GOAL brings you this season’s leading marksmen in the MLS – who will come out on top?
The 2023-24 French top-flight season is ongoing and the heated race for the Ligue 1 crown has begun, as well as the battle to earn the crown of the league’s top goal-scorer.
Kylian Mbappe was the runaway winner of last season’s award with his 29 goals firing Paris Saint-Germain to yet another French Ligue 1 title. His nearest challenger was surprisingly Alexandre Lacazette, the Lyon forward just missing out again with 27 strikes to his name.
Mbappe leads the way yet again and is the man to beat among the Ligue 1 top scorers for the 2023/24 season as he looks to scoop his sixth straight Golden Boot.
Meanwhile, a raft of prolific goal-getters, such as Lacazette, Jonathan David, Wissam Ben Yedder, Tarem Moffi, and Folarin Balogun, are determined to give the French superstar a good run for his money as they push their way up in the goal-scoring charts this time around.
As the 2023-24 campaign rumbles on, GOAL is on hand to monitor the exploits of the most prolific marksmen in France.
1Kylian Mbappe | Paris Saint-Germain | 24 goals
An unstoppable goal-scoring machine and one of the fastest dribblers in the world, Kylian Mbappe entered the 2023-24 season as the favourite to be the Ligue 1 top scorer by the end of the campaign yet again.
With Lionel Messi and Neymar leaving Parc des Princes last summer, the Frenchman has to shoulder the responsibility of guiding the Parisians to glory, albeit his own future is well and truly up in the air, with just 6 months left to run on his current PSG deal and persistent Real Madrid links.
2Jonathan David | Lille | 16 goals
Jonathan David has been in red-hot scoring form for Lille in the last couple of seasons, and the electric Canada international looks to be amongst the most exciting prospects in Europe at the moment.
3Alexandre Lacazette | Lyon | 13 goals
Having rejoined Lyon last summer following the expiration of his deal at Arsenal, Lacazette enjoyed a rich vein of form last campaign, scoring an impressive 27 Ligue 1 goals, finishing second only to Mbappe in Ligue 1’s goal-scoring charts. And the veteran goal-getter is showing no signs of losing his magic touch in front of goal this season either!
4Thijs Dallinga | Toulouse | 11 goals
Thijs Dallinga arrived in Ligue 1 having earned a reputation as a prolific goalscorer in the lower leagues and is now starting to deliver at the top level with Toulouse FC.
5Wissam Ben Yedder | AS Monaco | 11 goals
France international striker and Monaco captain, Wissam Ben Yedder, has found himself at the centre of some huge off-the-pitch controversies in recent times, but those haven’t really impacted his prolific goal-scoring form on the field this season.
6Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | Marseille | 11 goals
Considered past his use date by many, former Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has recaptured his best form and lifted Marseille back into the top-four race. After a slow start, he has exploded with a string of goals and assists.
7Terem Moffi | Nice | 10 goals
Nice striker Moffi only headed to the Allianz Riviera from FC Lorient in January this year after a prolific spell with Lorient. A modern striker with bags of pace and power, and a cool head inside the box, the 23-year-old is already proving worth the money at his new club, and has been in brilliant form so far this season.
8Mostafa Mohamed | Nantes | 8 goals
Having initially joined Nantes on loan from Galatasaray in 2022, Mostafa Mohamed produced a respectable return of eight goals in 36 Ligue 1 games last term, with just 18 of them being starts. But he appears to be already on track to blaze past his last season’s output after a red-hot goal-scoring start to the new campaign, having made his move permanent in July.
9Akor Adams | Montpellier | 7 goals
Akor Adams is the latest to join the ever-growing list of Nigerian strikers shining in Europe. The 23-year-old signed for Montpellier from Norwegian outfit Lillestorm for a reported fee of just €4.5m in the summer. He’s arguably already worth several times that, having hit the ground running in Ligue 1.
10Takumi Minamino | AS Monaco | 7 goals
Much was expected when Takumi Minamino completed his £15m (€17m) move from Liverpool to Monaco in the summer of 2022. After a challenging debut season at Monaco, the Japanese attacker has found his form again this term, and his excellent performances have helped Monaco challenge at the top of the table.
11Goncalo Ramos | Paris Saint-Germain | 7 goals
Goncalo Ramos needed some time to settle to life in France since his arrival from Portugal but the Portuguese international has started finding his groove scoring goals for the Parisian outfit.
12Vitinha | Paris Saint-Germain | 7 goals
Another Portuguese star in PSG’s roster, midfielder Vitinha can bind the team together and transform defence into attack at ease. The magician has commanded PSG’s engine room excellently throughout the 2023/24 Ligue 1 campaign as he continues scoring for Enrique’s men.
13Folarin Balogun | AS Monaco | 7 goals
After showcasing his immense goal-scoring talent with Reims last year, USMNT international striker Folarin Balogun returned to Ligue 1 over the summer, this time joining AS Monaco on a permanent transfer from Arsenal. Despite missing two penalties on his debut, the young striker has quickly settled into his new surroundings and is again looking sharp in front of goal.
14Emanuel Emegha | RC Strasbourg | 7 goals
21-year-old Emanuel Emegha has made waves since he arrived from the Austrian Bundesliga as the Dutch forward has the capability of unleashing lethal strikes for RC Strasbourg.
15Elye Wahi | RC Lens | 7 goals
Elye Wahi garnered massive attention for his heroics for Montpellier in Ligue 1 with the young forward scoring 10 and 19 goals in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 campaigns before switching to Lens.
The French international has once again produced the same kind of performance for his club in the 2023/24 Ligue 1 campaign.
16Benjamin Bourigeaud | Stade Rennais F.C. | 7 goals
Despite operating as a midfielder Benjamin Bourigeaud has the capability of scoring useful goals for his side. The French footballer has had more than 10 goal contributions in three successive domestic campaigns including the 2023/24 Ligue 1 season.