Beyond The Top 5: 10 prolific yet ‘unknown’ strikers in Europe this season

When you think of the most prolific striker in European football this season, Robert Lewandowski comes to mind with 23 league goals. But what if I told you that five players have scored more than Lewandowski this season and there are many others with similarly outstanding goal ratios?

Ten strikers who have been scoring for fun outside the top five European leagues this season, but you probably did not know about them. So, let us spotlight them.

The most recognisable name on this list, mostly because of his exploits in this season’s UEFA Champions League Group Stage where he scored twice against Barcelona and once against Bayern Munich to help Benfica advance to the Round of 16.

What you probably did not know is that Darwin Nunez has one of the best goal ratios in all of Europe, the Uruguayan striker has scored 15 goals in 16 Portuguese league games so far this season, averaging a goal every 77 minutes.

Nunez is still only 22-years old, which makes him an attractive prospect for Europe’s elite clubs; he was almost snapped up by West Ham on transfer deadline day.

25-year old German, Deniz Undav has been a shining light for Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, leading the underdogs in an unprecedented title charge in spectacular fashion.

In his first-ever season of top-flight football, Undav has scored 18 goals in 25 league games, making him the joint-top scorer in the Belgian Pro League.

The man that ties Undav for the top spots among goalscorers in the Belgian Pro League is Michael Frey. The 27-year old Swiss striker has scored 18 goals in 24 league games this season for title-chasing Royal Antwerp.

The only African on this list and the most prolific one in European football right now (yep, more than Mohammed Salah), Ricardo Gomes has been on fire.

The 30-year old Cape Verdean has scored 18 goals in 20 league games for Partizan Belgrade in the Serbian Super Liga, averaging a goal every 86 minutes and sitting 12th in the European Golden Shoe standings.

27-year old Norwegian international Veton Berisha was one of the shining stars of the 2020/21 Norwegian Eliteseren season with 22 goals in 28 games to help Viking to an unlikely third-place finish.

The Norwegian league season ended in December 2021 but their stats are still relevant to this present season, which is why Berisha ranks eighth on the European Golden Shoe ranking, one point ahead of fellow Norwegian striker, Erling Haaland.

Another one here for his exploits last season, 26-year old Estonian striker was the third top scorer in the Estonian Premium Liiga with 23 goals in 30 games before the season ended in December 2021.

His efforts have recently been rewarded with a transfer to a bigger league, having recently signed for Piast Gliwice in the Polish Estrakalasa.

The man who beat Sappinen to the top scorer gong was 30-year old Henri Anier, who found the net 26 times in 30 appearances for Paide Linnameeskond in the Estonian Premium Liiga.

Very few players embody the term ‘late bloomer’ better than Thomas Lehne Olsen, the 30-year old Norwegian who lit up the Eliteserien.

Olsen scored 26 goals in 28 games for underdogs, Lillestrom FK. The interesting part is he had only scored 29 goals in his previous three seasons combined and he currently sits third on the European Golden Shoe standings.

28-year old Danish centre forward, Mikkel Dahl scored 27 goals in 25 appearances for HB Torshavn in the Faroe Island first division to help the club achieve the lofty heights of European football.

Another entry from the Norwegian Eliteserien, Ohi Omoijuanfo topped the scoring charts of a league with high-volume scorers as we have already established.

The 27-year old ex-Norwegian international scored 27 goals for Molde as they finished second in the league, three points behind Bodo Glimt.

That form earned him a transfer to Red Star Belgrade in the recent winter transfer window, where he will face stiffer competition in the Serbian Super Liga and European competitions.