By Fatih Erel
ISTANBUL (AA) - Football spectators were entertained with star forwards that enjoyed breakout seasons across Europe's top five leagues.
Although the likes of Burak Yilmaz and Robert Lewandowski managed to help their respective teams win league titles, the performances shown by Kylian Mbappe, Romelu Lukaku, and Erling Haaland were equally fascinating.
Strikers who marked 2021:
- Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich, Poland)
Bayern Munich forward Lewandowski has been elected the best football player of the first half of the season.
Scoring 41 goals, the Polish star broke Gerd Muller's record for the most goals in a German Bundesliga season.
Lewandowski, who netted 30 times in 25 matches in all competitions with the Bayern Munich shirt, produced 11 goals for his nation last year.
He is the only star to be the top scorer in the German top-tier football league four times in a row.
The Polish striker became the first striker of the year at the “Golden Ball” (Ballon d’Or) award ceremony.
He also played a vital role in Bayern Munich's ninth consecutive Bundesliga title.
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus/Manchester United, Portugal)
Ronaldo has become the only player in his club and national team career to surpass 800 goals in top-tier leagues.
The 36-year-old Portuguese star netted 450 goals in Real Madrid, making 438 appearances, 132 goals in 313 games for Manchester United, 101 goals with Juventus in 134 games, and five goals in 31 matches for Sporting Lisbon.
The experienced forward scored 115 goals in 184 matches for the Portuguese national team.
With these 115 goals, he is the all-time top scorer in international football.
Ronaldo is also the top scorer in the history of the UEFA Champions League with 140 goals.
- Mohammed Salah (Liverpool, Egypt)
Liverpool forward Salah is the highest-scoring African player in the English Premier League history, scoring 113 goals.
The Egyptian star, who scored 16 goals in 20 matches in the league this season, is leading the Premier League's top scorers list in the 2021-22 campaign.
Salah netted 35 goals in 64 matches in the UEFA Champions League.
The 29-year-old scored 43 goals in 73 international appearances for Egypt.
- Karim Benzema (Real Madrid, France)
In the UEFA Nations League final, Karim Benzema netted a goal in the match that France beat Spain 2-1.
Benzema managed to produce one goal in the match that they defeated Belgium with a 3-2 score in the semi-finals.
The 34-year-old French striker netted four goals for his nation in the UEFA EURO 2020.
He scored 20 goals in 24 games in the first half of this season and 30 goals in 46 matches last season.
Benzema, who was called back to the national team after 5.5 years in May and renewed a two-year deal with Real Madrid, had a share in France’s championship in the UEFA Nations League.
- Lionel Messi (Barcelona/Paris Saint-Germain, Argentina)
Lionel Messi won the Ballon d’Or award given to the player of the year.
Claiming the award in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, and 2019, Messi broke his own record as the owner of the Golden Ball for the seventh time.
Argentina won their first major title in 28 years and Messi finally won his first medal in a blue-and-white jersey.
Messi played in only 16 games at PSG this season because of his injury, netted six goals.
The Argentine superstar tallied 38 goals in 47 games for Barcelona last season.
- Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund, Norway)
Haaland broke the records for the youngest player to reach 20 goals in the history of the UEFA Champions League in the fewest matches.
The Borussia Dortmund forward netted 41 goals in 41 matches in all lanes last season and became the top scorer in the UEFA Champions League with 10 goals.
The Norwegian star produced 19 goals in 16 matches in all competitions this season.
- Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan/Chelsea, Belgium)
Belgian forward Lukaku was transferred to Chelsea at the beginning of this season for his high-level performance in the Italian team Inter Milan last season.
The 28-year-old netted 30 goals in 44 games with Inter shirt last season and scored seven goals in 18 games in all lanes with the Blues this season.
- Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain, France)
French star Mbappe was awarded the player of the year award in the French Ligue 1.
The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) regular had the most goals scored in his career in the 2020-21 season.
Mbappe, 23, scored 42 goals in 47 matches in all competitions.
In the UEFA Nations League final that France toppled Spain 2-1, Mbappe put the ball into the Spanish net once.
- Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur, England)
Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane became the top scorer in the 2020-21 English Premier League season with 23 goals.
The English forward was also the highest scorer in the Premier League in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons.
Kane scored 33 goals in 49 matches in all competitions last season.
The 28-year-old star also produced four goals on the way to his nation's EURO 2020 final.
- Burak Yilmaz (Lille, Turkiye)
French club Lille ended PSG’s three-year reign in France, winning the Ligue 1 title.
The team were crowned the French champions for the first time since 2011.
Yilmaz, one of the goal threats of Lille, became the first Turkish football player to score 16 goals among the five big leagues in Europe after the 2007-08 season.
The 36-year-old striker was also Lille's top scorer last season.
* Writing by Emre Asikci.