Will Harry Kane (c.) retain his top scorer's crown in the 2024/25 Bundesliga season? - © DFL

bundesliga

Bundesliga top scorer's race: Who is challenging Harry Kane for 2024/25 honour?

21.12.2024

Last season's elite marksman Harry Kane leads the way once more at the top of the Bundesliga's goalscoring chart, but there are number of chasing players eager to steal his crown...

Current leaders

1) Harry Kane
Club: Bayern
Goals: 14
Appearances: 13

Kane stormed to the top of the Bundesliga goalscoring charts last season - even going close to Robert Lewandowski's all-time single-campaign record of 41 on his way to 36 strikes - and he has carried that form into the current term. The England captain has already struck three hat-tricks, including against 2023/24 runners-up VfB Stuttgart, taking his total tally of trebles to seven in less than one-and-a-half seasons. A hamstring injury in the Klassiker against Borussia Dortmund stopped him in his tracks but a return to action on Matchday 15 means he'll be fit and firing for the start of the second half of the campaign.

2) Omar Marmoush
Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
Goals: 13
Appearances: 15

Marmoush showed glimpses of his goalscoring ability last season, netting on 12 occasions in 29 Bundesliga outings, but he taken his game to the next level this time round. The Egyptian has found the back of the net in nine of Eintracht's 15 matches, with his most eye-catching performance coming against Bayern - he created one and scored two, including a last-minute equaliser, in a 3-3 draw. That game came during a run of nine goals in six matches, and Marmoush has also proven himself to be an adept free-kick taker, finding the back of the net with two set-pieces. Seven assists see him lead that Bundesliga ranking too - if he can match Kane's tally, he would ultimately have the edge.

Watch: Omar Marmoush - the art of the free-kick

3) Jonathan Burkardt
Club: Mainz
Goals: 10
Appearances: 14

One of Germany's brightest young strikers, Burkardt was well on his way fulfilling his potential before a serious knee injury struck him down in 2022/23. The centre-forward needed 11 months to recover, but eight goals in 21 matches last season suggested his ability remained. His return to form coincided with Bo Henriksen's arrival, and after a full summer working together, Burkardt has led - both literally and metaphorically as captain - Mainz's charge up the table this season. Ten strikes have followed, including match-winning braces against Augsburg and Hoffenheim. His hamstring injury against Bayern came at an inopportune time, and both he and Henriksen will be desperate for him to recover quickly.

Watch: All of Jonathan Burkardt's Bundesliga goals in 2024/25

=4) Tim Kleindienst
Club: Borussia Mönchengladbach
Goals: 9
Appearances: 15

A late bloomer, Kleindienst's star continues to rise. Twelve goals for Heidenheim in their maiden Bundesliga term earned him a move to traditional giants Gladbach this summer, and he has settled in quickly at Borussia-Park. He scored on his debut against Bayer Leverkusen, and followed that up with another strike against Bochum the following week, setting the tone for the campaign. After 15 matchdays, Burkardt is the only German in Europe's top five leagues to find the back of the net more frequently, the kind of form that earned Kleindienst his first call up to the national team in October.

Kleindienst has been in impressive form for Borussia Mönchengladbach since his switch from Heidenheim. - IMAGO/pepphoto / Horst Mauelshagen

=4) Jamal Musiala
Club: Bayern Munich
Goals: 9
Appearances: 13

Bayern have a host of talented forwards, but it is attacking midfielder Musiala who has been his team's most prolific goalscorer after Kane this term. Having scored at least 10 goals in each of the past two Bundesliga campaigns, the youngster's ability to find the back of the net has never been in doubt, but the variety of strikes he has converted this term is eye-catching. He has managed two with his head, previously a weakness of his, while he has also got himself into more advanced positions to grab goals that poachers would be proud of. Efforts such as his stunner against St. Pauli underline the fact that he can score from anywhere, indicating that his tally will continue to climb.

Watch: The best of Musiala's goals and assists so far in 2024/25

=4) Patrik Schick
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Goals: 9
Appearances: 12

Despite only making five Bundesliga starts in 2024/25, Schick is already among the league's sharpest shooters. It is a feat made all the more remarkable given that all nine of his efforts were scored between Matchdays 10 and 15, with the 28-year-old having played second fiddle to Victor Boniface for much of the campaign before suffering an injury. He was on target four times against Freiburg on Matchday 15, netting his second hat-trick of the season following his treble against Heidenheim on Matchday 11.

Watch: Schick's four-goal haul against Freiburg on Matchday 15

The chasing pack

=7) Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen): 7 goals (15 appearances, 13 starts)
=7) Hugo Ekitiké (Frankfurt): 7 goals (14 appearances, 13 starts)
=7) Jens Stage (Werder Bremen): 7 goals (15 appearances, 11 starts)
=7) Ermedin Demirović (Stuttgart): 7 goals (14 appearances, 10 starts)
=11) Loïs Openda (RB Leipzig): 6 goals (15 appearances, 14 starts)
=11) Benjamin Šeško (RB Leipzig): 6 goals (15 appearances, 14 starts)
=11) Jonas Wind (Wolfsburg): 6 goals (13 appearances, 6 starts)
=11) Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen): 6 goals (10 appearances, 8 starts)
=11) Shuto Machino (Holstein Kiel): 6 goals (14 appearances, 8 starts)
=11) Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund): 6 goals (12 appearances, 12 starts)
=11) Alassane Pléa (Borussia Mönchengladbach): 6 goals (15 appearances, 14 starts)
=11) Andrej Kramarić (Hoffenheim): 6 goals (14 appearances, 14 starts

>>> Head here for the full list of goalscorers