As crunch time fast approaches across leagues in Europe, more and more players are beginning to score goals and reach milestones within their season.
In Europe's top five leagues - the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1 - 28 players in total have already reached double figures.
Ligue 1 are the most-heavily represented side on this list with ten players, while both La Liga and Serie A have just three players lucky enough to hit double digits. Seven Premier League players have notched ten or more goals, while the Bundesliga contributes five players.
Featured on this list are the usual big hitters, some surprise breakout scorers, and, of course, one superhuman finisher.
Lionel Messi (PSG) - 10
This campaign is by no means Messi's greatest-ever scoring season, but he can be forgiven after dragging his country to World Cup glory in December.
Scoring 10 goals in 18 games is already a better return than his first season at PSG, and the Argentine still has plenty of time to bag more during the Ligue 1 run-in. In every league game Messi has scored in this season, PSG have gone on to win the game, too, highlighting his influence on the French side.
Miguel Almiron (Newcastle United) - 10
Almiron has proven the doubters wrong with some exceptional performances in the 2022/23 season, helping Newcastle United spend the majority of the season in the Champions League qualification spots in the Premier League with his ten goals.
One of those strikes earned him the October Goal of the Month award as well, a sublime volley at Craven Cottage against Fulham. Keep up this form, and the Paraguayan could fire Newcastle to even greater heights.
Marcus Thuram (Borussia Monchengladbach) - 10
While Borussia Monchengladbach have struggled in mid-table, they'd be even worse off were it not for the Frenchman banging in the goals. Vital strikes have secured wins against Borussia Dortmund and Stuttgart, with Thuram having missed just one game all season.
His contract is due to expire in the summer, too, and signing a deal to stay at the Bundesliga side doesn't seem to be forthcoming. Clubs are beginning to circle.
Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich) - 10
Losing chief goalscorer Robert Lewandowski in the summer was always going to pose a problem to Bayern Munich this season, but fortunately teenage sensation Jamal Musiala has stepped up and turned into one of the side's most important players.
What makes his ten goals even more impressive, though, is they have all come from deeper on the pitch, with the German operating from midfield positions.
Habib Diallo (Strasbourg) - 10
Senegalese striker Habib Diallo has been a leading light in a poor Strasbourg side this season, managing 10 goals in a team currently sat 17th in Ligue 1.
More remarkable about Diallo's return, though, is he netted 11 strikes last season as the Alsace side finished sixth, proving how much responsibility he has taken on in the relegation dogfight they now find themselves in.
Rodrigo (Leeds United) - 10
Leeds United have struggled in 2022/23, sacking Jesse Marsch and fighting for survival once more. However, things would look a lot bleaker if Spanish starlet Rodrigo wasn't banging them in on a consistent basis.
Scoring ten goals in 18 games already represents the second-best season of the 31-year-old's career, and his absence from the Leeds side is certainly noticeable whenever he's not on the pitch. He's also struck important finishes against Liverpool, Bournemouth, Southampton and Wolves, helping secure vital points.
Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) - 11
Injury problems have plagued Benzema's season so far, but the Frenchman has still notched 11 goals in 13 La Liga games.
Slowly bursting back into life, Benzema is no doubt preparing for the upcoming knockout stages of the Champions League, ready to break hearts with decisive goals once again.
Vincenzo Grifo (SC Freiburg) - 11
Freiburg are challenging the Bundesliga elite this campaign, and Grifo has been a major reason for that surge in form. The Italian international attacks from the left-wing with intent and purpose, cutting in on his stronger right side to power shots at goal.
Grifo even managed a hat-trick against second-placed Union Berlin earlier in the season, and is showing no sign of letting up.
Aleksandar Mitrovic (Fulham) - 11
Who said Mitrovic couldn't do it in the Premier League? The big Serbian has silenced his critics with goals aplenty, as Fulham make headway up the table in their first season back after a brief hiatus in the Championship.
