Winning major trophies is one way to cement legend status at a football club, but there are others.
When an elite footballer spends his entire career at one club, he is adored by the fans.
Another way to win the supporters’ affection and enter into the history books is by scoring goals. Lots of goals.
Here, a look at the all-time top scorers for some of the biggest clubs in Europe…
AC Milan (Gunnar Nordahl, 221 goals)
A legendary Swedish striker who played in the 1940s and 1950s, Gunnar Nordahl still holds the record for goals per appearance in Italy and is AC Milan’s all-time top scorer.
Nordahl netted 221 times for the Rossoneri in seven years at the San Siro and won Serie A twice. He also scored 43 goals in just 33 games for Sweden.
Ajax (Piet van Reenen, 278 goals)
Piet van Reenen played for Ajax between 1928 and 1943 and the former forward remains the Amsterdam club’s all-time top scorer.
Van Reenen scored 278 goals for Ajax in all competitions and helped the club win five Dutch titles in the 1930s. He is just eight ahead of the legendary Johan Cruyff, who netted 270 times across two spells.
Arsenal (Thierry Henry, 228 goals)
Idolised by a generation of Arsenal fans, Thierry Henry joined the Gunners after a short spell at Juventus and became a legend in the red half of north London.
Henry helped Arsenal win two Premier League titles, including an unbeaten season in 2003/04, three FA Cups and a Champions League final in 2006. The former France forward scored 226 goals in eight seasons before signing for Barcelona, later returning on loan from New York Red Bulls to net a couple more in 2012.
Atlético Madrid (Antoine Griezmann, 197* goals)
After an ultimately unsuccessful two-year spell at Barcelona, Antoine Griezmann returned to Atlético Madrid in 2021 and the former France forward surpassed the legendary Luis Aragonés as the club’s all-time top scorer in January 2024.
By April 2025, Griezmann was closing in on 200 goals in all competitions for Atleti. A World Cup winner with France in 2018, the forward announced his international retirement in September 2024.
Barcelona (Lionel Messi, 672 goals)
Lionel Messi moved to Barcelona as a 13-year-old and after continuing his development at the famous La Masia academy, he changed the club forever.
In 17 seasons at Camp Nou, Messi scored an amazing 672 goals in 778 games and amassed a club-record 34 trophies in that time, including 10 La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues.
Bayern Munich (Gerd Müller, 565 goals)
Between 1964 and 1979, Gerd Müller scored 565 goals for Bayern Munich in a record which may never be beaten.
The legendary attacker, a World Cup winner and European champion with West Germany, helped the Bavarians to four Bundesliga titles and three European Cups in a glorious era. He passed away in 2021, aged 75.
Benfica (Eusébio, 473 goals)
One of Portugal’s most legendary players, Eusébio was born in Portuguese Mozambique and signed for Benfica as a 19-year-old in 1961.
He went on to score 473 goals in all competitions, winning nine Portuguese titles and a European Cup in a 13-year-spell at the Lisbon club.
Borussia Dortmund (Alfred Preissler, 177 goals)
Alfred “Adi” Preißler won back-to-back German championships with Borussia Dortmund in 1956 and 1957 and was capped twice by West Germany.
The Duisburg-born forward spent 12 years at Dortmund across two spells and is the club’s all-time top scorer with 177 goals in all competitions.
Chelsea (Frank Lampard, 211 goals)
Frank Lampard joined Chelsea from West Ham in 2001 and the former England midfielder went on to spend 13 successful seasons at Stamford Bridge.
A three-time Premier League winner with the Blues, Lampard also featured in Champions League and Europa League triumphs. In total, he netted 211 goals for the west London club, beating the previous record of 202 held by Bobby Tambling since the late 1960s.
Inter (Giuseppe Meazza, 284 goals)
Inter have had some elite forwards on their books over the years, but the club’s all-time top scorer played a very long time ago.
Giuseppe Meazza spent 14 seasons at Inter in the 1930s and 1940s, scoring 284 in 408 appearances for the Milan club. He helped the Nerazzurri to two Serie A titles and a Coppa Italia and such was his influence that the San Siro stadium is officially named Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in his honour.
Juventus (Alessandro Del Piero, 290 goals)
After starting his career with Padova in Serie B, Alessandro Del Piero moved to Juventus in 1993 and stayed at the Turin club for almost two decades.
