Haaland matches Ronaldo’s record: Fastest players to reach 100 goals for a single club in Europe
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Throughout football history, European football has witnessed the rise of extraordinary strikers who have scored lots of goals, shattered records, and set new benchmarks.
From the prolific Ibrahimovic to the clinical Luis Suarez and relentless Cristiano Ronaldo, these players have etched their names in football history by reaching the coveted 100-goal milestone at remarkable speed.
Apart from these three famous goal-getters, other strikers have done enough to be included in the elite list. In this article, we provide the top 10 players who scored 100 goals for a European club, starting with the latest goalscoring sensation—Erling Haaland.
1. Erling Haaland
Following his 9th-minute goal against Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City striker Erling Haaland is, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, the joint-fastest player to score 100 goals for one club in Europe.
The Norwegian striker opened the scoring for the home side in his 105th appearance for the Premier League Champions, matching Cristiano Ronaldo's record as the fastest player to reach a century of goals for a club in Europe.
Before this landmark achievement, Haaland had already etched his name in the Premier League's history by becoming the fastest player to reach the 50 league goals milestone (48 matches), beating Andy Cole's 65-match record.
He is also the only player to score 36 goals in a single season, and the second player to score four or more Premier League hat-tricks in a single season behind Alan Shearer, who had five.
Out of the 100 tally, the ferocious long-range strike in the 2-1 win against Brighton in the 2023/24 season and the magnificent finish against Dortmund in September 2022 were some notable ones.
Thanks to quality assists from Kelvin De Bruyne and Phil Foden, it took Haaland just 25 months to match one of Ronaldo's goalscoring records.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid): 105 Games
Though Haaland's name is currently on everyone's lips, Portugal's greatest sportsman Cristiano Ronaldo remains the first player to score 100 goals for a single European club in 105 games. The legendary Portuguese striker achieved such an incredible feat at Real Madrid, where he scored 100 goals in 105 games in all competitions.
Although Ronaldo didn't manage a 1:1 game-goal ratio like Haaland in his debut season, his tally of 33 goals from 35 games remains an astounding achievement. However, he had a better and more productive second season at Santiago Bernabeu, as he converted 53 chances in all competitions.
While Ronaldo rightly took all the accolades for such a prolific return in front of goal, Mesut Ozil and Marcelo deserve some praise for their key roles.
Meanwhile, at the end of his spell at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Ronaldo emerged as Real Madrid's all-time goalscorer with 451 goals, four Champions League trophies, and two League titles.
3. Luis Suarez (Barcelona): 120 Games
Having tormented Premier League defenders between 2011 and 2014, Suarez decided to leave Liverpool, where he scored 69 league goals in 110 games.
He became the hottest player in the 2014 summer transfer market as top clubs like Real Madrid and Arsenal were keenly interested in his service, while Barcelona were also looking at the chances of luring him to Camp Nou to partner Messi and Neymar in the final third.
Suarez eventually joined the Blaugranas and formed a strong partnership with the two world-class stars who helped him score 25 goals from 39 matches in his first season.
Like Ronaldo, Suarez became more deadly and prolific in the following year as he scored 59 goals in all competitions.
He registered his name in the elite company in his 120th game after finding the back of the net against Real Betis. He went on to score 98 more goals before ending his six-year relationship with the La Liga giants in 2020.
4. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (PSG): 124 Games
One of football's wealthiest players, Ibrahimovic is another world-class striker who deservedly occupies a spot on the list of fastest players to reach 100 goals for a European club.
Having won four Serie A titles, two Eredivisie titles, and a La Liga title, the Swedish striker joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2012 to help them win laurels.
The retired striker reached the 100-goal mark in his 124th appearance for the Ligue 1 giants.
Ibrahimovic’s most famous goals for PSG include the scorpion kick against SC Bastia and the stunning free-kick versus FC Sochaux in the 2013/14 season.
