The top 10 goalscoring seasons for club and country as Harry Kane joins some all-time legends | OneFootball

Harry Kane continues to be a master of his craft and his two goals against DR Congo have pushed him higher up a very exclusive list.

The England captain had already broken plenty of records during the club season and has continued to add to his incredible tally on international duty. His latest brace rescued England from the brink of a shock World Cup exit and took his remarkable 2025-26 total to 72 goals for club and country.

Here are the top 10 highest goalscoring seasons for club and country in the 21st century and where Kane fits in amongst them.

=9. Cristiano Ronaldo (2012-13) – 59 goals

Making his first of four appearances on this list is Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored 59 goals in the 2012-13 season.

Ronaldo’s numbers that season are satisfyingly symmetrical, with him having a goal-a-game ratio in every competition he played in for Madrid. In the league, he scored 34 as Madrid finished second and they reached the semi-finals of the Champions League.

=9. Robert Lewandowski (2019-20) – 59 goals

It was the season that should have earned him the Ballon d’Or and Lewandowski was at his very best for Bayern Munich.

He scored 34 goals in his 31 Bundesliga matches and a ridiculous 15 in his 10 Champions League games, with the German club going on to win the trophy in Lisbon.

8. Luis Suarez (2015-16) – 60 goals

Between 2009 and 2019, just one man was able to prevent Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo from winning the European Golden Shoe and that was Luis Suarez.

While he tied for the best in 2013-14, he hit the outright most goals in the 2015-16 season with 60 for club and country.

In the league, he found the net 40 times, while also assisting 18 others, and managed eight in his nine Champions League matches.

Barcelona featuring in the Club World Cup allowed him to add five more to his tally in just two games and he also scored in the Copa del Rey and UEFA Super Cup.

He also bagged a goal against Brazil in Uruguay’s World Cup qualifying group.

=6. Lionel Messi (2014-15) – 62 goals

You will be unsurprised to learn, Lionel Messi makes a few appearances in this list.

His first entry is his 2014-15 season where he bagged 62 goals across all competitions.

The bulk of those were the 43 he scored in La Liga as Barcelona’s devastating front three secured a treble.

In the Champions League, Messi scored 10 in 13, including two in the semi-final against Bayern Munich.

=6. Cristiano Ronaldo (2013-14) – 62 goals

A year after his 59 goals, Ronaldo went three better with 62 in the 2013-14 campaign.

He had a better than goal-a-game ratio in both the league and Champions League and hit a record number of goals in Europe. His 17 remains the highest any player has scored in a Champions League season.

Madrid won the Champions League that season, ending an 11-year drought.

5. Cristiano Ronaldo (2014-15) – 66 goals

Ronaldo’s best ever La Liga scoring season came in the 2014-15 season when he hit a ridiculous 48 in 35 matches.

But while he won the Golden Boot, Madrid again finished runners-up to Barcelona in the league.

In the Champions League, Madrid reached the semi-final but were knocked out by Juventus.

=3. Cristiano Ronaldo (2011-12) – 69 goals

Ronaldo’s best ever Madrid season was the 2011-12 campaign in which Madrid reached an incredible 100 points in the league.

The Portuguese’s 46 goals in 38 games was crucial to that but he still somehow finished second in the Golden Boot race.

In the Champions League, Ronaldo scored 10 in 10 as Madrid reached the semi-finals.

=3. Lionel Messi (2012-13) – 69 goals

While Ronaldo scored a respectable 34 league goals in the 2012-13 season, Messi blew him out the water with 46.

That came as part of a year in which Messi would score 69 goals for club and country, including eight in the Champions League, four in the Copa del Rey and two in the Supercopa.

For Argentina, he scored two hat-tricks, including one against fierce rivals Brazil.

2. Harry Kane (2025-26) – 72* goals

Harry Kane’s ridiculous season continued with two more goals to his tally, this time to bail out England against DR Congo.

Ahead of the World Cup, Kane scored 36 goals in his 31 league games and ended the year on 61 club goals.

With England, he has scored a further 11, including five in the World Cup so far.

At least one more game means Kane can still add to his tally but it will take an incredible achievement to dethrone the man on top…

How Harry Kane’s historic 2025-26 compares to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s best-ever seasons

1. Lionel Messi (2011-12) – 82 goals

It is a record that will likely never be broken as Messi was simply ridiculous in the 2011-12 season.

It came as part of a year which would see him score 91 but in the 2011-12 season alone, Messi scored 82 goals. For context, Messi outscored all but six teams in La Liga that season.

Remarkably, that still was not enough to win the title as Madrid clinched it on 100 points to Barcelona’s 91.

In the Champions League, Messi scored 14 in 11 as Barcelona reached the semi-finals but their silverware came from elsewhere. They won the Copa del Rey, Supercopa de España, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup in Pep Guardiola’s final season.