TOP SCORERS: THE KINGS OF GOALS IN SERIE A

The review of the best players by position in Serie A TIM 2023/24, which so far has covered goalkeepers, defenders and midfielders. We conclude with the kings of the penalty area, the stage for the most lethal strikers of the league. Lautaro Martínez was the undisputed top scorer, leading from the start to finish and driving Inter towards the Serie A title. The 'Toro' scored 24 goals, including five games where he scored more than one, not to mention the poker (four goals) as a substitute against Salernitana. In the 21st century, only two Inter players have scored more goals in a single Serie A season: Mauro Icardi (29 in 2017/18) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (25 in 2008/09). Lautaro had the most shots on target (47), and among the players who reached double digits in goals, the current World Champion has the best ratio of goals scored to minutes played (a goal every 111 minutes). The Argentine proved to be a guarantee for the Nerazzurri, becoming one of the five players to have scored more than 20 goals in three consecutive Serie A seasons in the last 65 years, alongside Gabriel Batistuta, Antonio Di Natale (four times), Edinson Cavani, and Cristiano Ronaldo. The 'El Diez' from Inter has also scored 15 goals away from home in this season (matching Romelu Lukaku in 2019/20 and Stefano Nyers in 1949/50), a number that places him just below Mbappè (18) among the top scorers away from home in Europe. The great strike in Bergamo is among the most beautiful crafted away from San Siro, while the pearls gifted to the Meazza faithful include the missile against Bologna and the thunderous left footed strike past Carnesecchi.

Dusan Vlahovic finished second in the Serie A TIM scoring chart, scoring 16 goals in 33 appearances, a personal record in the Bianconeri, including 10 goals in 2024 alone. He was the only player able to reach double figures in Serie A this calendar year. The Serbian centre-forward, compared to his first season under the Mole, scored significant goals and grew in terms of contributing to the team's offensive output. Vlahovic is the top player in Serie A for points earned through his goals (14), and third for the percentage of team goals scored (30%), behind only Zapata and Gudmundsson. Furthermore, the Bianconeri's number 9 was second in the league for shots attempted (110) and fifth for involvement in shots (139). Dusan's season in front of goal was a mixed bag. A sprint start capped by a brace against Lazio, making him the first player in Juventus history to score at least four goals in the first four matches for the Bianconeri. His form peaked at the beginning of the new year, becoming the top scorer in Europe during that period with nine goals in seven appearances. He finished the season end without personal highlights, except for scoring a free kick against Cagliari, and the goal which decided the Coppa Italia Frecciarossa final against Atalanta.

In third place, with 15 goals each, we find last year's winner Osimhen and the timeless Giroud, who in his final season with the Rossoneri also finished third for assists provided (8) and entered history with the save in the frantic finale in Genoa to earn AC Milan the points. Just outside the podium, Paulo Dybala was involved in 22 goals (13 goals and 9 assists), completing his best campaign in the Roma jersey, his best since the 2017/18 season with Juventus (27 goals). The Argentine player has earned the most points for his team through his goals and decisive passes (21). Additionally, La Joya had the satisfaction of scoring his first hat-trick for the Giallorossi. With the same number of goals as his teammate (13), Lukaku is the third-highest scorer for the Romans in their debut season with Serie A featuring 20 teams, behind only Abraham (17 in 2021/22) and Salah (14 in 2015/16).

Marcus Thuram, with 13 goals and seven assists, has been involved in 20 goals in his first Serie A season. In the last 20 seasons of the top league, only Diego Milito (26 in 2009/10) and Romelu Lukaku (25 in 2019/20) have been involved in more goals in their debut season with the Nerazzurri.

The first Azzurri player to appear in the top scorers' list is Gianluca Scamacca, the striker for Spalletti's national team. The Atalanta forward scored 12 goals in 1459 minutes played in the league. Among players in double figures for goals, only Lautaro Martínez had a better ratio of goals scored to minutes spent on the pitch than the Dea's striker (one goal every 122 minutes). Scamacca is also the Italian player who has been involved in the most goals in this Serie A season with 18 (12 goals and six assists). Moreover, the number 90 for the Orobici was one of the main protagonists in Gasperini's army's triumph in the Europa League, contributing to the final victory with 6 goals in 11 appearances.

With 12 goals each, Duván Zapata is the player who scored the most headers in the top five European leagues in 2023/24 (8), alongside Harry Kane. The Colombian striker contributed to 44% of Torino's goals in Serie A last season (a total of 16 out of 36 scored by the Granata, comprising 12 goals and four assists), the best record percentage.

One step below with a tally of 11 goals, Ademola Lookman was the only player to reach double figures in home matches in Serie A 2023/24 (scoring 10 goals at the Gewiss Stadium). The Nigerian's season was crowned in spectacular style with a hat-trick in the Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen. The standout revelation of the season was undoubtedly Joshua Zirkzee, awarded as the best Under 23 player of the season. The Dutch star's seasonal stats include 11 goals, earning Bologna 12 valuable points, along with 5 assists. However, his impact on the team's journey goes well beyond these numbers. The 2003-born player seized the spotlight with his play, dribbling skills, and refined technique, leading the team towards a historic qualification for the Champions League. A standout in comparison to his previous season with AC Milan, Charles De Ketelaere contributed 10 goals and 8 assists in 35 league appearances in his first season in Bergamo. Among the 15 players in Serie A involved in at least 20 goals across all competitions, the Belgian is the youngest (14 goals and 11 assists). The player who came closest to achieving a "double-double" in terms of goals and assists was Rafael Leão. The Portuguese provided 9 assists in Serie A 2023/24, a personal record for him, and also scored 9 goals. Leão is also the only player in Serie A this season to have both scored at least 12 goals and provided at least 12 assists across all competitions (15 goals and 12 assists for him). Finally, three forwards from teams at the other end of the table deserve an honourable mention.

Andrea Pinamonti, with a total of 11 goals, is the player who scored the opening goal of the match the most times in this Serie A season: seven times, equalling Lautaro Martínez.

Among the players who arrived in the January transfer window in our league, Tijjani Noslin has been involved in the most goals (9) in the tournament, with 5 goals and 4 assists. The Hellas Verona forward is also the first player to score against Inter, Juventus, and Milan in his first half-season played in Serie A in the era of three points for a win (since 1994/95). A big name who made his return to Serie A during the January transfer window is M'Baye Niang. Among players in the top five European leagues in 2023/24, only Cristhian Stuani (7) scored more goals as a substitute than the Frenchman at Empoli (6, including 4 from penalties). Niang etched himself into the club's history by scoring the decisive goal in injury time of the last match against Roma, securing a last-minute survival for the Tuscan team. (Photo Getty Images)