Del Piero played 705 times for Juventus and is the club’s all-time top scorer with 290 goals. He won six Serie A titles with the Bianconeri, while also featuring in another two which were revoked due to the Calciopoli scandal. A Champions League winner and three-time finalist, Del Piero was a key part of Italy’s World Cup-winning squad in 2006.
Lazio (Ciro Immobile, 207 goals)
After turning out for a number of different clubs early in his career, Ciro Immobile settled at Lazio and spent eight seasons with the Rome outfit.
In 340 appearances between 2016 and 2024, Immobile scored 207 goals in all competitions for Lazio, helping the Eagles to a Coppa Italia and two Supercoppa titles.
Liverpool (Ian Rush, 346 goals)
Ian Rush spent 15 years at Liverpool across two spells in the 1980s and 1990s, either side of a sole season at Juventus in 1987/88.
The former Wales striker scored a club-record 346 goals for the Reds and won an array of silverware, including five First Division titles and two European Cups.
Manchester City (Sergio Agüero, 260 goals)
Sergio Agüero’s dramatic late winner for Manchester City against QPR on the final day of the 2011/12 season sealed the title for the Sky Blues and is one of the Premier League’s most iconic moments.
The Argentine attacker won five Premier League titles overall among a a series of trophies and was a Champions League finalist in 2021. He scored 260 goals in 390 appearances across 10 seasons at the Etihad.
Manchester United (Wayne Rooney, 253 goals)
Wayne Rooney spent 13 years at Manchester United and won an array of silverware in that time, including five Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2008.
The former England forward surpassed Bobby Charlton’s record of 249 goals for the Red Devils in January 2017 and ended up with 253 in 559 appearances for the Old Trafford outfit.
Napoli (Dries Mertens, 148 goals)
Dries Mertens spent nine seasons at Napoli between 2013 and 2022 and in that time, the Belgian striker surpassed Marek Hamšík to become the club’s all-time top scorer.
Mertens scored 148 goals for Napoli in just under 400 appearances in all competitions and helped the Blues win two Coppa Italia crowns and a Supercoppa Italiana during his career in Italy.
Olympique Marseille (Gunnar Andersson, 194 goals)
Born in Sweden, Gunnar Andersson spent most of his career in France and was therefore not picked for his national team.
In eight years at Marseille between 1950 and 1958, Andersson scored 194 goals for OM and remains the club’s all-time top scorer to this day. He passed away at the age of just 41 in 1969, as he was heading to the Stade Vélodrome to watch a match against Dukla Prague in the European Cup Winners’ Cup.
Paris Saint-Germain (Kylian Mbappé, 256 goals)
After starting his career with Monaco and winning Ligue 1 with the Red and Whites, Kylian Mbappé moved to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.
In seven seasons at the Parc des Princes, Mbappé won a further six Ligue 1 titles and helped PSG to the Champions League final in 2020. He left for Real Madrid in the summer of 2024 as the club’s all-time top scorer with 256 goals in just 308 appearances.
Porto (Fernando Gomes, 355 goals)
Fernando Gomes scored five goals en route to Porto’s European Cup win in 1987, missing the final against Bayern Munich through injury after breaking a leg just days earlier.
Gomes was back to score as Porto beat Peñarol in the Intercontinental Cup in December. In total, the former Portugal striker netted 355 times in all competitions for his hometown club.
Real Madrid (Cristiano Ronaldo, 450 goals)
Cristiano Ronaldo spent nine years at Real Madrid and scored an incredible 450 goals, averaging 50 per season for Los Blancos.
The Portuguese superstar reached that total in just 438 games, obliterating Raúl’s record of 323 goals, and helped Madrid win the Champions League four times.
Roma (Francesco Totti, 307 goals)
Francesco Totti received big offers from many of Europe’s top clubs during his career, including Real Madrid, but stayed loyal to Roma and retired as a one-club man in 2017.
Totti is Roma’s record appearance holder, with 786 games for the Giallorossi in all competitions, and his 307 goals leave him way out on his own as the club’s all-time top scorer.
Tottenham Hotspur (Harry Kane, 280 goals)
Harry Kane came through the youth ranks at Tottenham and went on to become the club’s all-time top scorer, surpassing the legendary Jimmy Greaves.
Before leaving for Bayern Munich in the summer of 2023, the England striker scored 280 goals in all competitions for Spurs. He was unable to win a trophy during his time in N17, though.
