List of top 7 goal scorers in the world

Football has some of the best athletes the world has seen over the last two centuries. The ones who capture the public attention are the players capable of scoring goal after goal on the biggest stages. Be it at World Cups, in the Champions League, the Premier League, or any other major competition, glory is reserved for those who have the courage to score in the most intense and crucial moments when this would have the greatest impact for the team.  

Who are the highest goal scorers in the world? Football’s greatest goal-getters over the last 20th and current 21st century stand out as prolific players and talented technicians. For example, German Miroslav Klose is one of the top goal-scorers in the World Cup. He holds the record for most World Cup goals thanks to having nailed 16 across five tournaments. 

Among the top 5 active international goal masters as of July 2024 are: 

• Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) 
• Lionel Messi (Argentina) 
• Robert Lewandowski (Poland)
• Romelu Lukaku (Belgium)
• Neymar (Brazil)

Kylian Mbappé (France), Luis Suarez (Uruguay), and Harry Kane (England) are also worth mentioning in this list.

Our top 7 of all-time highest goal scorers in the world ranking include:   

Here we present famous contenders for the best goals in soccer history, each showcasing their unique skills and deserving recognition: 

• Diego Maradona’s solo goal against England in the 1986 World Cup, a moment that left the world in awe. 
• Marco van Basten’s stunning volley against the Soviet Union that secured victory for the Netherlands in the 1988 European Championship. 
• Zinedine Zidane’s volley against Bayer Leverkusen in the 2002 Champions League final 
• Pelé’s overhead kick against Sweden in the 1970 World Cup is regarded as one of the most incredible goals in history despite not being officially confirmed. 
• The free-kick Roberto Carlos did against France during a football match between Brazil and France in 1997 is one of the most significant goals in football history because of the incredible curve and bend of the ball.  

So, without further ado, let’s start with our presentation of the top highest goal scorers in the world. 

1. Cristiano Ronaldo | 895 goals

Brief presentation: A world-popular icon in a relentless pursuit of excellence, which has made him a global football legend with countless trophies and shattered goal-scoring records. 

Full name: Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro 

Date and place of birth: February 5, 1985; Funchal, Madeira, Portugal 

Position: Attack – Centre-Forward;  

Other positions: Left winger, Right Winger 

Height: 1.88 m 

Scored goals: 895+ 

Cristiano Ronaldo is the football player who has scored the largest number of goals globally so far, including for Real Madrid and Portugal. The striker’s loot for his country is more than any other male player internationally. His list of trophies includes three Premier League, five Champions League, and Euro 2016 titles, among many others. Ronaldo has found the back of the net over 895 times during his glorious career. The former star of Juventus and Manchester United has much to give to his clubs and country.  

He scored more goals than anyone else in the calendar year of 2023, including 52 times for Portugal and Al-Nassr. Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal-scoring mindset has made him the legend he is today in sporting history. 

The football legend’s most notable accomplishments include: 

• Top International Goal Scorer (as of July 2024) 
• Five UEFA Champions League Titles 
• Seven League Titles: two La Liga titles with Real Madrid, three Premier League titles with Manchester United, and two Serie A titles with Juventus  
• Numerous Individual Awards: the Ballon d’Or, four European Golden Shoes (awarded to the top scorer in European leagues), and the FIFA Puskás Award (awarded to the best goal of the year) 

Having started as a quick-footed winger, the Portuguese expert shooter dominated the goal-scoring charts in the twenty-first century. He broke record after record, producing Champions League results that may never be repeated. At almost 40, Ronaldo has already won everything in the game and is still having victory after victory today. He has set the biggest record of his career, breaking Bican’s with the number of goals he has scored. 

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2. Lionel Messi | 837 goals

Brief presentation: A record-setting eight Ballon d’Or awards as the world’s best male player in 2009, 2015, 2019, 2021, and 2023 

Full name: Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccitini 

Date and place of birth: June 24, 1987, Rosario, Argentina 

Position: Attack – Right Winger;  

Other positions: Centre-Forward, Second Striker 

Height: 1.70 m 

Scored goals: 837+ 

Lionel Messi is often regarded as the best player in history, equally masterful at creating and taking chances. The Argentine has scored over 800 goals in a little over 1000 professional matches. His first-team debut was for Barcelona in 2004 when he quickly proved himself to be one of the most extraordinary talents in football.  

