Soufiane Rahimi, the Moroccan international forward for Al Ain in the UAE Pro League, has been crowned the “World’s Top Scorer of 2024” by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS).
Rahimi edged out fellow Moroccan Ayoub El Kaabi, who plays for Olympiacos in Greece, to claim the prestigious title.
Rahimi scored an impressive 20 goals in 2024, putting him ahead of El Kaabi, who netted 19 goals. The two Moroccans surpassed some of football’s biggest names, including Manchester City’s Norwegian striker Erling Haaland, who finished third with 17 goals, and Bayern Munich’s English forward Harry Kane, who ranked sixth with 16 goals.
Other notable players on the list included Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia (8th, 14 goals), Vinícius Júnior of Real Madrid (17th, 12 goals), Kylian Mbappé of Real Madrid (22nd, 11 goals), and Mohamed Salah of Liverpool (56th, 8 goals).
Rahimi and El Kaabi were neck-and-neck for much of the year. Both players had 19 goals heading into December 2024. However, Rahimi managed to clinch the top spot with his 20th goal during a match against Pakhtakor in the AFC Champions League on December 3.
Meanwhile, El Kaabi failed to add to his tally during Olympiacos’ Europa League game against Twente on December 12.