his last 13 seasons for @FCBarcelona in all competitions:

2009 – 38
2010 – 47
2011 – 53
2012 – 73
2013 – 60
2014 – 41
2015 – 58
2016 – 41
2017 – 54
2018 – 45
2019 – 51
2020 – 31
2021 – 31

Ace. pic.twitter.com/0ua8l5OApd

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) April 19, 2021

However, his career at Barcelona would end as he moved to Paris-Saint Germain. This happened due to the worsening financial situation at Barcelona, due to which Messi couldn’t renew his contract with the club.