Most of Mitrovic's goals have been scored while injured, too, but such is his importance to the side that manager Marco Silva still relies on him to carry the team through games.
Joselu (Espanyol) - 11
Espanyol are hovering dangerously above the relegation zone in La Liga, but would be in an even more precarious position had their star striker Joselu not been frequently finding the target.
Linking the play with his big frame, Joselu regularly brings others into play before making towards the box and getting on the end of crosses, either with his head or sharp feet. Joint-second in the La Liga goalscoring charts certainly isn't something to be sniffed at either.
Terem Moffi (Lorient/Nice) - 12
After taking the first-half of the Ligue 1 season by storm, scoring 12 goals in 18 games for Lorient, Nice acted swiftly to bring the 23-year-old in on loan, with an obligation to buy for €30 million.
That price could turn out to be a bargain for Moffi, with the centre-forward spearheading an interesting project in the South of France - Aaron Ramsey, Ross Barkley and Nicolas Pepe are all there already.
Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig) - 12
Watching Nkunku perform makes it clear to see why Chelsea have decided to fork out so much money to acquire his services in the summer. 12 goals in 15 games has been a stellar return for the versatile forward, but having his World Cup cruelly ended by a knee injury in training pre-tournament will surely have hurt.
Expect the Frenchman to return eager to rediscover his impressive displays.
Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan) - 12
The diminutive Argentine has certainly enjoyed playing up front alongside Edin Dzeko for large parts of this season, scoring 12 in 22 as he looks to help Inter consolidate their spot in the Champions League next campaign.
Fresh from winning the World Cup, Martinez hasn't even missed a Serie A game either, highlighting his consistency and dedication to play for the Nerazzurri.
Breel Embolo (Monaco) - 12
Embolo's summer arrival from Borussia Monchengladbach looked intriguing, with the 26-year-old needing a strong goalscoring season to get him off the mark at Monaco. Playing alongside Wissam Ben Yedder, the Swiss striker has duly achieved that, scoring 12 in 23 so far this season.
Neymar (PSG) - 12
After bagging seven goals in PSG's opening five games of the season, Neymar has quietened down in recent months due to suspensions and injuries, though he has still managed a further five since then.
Allowed to roam freely by manager Christophe Galtier, Neymar has enjoyed his football at PSG and could be on target to beat his previous best Ligue 1 total at the club, achieved in 2017/18 when he bagged 19 times.
Marcus Rashford (Manchester United - 12)
Marcus Rashford is in the form of his life, scoring freely for Manchester United as defenders struggle to deal with him. Rashford is also scoring different types of goals, adding headers and more delicate finishes to his game as he continues to excel under Erik ten Hag.
Indeed, since returning from the World Cup, the Englishman has scored in seven of the eight league games he has played - if Rashford doesn't score, United likely don't win.
Ademola Lookman (Atalanta) - 12
After decent but uninspiring loans at Fulham and Leicester in the past three seasons, Lookman's transfer from parent club RB Leipzig to Atalanta looked a worthwhile move that was likely to pull up any trees.
The nippy forward has proven that assumption wrong since arriving in Bergamo, though, plundering 12 goals in 21 Serie A games as he terrorises defences with his pace and direct play. Atalanta are once again challenging for the Champions League again, too, with Lookman a major part of that.
Kylian Mbappe (PSG) - 13
By Mbappe's high standards, 2022/23 has been somewhat of a disappointment at club level. Sure, he has 13 goals and has been involved in nearly two-thirds of all of PSG's Ligue 1 goals, but that's some way off the 27 and 28 he has managed in the past two campaigns.
Mbappe has also failed to score in the league in 2023 so far, with injuries hampering his progress. PSG's title charge has faltered somewhat because of this, making his return even more imperative.
Niclas Fullkrug (Werder Bremen) - 13
The Bundesliga's top scorer, Germany manager Hansi Flick surprised many when he included Fullkrug in the World Cup squad. However, his inclusion should've been anything but, the big striker having blasted in 13 goals in 19 games for a side sat in mid-table.