Messi’s many broken records over the years include: 

• Most goals for a single club: Messi scored 672 goals for Barcelona before becoming a player in Paris Saint-Germain in 2021. 
• Most Ballon d’Or awards: he won the prestigious award seven times, which acknowledges him as the world’s best player more than any other player in history. 
• Most goals in a calendar year for 2012, scoring 91 for club and country. Messi overtook Gerd Müller’s earlier record of 85 goals back in 1972. 
• Most hat-tricks in La Liga: Messi has scored more than any other player – 36 hat-tricks in Spain’s topflight. 

The glorious winger’s illustrious career includes 352 assists. Like Ronaldo, Messi is still scoring for fun at an age close to 40.  

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3. Josef Bican | 805 goals

Brief presentation: A prolific striker who holds the record for most goals in European top leagues, also recognized as the second-highest scorer in world history. 

Full name: Josef “Pepi” Bican 

Date and place of birth: September 25, 1913, Vienna, Austria-Hungary (now Austria) 

Position: Attack – Centre-Forward

Height: 1.74 m 

Scored goals: 805/950+ 

A celebrity in Austria in the 1930s, having reached the 1934 World Cup semi-finals, a significant achievement in the early days of international football, Josef Bican has become a football legend. He could well be named the best goal-master in soccer history with his sprinter-like speed and technique. During his career, Bican scored 805 goals, with some records suggesting he notched in over 1000 out of 530 matches. He played until 1955 and retired at the age of 42.  

Born in Vienna, Austria, Bican developed fully in the Austrian league before moving to Czechoslovakia, where he cemented his footballing legend status. The striker’s league goal total count is 643 in Austria and Czechoslovakia. He was also the league’s best scorer after moving from Slavia to VZKG Vitkovice in 1949. His best years were with Slavia Prague, where he consistently topped the league’s scoring charts. Overall, Bican scored 447 goals for Czechoslovakia. 

Despite the various stories concerning Bican’s official goal record, during FIFA’s 2020 commemoration of his birth anniversary, it was revealed that he scored 805 goals from 1931 to 1955. Many publications have claimed FIFA’s total needs to be corrected, suggesting some of the goals are from unofficial international friendlies and reserve team fixtures. Josef Bican died at the age of 88 after his second heart attack in a week. 

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4. Romario | 775 goals 

Brief presentation: The Brazilian football player (and politician) has scored over 700 goals in his illustrious football career. He won the 1994 World Cup Golden Ball as the most outstanding performer. 

Full name: Romário de Souza Faria 

Date and place of birth: January 29, 1966, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 

Position: Attack – Centre-Forward 

Height: 1.67 m  

Scored goals: 775 

The Brazilian superstar Ronaldo claims he has learned how to score goals from his compatriot Romaro, an athlete called by legendary Barcelona coach Johann Cruyff “a genius” in the penalty area. Indeed, Romario was one of the game’s most proficient finishers, as his 775-goal record shows. Starting his career at Vasco da Gama in Brazil, the striker quickly became a prolific goal scorer.  

Notable facts about Romario’s football career: 

• Romario led Brazil in the 1994 World Cup to glory with his five goals in the tournament. 
• He enjoyed a stellar career at plenty of top clubs worldwide, having taken part in over 700 games for ten teams. 
• His time at PSV (Philips Sport Vereniging – Dutch for Philips Sports Association) gave him the most success as he netted 98 goals in 110 matches. 
• Romario also scored 55 times in 70 caps for his country. 
• At Barcelona, under Johan Cruyff’s management, Romário was part of the famous “Dream Team,” continuously contributing to the club’s success 
• He won the La Liga title during the 1993-1994 season. 

His success took him across the globe, with stints at PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands and Barcelona, where his skills in netting goals was clear. The Brazilian forward scored with an efficiency rarely seen before. There is debate over his actual tally as some sources point out that Romario has contributed with over 1000 goals. However, this would include goals in youth teams and friendly and testimonial games (not considered by FIFA). 

