Roma striker Malen is the top scorer in Europe's major leagues
Dutch forward Donyell Malen has scored more goals than anyone else in Europe's major leagues in 2026. On Tuesday night he returns to England with Roma to face Manchester United in the Champions League.
Roma's Dutch striker Donyell Malen returns to England on Tuesday night, when the Italian club plays Manchester United in the Champions League, Europe's top club football competition. Malen has become the highest scorer in Europe's major leagues in 2026, ahead of players such as Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Lamine Yamal.
A scoring streak in Italy
Malen, now 27, spent last season on loan at Roma in Serie A, Italy's top division, and scored 14 goals in 18 games. This season he opened with a hat-trick against Fiorentina and has eight goals in eight league matches. He also served a suspension for a red card, which did little to slow him down. In the past week he has scored against Cagliari and Udinese.
In 2026 Malen has scored 18 goals from open play, two more than the nearest rival, Yamal, and four more than anyone else in the big leagues. In the Champions League last month he scored twice against Real Madrid.
What has changed
Malen was previously a youngster at Arsenal, then played for PSV in the Netherlands, where he scored regularly, and for Borussia Dortmund in Germany, where his output was patchy. He later joined Aston Villa, where manager Unai Emery used him in several positions, while Ollie Watkins was the first-choice striker.
Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini uses Malen as a central forward. He said he did not expect such astonishing numbers, and compared the player to the late Gianluca Vialli for his ability to shake off a marker and get in behind defences. No player in Serie A has had more touches in the opposition penalty area.