Meanwhile, he spent four seasons at the Parc des Princes Stadium, where he played 180 games, scored 156, became PSG's all-time top scorer (overtook Pauleta), and won 12 trophies.
5. Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus): 131 Games
Cristiano Ronaldo was so prolific and consistent that he repeated the same goalscoring feat after moving to Juventus in 2018. Though he couldn't help the Old Lady win the much-coveted European competition, the Portuguese had an impressive personal record in Turin.
He became the fastest player to score 100 goals for Juventus in 131 matches after leading the Old Lady to a comfortable 3-1 victory over Sassuolo in 2020.
Cristiano won two Player of the Season awards and led the team to two Scudettos in his three-year spell at the club. Of all the goals scored, his Champions League hat-trick against Atlético Madrid in 2019 remains one of the most memorable.
6. Ruud Van Nistelrooy (Man Utd): 131 Games
Sir Alex Ferguson completed Van NistelRooy's signing as part of his plan to reinforce the attacking department in the 2001/2002 campaign. Interestingly, the Dutch striker wasted no time before announcing his presence at Old Trafford, as he netted 36 times in his debut campaign.
He was one of the most prolific strikers of his generation,scoring 150 goals in 219 games for Manchester United and winning a Premier League title.
Meanwhile, the Dutchman is currently part of Erik Ten Hag's coaching staff, hoping to help the team return to its glory days.
7. Edinson Cavani (Napoli): 135 Games
Edinson Cavani is undoubtedly one of the greatest footballers to have featured for Napoli, considering his impressive form in front of goal. The Uruguayan striker was so productive for Naples that he needed only 131 matches to reach the 100-goal mark.
Unfortunately, the 2010 World Cup semi-finalist didn't win the Serie A trophy before joining PSG in 2013.
He continued his impressive conversion rate with Paris Saint-Germain, putting the ball past Ligue 1 goalies with ease and precision. Five seasons after his PSG debut, Cavani leapfrogged Ibrahimovic in the club's all-time scorers chart with 200 goals, 44 more than the retired Swedish striker.
Meanwhile, the 37-year-old, who currently plies his trade with Boca Juniors, will be remembered for his world-class long-range strike against Fulham and the bicycle kick goal against Ecuador.
8. Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich): 136 Games
Robert Lewandowski might not be in the same class as Ronaldo, but the Barcelona striker is not far from the Portuguese legend.
The Polish No. 9 established himself as one of Europe’s best strikers after scoring four against Real Madrid in the 2013 Champions League semi-final and leading Borussia Dortmund to back-to-back Bundesliga titles in the 2010/11 and 2011/12 campaigns.
His exploits with Dortmund earned him a free transfer to Bayern Munich, where he cemented his status as one of the most prolific players in the game's history.
He reached the 100-goal mark in his 136th appearance for the Bavarians and went on to score 344 times in 375 games before switching to Barcelona in the 2022/23 season.
9. Kylian Mbappe (PSG): 137 Games
Kylian Mbappe burst onto the scene in Monaco’s extraordinary 2016/17 season, in which they qualified for the Champions League semi-finals and won the Ligue 1 title against all odds. Following his productive first full season for Monaco's senior team, PSG signed the then-teenager after a season-long loan.
Mbappé needed just 137 games to join the elite club of players to reach 100 goals for a European club.
At the time of this writing, the French superstar is currently PSG’s all-time highest scorer with 256 goals, although he now plays for Real Madrid, who he joined in what has been termed by many the greatest free transfer ever.
10. Christian Vieri (Inter Milan): 138 Games
The last name on the list is Christian Vieri, an Italian striker who spent much of his career in Serie A clubs like Juventus. Vieri helped Juventus win the Serie A title before his short spell with Atlético Madrid, where he averaged a goal per game.
Despite his impressive goal return for La Liga side, Vieri couldn't resist the urge to join Inter Milan, where he spent six years and became the club's all-time top scorer, netting 123 goals in 190 appearances.