The most impactful and prolific players in Europe’s top 7 leagues: Gyokeres the only one scoring in less than 60 minutes
| Updated: November 5, 2024Ademola Lookman’s recent two-goal performance against Napoli brought back memories of his electrifying hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final last season. Inspired by his standout displays, the team at Sportingpedia decided to investigate which players rank as Europe’s most impactful and prolific scorers so far this season. For this analysis, we focused on the top five scorers from each of the continent’s top 7 leagues – Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Eredivisie, and Liga Portugal.
To capture the true impact of each player, we evaluated not only the number of goals they scored but also the efficiency of their contributions by calculating the minutes required to score or assist. This approach allowed us to uncover some intriguing findings. One standout revelation is that Liga Portugal is home to both, the most impactful, and the most prolific player. Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres scores more frequently than any other player in Europe, netting a goal every 55 minutes and 19 seconds. Additionally, Benfica’s Kerem Akturkoglu emerges as the continent’s most impactful player, registering a goal involvement (goal or assist) every 43 minutes and 53 seconds.
Key Takeaways:
- Viktor Gyokeres scores consistently in under 60 minutes, making him the only player across Europe’s top 7 leagues with such efficiency
- Only Kerem Akturkoglu, Harry Kane, and Omar Marmoush register goal involvements at intervals of less than 50 minutes
- Ayoze Perez outpaces Robert Lewandowski’s efficiency in La Liga, scoring every 61 minutes and 43 seconds compared to Lewandowski’s 70 minutes and 21 seconds
- Atalanta leads with two players across both categories, as Mateo Retegui and Ademola Lookman continue to deliver standout performances
- Liga Portugal ranks highly with three players – Kerem Akturkoglu, Viktor Gyokeres, and Samu – among Europe’s top 10 prolific scorers for the 2024/25 season
- The top 10 most impactful players achieve a goal or assist in less than 68 minutes of game time
The Most Impactful Players
Kerem Akturkoglu stands out as one of Europe’s most impactful players this season. Back in 2018, the Turkish forward caught Galatasaray’s attention by scoring 20 goals in 30 games in Turkey’s fourth division, which led to his signing with the Turkish giants in 2020. Fast forward to 2024, and Akturkoglu has made a remarkable start with Benfica, already tallying 5 goals and 3 assists in just his first 5 league games. In total, Akturkoglu has needed just 351 minutes to reach 8 goal involvements, averaging one every 43 minutes and 53 seconds, making him the most efficient player across Europe’s top 7 leagues.
Joining Akturkoglu in this exclusive list are Bundesliga players Harry Kane and Omar Marmoush, the only other two players with a goal involvement every less than 50 minutes. Kane’s 17 goals and assists for Bayern Munich have come in 753 minutes, averaging an involvement every 44 minutes and 18 seconds. Marmoush, playing for Eintracht Frankfurt, isn’t far behind, contributing to a goal or assist every 46 minutes and 45 seconds.
Atalanta, reigning Europa League champions, uniquely boasts two players on both prolific and impactful lists, with Mateo Retegui and Ademola Lookman displaying impressive chemistry. Both average just over 50 minutes per goal involvement, solidifying Atalanta’s attacking threat. Retegui, Serie A’s leading goal-scorer, notably came off the bench in Atalanta’s 3-0 victory over Napoli, while Lookman, taking the spotlight, netted a first-half brace.
The Most Prolific Players
Viktor Gyokeres leads the scoring charts in Europe’s top 7 leagues with an impressive 16 goals. The Swedish forward has been a revelation for Sporting Lisbon, scoring every 55 minutes and 19 seconds, making him the season’s most prolific player so far. Portuguese football seems to be a hotbed for prolific scorers this season, with Porto and Benfica players like Samu and Akturkoglu also ranking high, occupying the 4th and 6th spots, respectively.
In La Liga, Robert Lewandowski leads the scoring charts with 14 goals. However, it is Villarreal’s Ayoze Perez who edges out Lewandowski in scoring frequency. While Lewandowski has taken 985 minutes to reach his tally, Perez has scored 7 goals in just 432 minutes, with an impressive rate of one goal every 61 minutes and 43 seconds, second only to Gyokeres in Europe. In comparison, Real Madrid’s newest star signing, Kylian Mbappe, averages a goal in Spain’s top flight every 142 minutes.
Meanwhile, Erling Haaland is the only representative from the Premier League among the most prolific scorers. Manchester City’s Norwegian striker sits in the 9th spot, needing an average of 81 minutes and 49 seconds to score in the Premier League this season.