As football is often a low-scoring game, those who score the most goals often get the most accolades. After all, only two defenders have ever won the Ballon d'Or.
Being right-footed is far more common in football, but every now and then, a brilliant left-footed player comes along. The legendary likes of Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona spring to mind on that front.
In the 21st century, many of the world's best players have preferred to use their left foot. Of course, there are those who are nearly just as good on either, meaning they don't really have a weak foot.
However, of the top 10 left-footed goalscorers at club level over the past 26 years, only one man was actually a right-footer: Cristiano Ronaldo. The people at The Pop Foot have worked out the data, and the full rankings and final table can be found below.
10 Arjen Robben
146 Left-Footed Goals in 617 Games
Arjen Robben running
Arjen Robben was famously one of the most one-footed footballers to ever make it to the very top of the game. Defenders may have known he was always going to cut onto his stronger left foot and aim to curl the ball into the far corner, but he was so good at it that there was very little they could do to stop him.
As such, it makes a lot of sense that Arjen Robben makes this list. He scored 146 left-footed goals in 617 games for different clubs across his career. Perhaps his most memorable strike came for Bayern Munich as he bagged the winner in the 2013 Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund. You can guess which foot he scored with.
9 Cristiano Ronaldo
147 Left-Footed Goals in 1082 Games
Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo during the warm up
As a man driven by his goal-scoring exploits, Cristiano Ronaldo will be delighted to make the cut here. Of the 10 players on the list, he is the only one who is right-footed. It's interesting that he's played far more games than anyone else on the list, but he was also scoring far more right-footed goals in that time.
Ronaldo appears absolutely driven to reach 1000 career goals before he hangs up his boots. With that in mind, there is no way he could afford to overlook using his left foot. His ability to score any type of goal has led him to huge success, most notably at the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid, where he established himself as one of the game's all-time greats.
8 Romelu Lukaku
151 Left-Footed Goals in 677 Games
Manchester United's Romelu Lukaku
Premier League - Manchester United v Southampton - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - March 2, 2019 Manchester United's Romelu Lukaku reacts after a chance Action Images via Reuters/Carl Recine
Romelu Lukaku is often maligned, having struggled at both Chelsea and Manchester United after big-money moves, but his goalscoring record is certainly not to be scoffed at. After all, he is Belgium's all-time top scorer with 89 goals in 124 appearances, and ranks as the second-highest European men's international goalscorer, only behind the aforementioned Ronaldo.
With 151 left-footed goals in 677 games, Lukaku has also made a huge impact at many of his clubs. He's won the league in Italy with Inter Milan and Napoli, as well as in Belgium with Anderlecht, showing he knows how to find the back of the net, no matter which country he's playing in.
Top goalscorers Related
Top 35 Goalscorers in Men’s International Football History
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi now occupy the top two spots on the list of players with the most international goals.
7 Angel Di Maria
156 Left-Footed Goals in 833 Games
Angel Di Maria
Angel Di Maria
Like Lukaku, Angel Di Maria is another forward who should not be judged by his struggles at Old Trafford. After all, the Argentine has shone pretty much everywhere else he has played across his glittering career – for both club and country.
With 156 left-footed goals in 833 games, he has won league titles for Benfica, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Rosario Central, while also getting his hands on one Champions League trophy. His best career moment most certainly came for Argentina as they won the 2022 World Cup. Naturally, Di Maria scored with his trusty left foot.
6 Lukas Podolski
168 Left-Footed Goals in 695 Games
Lukas Podolski celebrates scoring for Arsenal against Fulham.
Lukas Podolski is one of those footballers who is best known for having one astounding attribute. It didn't matter which club he was playing for; he always dazzled fans and left rivals despairing with his hammer of a left foot.
He is best remembered for his time at FC Koln, but spent time at Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan, as well as many other clubs during the latter stages of his career. Like many on this list, he also has a World Cup under his belt, winning with Germany in 2014. Were it not for his wonderful left-footed ball-striking ability, Podolski certainly wouldn't have achieved quite so much in his career.
5 Erling Haaland
193 Left-Footed Goals in 365 Games
Manchester City's Erling Haaland reacts
Still only 25, Erling Haaland is by far the youngest on the list and is scoring at an incredible rate. Having played just 365 club games, the striker has already bagged 193 goals with his strongest foot – and you get the sense there are far more to come.
He started out in his native Norway, with Bryne and then Molde, before being snapped up by Red Bull Salzburg. Before long, Borussia Dortmund picked him up, and just two years later, Manchester City paid the big bucks to make Haaland part of their team. That's certainly paid off, with his goals helping deliver their first-ever Champions League trophy. By the end of his career, you'd expect him to rank very high on the list.
4 Antoine Griezmann
198 Left-Footed Goals in 782 Games
Antoine Griezmann in action for Atletico Madrid during the Club World Cup
Just five goals ahead of Haaland, despite having played more than twice as many club games, Antoine Griezmann ranks in at number four on the list. That's not to suggest the Frenchman hasn't been anything but a fantastic footballer across his career. He's also one who should be judged on far more than just his goals.
Indeed, Griezmann has always been a delightful player, capable of creating joy and chaos with his brilliant mind and wand of a left foot. A 2018 World Cup winner with France, his best achievements at club level have been with Atletico Madrid, where he has won the Supercopa de Espana, Europa League, and UEFA Super Cup. He also won the Copa del Rey at Barcelona, but has somehow never got his hands on a league title for either club.
3 Mohamed Salah
232 Left-Footed Goals in 678 Games
mohamed salah liverpool
Only the third player to break the 200 goal mark, it'll come as little surprise to Premier League fans to see Mohamed Salah rank high on this list. After all, he's been blasting in goal after goal in Liverpool colours for some time now, with the bulk of them coming from his stronger foot.
It's wild to think that he actually flopped at Chelsea, having joined from Basel in 2014. Spells in Italy with Fiorentina and Roma quickly reminded everyone of his quality, and Liverpool wisely swooped in to bring the Egyptian to Anfield. In truth, he's not really looked back since leaving Stamford Bridge all those years ago, winning two Premier League titles and the Champions League, with goals and asissts coming on tap.
2 Hulk
263 Left-Footed Goals in 867 Games
Hulk
Hulk
A little like Podolski, Hulk really made a name for himself thanks to his rocket of a left foot. After all, he once took one of the most powerful free-kicks ever while playing for Atletico Mineiro against Santos. It was so well-hit, in fact, that it nearly broke the net.
European football fans will best recall Hulk for his time at Porto and Zenit Saint Petersburg, but he's represented many clubs across the globe, winning league titles in Portugal, Russia, China and Brazil. With 263 left-footed goals in 867 games for all those clubs, he will forever be remembered in the game for his stunning ball-striking ability.
1 Lionel Messi
647 Left-Footed Goals in 941 Games
Lionel Messi celebrates a goalSam Navarro | Imagn Images
And finally, there could only be one man to sit at the top of this list. Not only is Lionel Messi the most-prolific left-footed player of the 21st Century, but he is almost certainly the best player of that era, if not of all time.
With 647 left-footed goals in 941 games, Messi has essentially completed club football. He won everything on offer at Barcelona, including ten La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues, while also winning major honours in France with PSG and the United States at Inter Miami. It will take some doing for anyone to ever overtake the World Cup-winning Argentine on this list.
Best Left-Footed Goalscorers at Club Level in 21st Century
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Stats via The Pop Foot - correct as of 14/02/26