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As everyone knows, Lionel Messi has surpassed one of the great records of all time, a mark few soccer fans ever thought would be broken: He has set the all-time record for goals in a single calendar year. But who are the men Messi surpassed on the way to the top? With the various leagues around the world -- and the sometimes shoddy scorekeeping that attends them -- that list has been hard to compile. But after hours of research, here is a confirmed list of the most prolific goal scorers in a single year.
Photo: Getty/AP
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With two goals scored against Real Betis Sunday, Lionel Messi broke Gerd Muller's 40-year-old record for goals scored in a calendar year. Messi now has 86 goals in 2012, one more than Muller scored in 1972. He has scored 74 goals for Barcelona, and 12 for the Argentina national team.
Photo: Getty Images
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Gerd Muller (left) was a scoring machine for Germany, tallying 572 goals in only 669 matches. But it was his 1972 year that Messi was chasing, when 'Der Bomber' scored an incredible 85 goals in all competitions, including 67 in Europe, a record Messi already broke with his 73-goal campaign in La Liga.
Photo: Getty Images
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Messi already eclipsed the second-greatest goal-scoring year of all-time, Pele's 75 goals in 1958, when 'O Rei' was all of 18. Pele's 58 goals that year with Santos remain a tournament record. Not to be outdone, Pele also scored 72 total goals in 1965, 65 in 1959 and 62 in 1961.
Photo: AP in English
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Cristiano Ronaldo had a year to remember in 2011, scoring 60 goals in all competitions and helping Real Madrid win the La Liga title.
Photo: Getty Images
Ronaldo's 2011
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Messi makes the list for the second time after scoring 59 goals in all competitions in 2011 for Barcelona and Argentina.
Photo: Getty Images
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Josef Bican, a Czech-Austrian forward who played in the 1930s, scored 57 goals in 24 matches in one year in the Czech League in 1944. He is also considered the most prolific goal scorer of all time with more than 800 goals in competitive matches.
Photo: Guardian.com
Bican's goal-scoring record
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As everyone knows, Lionel Messi has surpassed one of the great records of all time, a mark few soccer fans ever thought would be broken: He has set the all-time record for goals in a single calendar year. But who are the men Messi surpassed on the way to the top? With the various leagues around the world -- and the sometimes shoddy scorekeeping that attends them -- that list has been hard to compile. But after hours of research, here is a confirmed list of the most prolific goal scorers in a single year.
Photo: Getty/AP
