Before 27: The Data Behind Messi’s Unmatched Scoring Peak And How Mbappé Compares

‎Kylian Mbappé recently turned 27, and the Real Madrid forward has already broken numerous records in his career.

‎However, he has not managed to surpass Lionel Messi in the tally of league goals scored before turning 27.

‎In Europe’s top five leagues, here are the 10 players with the most league goals before reaching their 27th birthday.

‎Lionel Messi: 243 goals

‎Lionel Messi’s tally of 243 league goals before turning 27 has remained untouched since 2014.

‎He remains La Liga’s all-time top scorer with 474 goals more than half of which he astonishingly scored before his 27th birthday.

‎What makes the feat even more remarkable is that Messi wasn’t operating as a traditional No. 9. Despite not being an out-and-out striker, his productivity was unmatched, and he still managed to supply 94 league assists in that period, underscoring just how complete a creator and scorer he was.

‎Kylian Mbappe: 239 goals

‎Mbappe was just four goals shy of levelling Messi’s record.

‎The French forward scored the majority of his league goals in Ligue 1 for PSG and has kept that same pace with Real Madrid in La Liga.

‎If he maintains his current scoring rate, he’ll surely rank among the all-time greats by the time he retires.

‎Gerd Müller: 204 goals

‎Before Messi arrived, Muller held the record for the most league goals scored before turning 27.

‎In fact, he was the only player in one of Europe’s top-five leagues to exceed 200 goals before his 27th birthday in the 20th century.

‎Overall, Muller tallied a record 365 Bundesliga goals, with 204 of them coming before his 27th birthday.

‎Cristiano Ronaldo: 174 goals

‎Considering Ronaldo spent his early years playing as a traditional winger in the Premier League, his output becomes even more impressive with that context in mind.

‎He turned 27 in February 2012, during his third season in Spain with Real Madrid.

‎Now at the impressive age of 40, CR7 remains truly one of a kind.

‎Giuseppe Meazza: 172 goals

‎Meazza celebrated his 27th birthday in 1937 while with Inter Milan.

‎He remains the club’s all-time top scorer with 287 goals and is tied for the fourth-highest scorer in Serie A history.

‎The Italian forward was also the first player in Serie A history to reach both 100 and 200 goals, a notable achievement.

‎Raul: 166 goals

‎Raul made his senior debut for Real Madrid in 1994 and he went on to score 228 league goals in 550 matches for the Spanish giants.

‎In total, he scored 166 La Liga goals before turning 27, a figure surpassed in Spain only by Messi.

‎Erling Haaland: 166 goals

‎Haaland is only 25 and has already scored 166 league goals, so he’s certain to climb this list in the coming years.

‎If you limit it to Bundesliga and Premier League goals, he’s already surpassed the totals Rooney and Aguero had before turning 27.

‎Haaland will turn 27 in July 2027, leaving roughly a year and a half to add to his tally.