Wissam Ben Yedder (Monaco) - 14
Ben Yedder is just a consistently high-performing individual, going under the radar while scoring goals on a regular basis for Monaco. He has helped the side to third in the Ligue 1 table, chasing down PSG and Marseille ahead of them.
The Frenchman has also managed to grab two match balls this season, after twice hitting hat-tricks in the league. Not bad for someone rarely ever mentioned among Europe's elite strikers.
Alexandre Lacazette (Lyon) - 14
Well, who would've seen this one coming?
After managing just a paltry four goals in his last season with Arsenal, Lacazette has returned to Lyon and picked up where he left off over six years ago. Over the course of 23 games, the striker has found the target 14 times, even better when considering Lyon are sitting in ninth after some underwhelming results in the league.
Jonathan David (Lille) - 14
Still only 23, David has led the Lille frontline admirably in the French's side hunt for the Champions League. 14 in 22 is no mean feat, with the Canadian often popping up with crucial goals in wins or even draws.
After nearly three full years in France, though, Europe's top clubs are beginning to make their moves for David as he adds consistency to his game.
Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) - 14
No surprise here: Lewandowski scores goals.
The Pole is leading the La Liga scoring charts, his 14 goals for Barcelona helping the Catalan side pull out a hefty lead at the top of the table. While not quite the lofty figures he once hit in Germany, Lewandowski has changed his game to bring Barca's dynamic attackers more into play, with Pedri, Gavi and Dembele all benefitting off of playing with Lewandowski.
Ivan Toney (Brentford) - 14
Toney scores important goals for Brentford, and is an integral member of the exceptionally-performing side. Indeed, the west-Londoners are above Liverpool and Chelsea in the Premier League, with Toney a big part of that.
His technical ability has helped create chances for team-mates, as well as see him manage 14 finishes in 20 matches. He has already surpassed his total from last season, one that was described as a major success.
Folarin Balogun (Reims) - 15
On-loan Arsenal striker Folarin Balgoun has been thoroughly impressing at Reims in Ligue 1, so much so that he is leading Mbappe, Messi, Neymar and Co. in the scoring charts. The 21-year-old is coming of age while regularly starting games in France, scoring 15 goals in 22 games as he leads the line for the side.
His return to Arsenal could give Mikel Arteta an even greater predicament as well, with Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah and Balogun all battling to start for his side.
Victor Osimhen (Napoli) - 17
Europe's top clubs are beginning to sit up and take notice of Osimhen, with the Nigerian striker firing Napoli to potentially their first Serie A title in over three decades, since the heady days of Diego Maradona.
In the past 13 games Osimhen has found the back of the net in 11, with a hat-trick and a couple of braces thrown in for good measure. In total, he has 17 strikes in 18 appearances, and looks set to take home the Serie A Golden Boot come the end of the campaign - he's hoping a Scudetto will be accompanying that, too.
Harry Kane (Tottenham) - 17
Harry Kane is a victim of Erling Haaland's ridiculous success - in any other season prior to the Norwegian's arrival, we'd be talking about how Kane is striking at a rate of nearly a goal a game (17 in 23, to be precise). Unfortunately for the Englishman, though, Haaland has stormed in front in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot.
Regardless, Kane has scored for fun this season, becoming Tottenham's all-time record goalscorer in the process, and has singlehandedly dragged an underperforming side to the knockout stages of the Champions League and a competitive league position. Without Kane, who knows where Tottenham would be?
Erling Haaland (Manchester City) - 26
Leave some goals for the rest of them, Erling. Truly, what a ridiculous number Haaland has notched up in his first year in the Premier League, 26 in just 22 appearances, including four hat-tricks.
If he continues at the rate he is going, Alan Shearer's and Andy Cole's record of 34 goals in a Premier League season - over 42 games, too - will be well and truly smashed out of the park, with Haaland strolling off into the sunset.
