Bayern Munich have returned from the winter break as they went into it. Dominant in the Bundesliga.
The defending champions have dropped just four points so far this season and equalled the best-ever return from the first-half of a Bundesliga campaign. They matched their 47 points from 19 matches set under Pep Guardiola in 2013-14.
Bayern are now on 50 points, 11 clear at the top of the table. Vincent Kompany’s men need 42 points from their remaining 16 games to break the overall record in 2012-13 — again set by Bayern, this time under Jupp Heynckes.
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It seems doable. As does the all-time goals record for a top five European league season. Bayern have scored a remarkable 71 goals in 18 games, which is 17 more than any side from England, Italy, Spain and France.
In Harry Kane, Olise and Luis Diaz, they have the three top scorers in the Bundesliga, while last weekend saw Serge Gnabry join the Bayern 100 club and Jamal Musiala make a much-welcomed return after over six months out with a serious leg injury.
| Team | Goals |
|---|---|
| Bayern Munich | 71 |
| Barcelona | 54 |
| Manchester City | 45 |
| Inter | 44 |
| Real Madrid | 43 |
Just 30 more goals are needed to break the Bundesliga goals record, currently held by the 1971-72 side of Beckenbauer, Muller et al. It’s a record that several Bayern sides have come close to matching in recent seasons.
That is surely a foregone conclusion. But can they move past these five sides in the all-time rankings across Europe’s top five leagues? Bear in mind, the Bundesliga season is four games shorter!
5. Barcelona 2011-12
- Goals: 114
Spoiler alert: all five teams on this list had Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo in them.
It’s hardly a surprise given the pair rewrote the history books over their careers but especially in the 2010s when El Clasico was the centre of the football universe and La Liga ruled supreme in Europe.
The 2011-12 season was Pep Guardiola’s final at Camp Nou. While his side failed to win a fourth consecutive title or retain the Champions League, they did pick up yet another Spanish Cup and played excellent football.
The Blaugrana scored five on six occasions while they also won 7-0 at Rayo Vallecano and hit Osasuna for eight.
Messi scored a remarkable 50 league goals – both a La Liga high and post-war record among the top five leagues. He accounted for 44% of Barca’s goals, with Alexis Sanchez their second leading scorer with 12.
4. Barcelona 2012-13
- Goals: 115
Barca topped that tally the very next season by one single goal as they regained the title under the stewardship of Tito Vilanova.
Messi scored only 46 of their 115 with Cesc Fabregas just behind on 10. It was a shared team effort though with 15 players scoring in the league.
While there wasn’t any sevens or eights, the Catalans did make history, becoming the first side to score in every game of a La Liga season.
3. Barcelona 2016-17
- Goals: 116
This season marked the beginning of the end for Messi and Barcelona as Real Madrid regained the title and won their second consecutive Champions League title.
More significantly, Luis Enrique and Neymar left in the summer of 2017, ending both a three-year run for an iconic manager and iconic attacking trio.
MSN’s last dance was their best in terms of league goal output with Messi hitting 37 and Luis Suarez bagging 29. Neymar lagged behind on 13 in the league, but he was the star in Europe.
2. Real Madrid 2014-15
- Goals: 118
This season saw Real Madrid beat Granada 9-1, win 8-2 at Deportivo and Cristiano Ronaldo hit a career-high 48 league goals. But it ended with Carlo Ancelotti leaving the club for the first time.
Ronaldo was helped in attack by Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and new boy James Rodriguez, who combined for a further 41. There was also seven from Javier Hernandez in his one and only season at the Bernabeu.
Despite their 118 goals, Real finished second in the table and in this list.
1. Real Madrid 2011-12
Goals: 121
Undoubtedly the peak of Jose Mourinho’s time in the Spanish capital, Real were simply in a league of their own in 2011-12.
Los Blancos became the first and only side in La Liga history to finish on 100 points and they hit a staggering 121 goals in the process.
Ronaldo reached new levels, scoring 46 and against all 19 sides in the division. He was supported in brilliant fashion by Gonzalo Higuain (22) and Karim Benzema (21) while Mesut Ozil was the lead creator in a squad also featuring Kaka and Angel Di Maria.
It was a season where Mourinho reminded everyone his very best sides were always prolific, and in some style.