Zlatan Ibrahimovic's 2019 season is closing in on the record books when it comes to goal-scoring dependence on one player.
Ibrahimovic, who scored a hat trick in the LA Galaxy's 7-2 win over Sporting Kansas City to bring his season total to 26 goals in 25 games, now has scored 53.1% of his side's 49 goals so far this year. That mark is bettered by only one player in league history.
Opta compiled the numbers dating back to 2007 to kick-start the idea, but a look all the way back to the league's inception in 1996 shows just one player, his Galaxy predecessor Carlos "Pescadito" Ruiz, has scored a larger percent of his team's goals than Ibra has so far this season.
Player |
Team |
Goals |
Team goals |
Percentage |
Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Carlos Ruiz |
LA Galaxy |
24 |
44 |
54.5% |
2002 |
Zlatan Ibrahimovic |
LA Galaxy |
26 |
49 |
53.1% |
2019 |
Chris Wondolowski |
San Jose Earthquakes |
18 |
34 |
52.9% |
2010 |
Erick "Cubo" Torres |
Chivas USA |
15 |
29 |
51.7% |
2014 |
Bradley Wright-Phillips |
New York Red Bulls |
27 |
55 |
49.1% |
2014 |
Ibrahimovic continues to chase Carlos Vela in the Golden Boot race presented by Audi, now trailing by just two goals, as well as Josef Martinez's single-season record for goals of 31, set last year.
He already owns the record of most shots in a match (14), set earlier this season in a loss to D.C. United. Can Zlatan rewrite the record books while guiding the Galaxy to the playoffs?
