Although the world of football works on a seasonal basis, it is also interesting to look at it through the calendar year; to see how a player overcomes the changes of the summer and rounds off the 12 months. Therefore, below we highlight the top scorers throughout the whole of 2023.

These are the players in the major leagues who have scored the most goals for both their clubs and their national teams in all official competitions. This means League, Cup, European and international tournaments, including national team friendlies, qualifiers, etc.

Kylian Mbappe was the top scorer in 2022 with 56 goals. The World Cup helped him open up a lead over Erling Haaland, second in this ranking with 46, ahead of Robert Lewandowski with 41. All three are once again major contenders for this award in 2023.

The likes of Leo Messi and Karim Benzema, as well as classics such as Harry Kane and Wissam Ben Yedder, are also expected to compete for this year's crown, and we'll see what surprise 2023 unveils. Here is their provisional ranking of top scorers.