Who accomplished it in the fewest appearances?
It was hard to imagine when Mohamed Salah left Chelsea for Serie A, having scored only two goals and being labeled a flop by some, that he would return to the Premier League two years later and achieve legendary status. The Egyptian King has since solidified his icon status at Anfield, joining Liverpool from Roma in 2017 for €42 million, and he hasn’t stopped scoring. In his debut season, he netted 32 goals in the Premier League and broke the record for most goal contributions in a single season last term while helping his team secure the title. With two Premier League trophies, one Champions League, one FA Cup, one EFL Cup, and a spot as a Liverpool hero, Salah has reached yet another milestone this weekend.
It was a gift, but the Liverpool star won’t complain. Just before half-time in a tough match against Aston Villa, Salah seized the opportunity presented by a miscalculated pass from Emiliano Martinez, tapping the ball into an empty net. This goal marks Salah reaching 250 goals for Liverpool across all competitions, making him the 11th player to achieve this milestone for any top-five league club this century. It took the 33-year-old 415 games to reach this tally, but how does this total compare to the other ten players who have achieved the same since 2000? Let’s take a closer look.
Players Who Reached 250 Goals for a Top-Five League Club This Century
At the forefront is Cristiano Ronaldo, who reached the 250-goal mark in the fewest matches—just 244 games for Real Madrid after his transfer from Manchester United. Following him is Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, who netted 250 goals for Bayern Munich in 294 appearances. Third is Kylian Mbappé, who accomplished the same feat for Paris Saint-Germain in 299 matches. Lionel Messi reached this milestone in 327 games for Barcelona, ranking him fourth, while Sergio Agüero follows in fifth place with 250 goals in 360 appearances for Manchester City, making him the top Premier League player on the list.
Sixth place goes to Harry Kane, who scored 250 goals for Tottenham in 390 matches. Salah himself is now seventh on the list with 415 games. The other four players who achieved this milestone include: Karim Benzema at Real Madrid in 521 games, Wayne Rooney at Manchester United in 552 games, Francesco Totti at Roma in 556, and finally, Thomas Müller at Bayern Munich in 756 games.
