Alfredo Morelos of Rangers sets new European goals record
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
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Alfredo Morelos of Rangers has become the first player to score 14 goals before Christmas in a European season.
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Alfredo Morelos has aleady made history in this season's UEFA Europa League – and the Rangers striker could yet snatch a further record from Colombian compatriot Radamel Falcao.
Morelos was the top scorer in UEFA Europa League qualifying this season with eight goals, and added a group-stage leading six to take Rangers to the round of 32. The total of 14 is the most ever scored by a player in a UEFA football club competition before Christmas.
It is enough to leave Morelos already in joint sixth for the most goals scored in a whole UEFA men's club competition season, and just four off the record of Falcao, set in helping Porto win the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League.
In that campaign, Falcao scored in the first leg of the play-off round before claiming 17 in the competition proper, the same tally as Cristiano Ronaldo's total in Real Madrid's 2013/14 UEFA Champions League triumph.
The record for the UEFA Women's Champions League is 15 by Lyon's Ada Hegerberg in 2017/18, while the most in any European club competition was André Vanderlei's 19 for Action 21 Charleroi in the 2003/04 UEFA Futsal Cup.
Most goals in a single UEFA men's club competition season (including qualifying)
18 Radamel Falcao (Porto, 2010/11 UEFA Europa League)
17 Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid, 2013/14 UEFA Champions League)
16 Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid, 2015/16 UEFA Champions League)
15 Jürgen Klinsmann (Bayern München, 1995/96 UEFA Cup)
15 Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid, 2017/18 UEFA Champions League)
14 José Altafini (AC Milan, 1962/63 European Champion Clubs' Cup)
14 Lothar Emmerich (Borussia Dortmund, 1965/66 European Cup Winners' Cup)
14 Klaas Jan Huntelaar (Schalke, 2011/12 UEFA Europa League)
14 Lionel Messi (Barcelona, 2011/12 UEFA Champions League)
14 Alfredo Morelos (Rangers, 2019/20 UEFA Europa League)
14 Ruud van Nistelrooy (Manchester United, 2002/03 UEFA Champions League)
14 John Wark (Ipswich Town, 1980/81 UEFA Cup)