Torino dominate list for most goals in a single league season in Europe

Torino are at the forefront of the teams with the most goals in a single league season in Europe.

The team, led by top-scorer Valentino Mazzola (25 goals), scored a whopping 125 goals in the 1947-48 Serie A season and went on to claim the Scudetto for the fifth time in the club’s history.

The 1947-48 campaign was the only time in Italian history where the Serie A played with a 21-team structure.

Real Madrid are second for most goals scored by a team in a season. The Los Blancos hit 121 goals in the 2011-12 season.

The 121-goal tally came during Jose Mourinho’s second season in charge of Real Madrid. The Galacticos won the La Liga by a goal difference of 89, a record that would eventually be equalled by Barcelona in the 2014-15 campaign.

Cristiano Ronaldo, a four-time Champions League winner and the highest goal scorer of all time, contributed 45 league goals as Los Blancos beat their previous club record of 107 goals set during the 1989–90 season.

The 2011-12 season will be described as one of the finest campaigns in La Liga history, as Real Madrid managed to break many long-standing records. The campaign saw Los Blancos become the first team in Spanish top-flight history to register 100 points in a season.

The 1949-50 AC Milan team are the third side on our list for most goals in a single league season in Europe. Led from the front by Swedish forward Gunnar Nordahl, who netted 35 times in 37 games, the Rossoneri finished as top-scorers of the 1949-50 season that worked around a 20-team setup.

Barcelona comes in fourth place for teams with the most goals in a single league season. The Blaugrana netted 116 goals in the 2016-17 campaign, and it was the fifth time in six seasons since 2011 (2011-12, 2012-13, 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17) they scored 100-plus goals in a La Liga campaign.

Among the campaigns where Barcelona scored 100-plus goals in the league, Lionel Messi finished as the leading scorer thrice (50 in 2011-12, 46 in 2012-13, and 37 in 2016-17).

Manchester City hold the record for most goals scored by the team in a Premier League season. The Cityzens scored 106 goals in 2017-18 Premier League campaign, a record-breaking year that also saw the club register records for most points (100), most away points (50), most wins (32), most away wins (16), most goals (106), best goal difference (+79) and most consecutive victories (18).

Sergio Aguero, who retired from football in December 2021, contributed 21 league goals for the team which received the nickname ‘The Centurions’.

The 2017/18 Paris Saint-Germain team is the sixth side on the list. The Paris-based club tallied 108 goals in the Ligue 1, with Edinson Cavani netting 28 times. PSG claimed the domestic quadruple of Ligue 1, Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue, Trophée des Champions for the third time since 2014. They would replicate the feat of scoring 100-plus goals once again in the following season as they hit 105 goals.

Chelsea are eighth on our list for most goals in a single season. The Blues scored 103 goals in the 2009/10 league campaign and became the first Premier League club in history to amass triple figures in a single campaign. The performance meant Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea team became the first side since the 1962 Tottenham side to score 100 goals in the English top flight.

Bayern Munich hold the German record for most goals in a single season. The Bavarians netted 101 goals in the 1972-73 season, where Gerd Muller set the record for most league goals in a campaign (40).

49 years later, the Bayern Munich team of 2020-21 would once again score 100 or more goals in a single league campaign. Furthermore, Muller’s record of most league goals in a single season would be broken by Robert Lewandowski (41 goals).

Most goals scored by a team in a season in Europe

Author: William Paul

Featured photo: AFP / MIGUEL MEDINA