Cristiano Ronaldo tops 2023 global football leaders

Al Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo leads all global scorers in 2023 with 54 goals for club and country.

In a year in which he finished his career with Tottenham and made a sparkling start to his time with Bayern Munich, Harry Kane fell just short of the top spot, ending 2023 with 52 goals as the German league entered its winter break. Same for Kylian Mbappe, who bagged the same total before PSG's schedule wrapped for the year.
Man City have a few more games to go, but Erling Haaland will not get the chance to challenge as a foot injury troubled him through December. He is not expected to play again until January.

Ferencvaros frontman Barnabas Varga is a lesser-known challenger, as his club form in the Hungarian top flight and Europa Conference League helped the 29-year-old earn a place on the Hungary national team where he bagged four goals in his first seven international appearances.

Over in the Americas, where their club seasons are played across a calendar-year schedule, LAFC forward Denis Bouanga won the MLS Golden Boot and set the league record for goals in a year across all competitions, beating his teammate Carlos Vela's mark. Fluminense striker German Cano led his Brazilian club to its first-ever Copa Libertadores title and the final of the FIFA Club World Cup.