According to a report by Fabrizio Romano on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, Lionel Messi remains the record holder for the most goals scored by a footballer in a single calendar year in the 21st century, having netted an incredible 91 goals in 2012.

The Argentine superstar achieved the remarkable milestone during his time at Barcelona, scoring 79 goals for the Spanish club and another 12 goals for Argentina's national team.

Messi's extraordinary scoring record in 2012 remains one of the greatest individual achievements in football history. His ability to consistently find the back of the net across different competitions made that year particularly special.

Several other football superstars have also produced impressive scoring performances in a calendar year. Robert Lewandowski scored 69 goals in 2021, matching Cristiano Ronaldo's tally of 69 goals in 2013.

Ronaldo also enjoyed another remarkable scoring year in 2012, when he found the net 63 times for club and country. The Portuguese forward's consistency throughout his career has established him as one of the most prolific goalscorers in football history.

Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappé recorded an impressive 66 goals in 2025, further demonstrating his remarkable attacking quality and ability to compete at the highest level.

Despite the incredible achievements of Ronaldo, Lewandowski and Mbappé, none has surpassed Messi's extraordinary 91-goal record from 2012.

The record remains a major talking point whenever discussions about football's greatest goalscorers arise, particularly because scoring 91 goals in just 12 months requires an exceptional level of consistency, fitness and finishing ability.

With modern football continuing to produce exceptional attacking talents, supporters will be interested to see whether another player can eventually challenge Messi's historic achievement.

For now, Lionel Messi remains the holder of the remarkable record, having set a standard that has proved extremely difficult for even the world's best goalscorers to match.