While there might appear to be a goal drought in some leagues, Alfredo Morelos is on a roll.
The Rangers man has scored 14 goals in his side’s run in the UEFA Europa League so far this season (qualifying and group stages included). It’s most ever scored by a player in a UEFA football club competition before Christmas. UEFA confirmed the record on Tuesday.
At this rate, Morelos is on course to snatch another record from Colombian compatriot Radamel Falcao.
His tally leaves him in joint-sixth for the most goals scored in a whole UEFA men’s club competition season. He’s just four off equalling the record set by Falcao in 2010/11.
Most goals in a UEFA competition in a season
*Stats via UEFA’s official website.
Rangers face Braga in their at Ibrox on 20 February, where Morelos will get a chance to take another step closer to smashing the record.
Cristiano Ronaldo, now with Juventus, donates the list for most goals in UEFA competitions, appearing on the list three times.
Morelos has strong competition from Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski for most goals in all European competitions, though.
The 31-year old is in red-hot form for his club in the league and has already found the back of the net ten times in five Champions League outings.
Most Europa League goals in a player’s career
In terms of most goals in the Europa League in a player’s career, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar tops the charts with 34 goals in 50 matches for three different clubs. Henrik Larsson is second with 31 while Falcao is third with 30 goals.
Larsson has retired while Huntelaar is currently playing for Ajax Amsterdam and Falcoa is at Galatasaray. Neither of those clubs managed to make it out of the Champions League group stages, but Ajax will move to the Europa League, which could see Huntelaar add to his tally.
According to UEFA, the record for Women’s Champions League is 15 by Lyon’s Ada Hegerberg in 2017/18, while the most in any European club competition was Andr? Vanderlei’s 19 for Action 21 Charleroi in the 2003/04 UEFA Futsal Cup.