5.Pele | 762 goals

Brief presentation: Probably the most popular and best-paid sportsman in the world in his time and a notable player from the Brazilian national teams. He was among the most productive forwards in the sport’s history, having won three World Cup championships in 1958, 1962, and 1970. 

Full name: Edson Arantes do Nascimento 

Date and place of birth: October 23, 1940, Três Corações, Brazil 

Position: Attack – Centre-Forward;  

Other position: Second Striker 

Height: 1,70 m 

Scored goals: 762 (1,279 friendlies included) 

‘The King,’ a three-time World Cup champion with Brazil, is still widely regarded as the best player in football globally, with 762 goals throughout his spectacular career laden with trophies. He was one of the greatest three-time World Cup winners, debuting for Brazil when he was just 16. Pele, nicknamed ‘O Rei’ (The King) following the 1958 World Cup, won his first at 17.  

The Brazilian has scored 77 goals in 92 games for his country and has held the record as the national team’s top goal scorer for over fifty years. His total is 1,279 goals in 1,363 games friendlies included, is recognized as a Guinness World Record. 

Pele only played for two clubs during his career, when he led Brazil to glory: Santos FC and New York Cosmos (in the North American Soccer League (NASL). At the club level, the Brazilian forward scored nearly a goal-per-game (643) in his 656 competitive games for Santos, but he claims to have scored over 1,000 goals during tours and friendly matches. Pelé left us in 2022, but his impact on football is everlasting. 

6. Ferenc Puskas | 724 goals

Brief presentation: He became the first international sports superstar, scoring 83 goals in 84 games with the Hungarian national team. Puskas was a member of three European Cup-winning teams in 1959, 1960, and 1966. 

Full name: Ferenc Puskás Biró 

Date and place of birth: April 1, 1927, Budapest, Hungary 

Position: Attack – Centre-Forward 

Other position: Second Striker 

Height: 1,66 m 

Scored goals: 724 

Known as ‘The Galloping Major,’ Ferenc Puskas was a prominent and successful member of two of football’s greatest teams: ‘Magnificent Magyars’ (Hungary) and Real Madrid (champions in the 1960 European Cup). The striker scored most of his goals from 1943 to 1966. 

Puskas’ name is now used in the award for the most beautiful goal of each year. The annual FIFA Puskás Award recognizes the player with the “most beautiful goal” over the past year. The forward made his name in Budapest before becoming a legend at Real Madrid. He scored almost a goal every game, totaling over 150 for Los Blancos.  

Two of his most legendary goals, Puskas netted in Hungary’s 6-3 win over England. The 1953 game at Wembley was later named the ‘Match of the Century.’ Puskás was an attacking midfield player with an eye for goal, having scored 84 goals in 85 international competitions for country Hungary. 

7. Jimmy Jones | 647 goals

Brief presentation: The leading goal scorer in the history of Irish League Football 

Full name: Jimmy Jones 

Date and place of birth: July 25, 1928; Keady, Northern Ireland 

Position: Attack – Centre-Forward 

Height: 1,77 m 

Scored goals: 647 

Jimmy Jones is the highest goal scorer in the history of Irish League football, having notched 517 goals with Glenavon, the most outstanding achievement in their statistics for ten straight seasons from 1952-53 to 1961-62. The total number of goals the striker has netted for his numerous teams is 647. Jones has played in his homeland for most of his career and has built a reputation for finding the net at an alarming rate. 

The muscular center-forward used a non-sophisticated shooting technique. Jimmy Jones is known for being an expert in hammering the ball with either foot or being able to score from any position. 

Kings of the Net: Who Tops the World Scoring Charts?

Since football is about winning and collecting trophies, goals are the sport’s most precious commodity, the hardest thing to carry out throughout the 90-minute matches. Logically, the sport’s most respected position is the striker. There have been many legendary highest goal scorers in the world: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Pele, Maradona, Dixie Dean, Wayne Rooney, Alan Shearer, Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland, and Thierry Henry, to name a few. 

The 21st century has seen many great players, especially remarkable strikers, who have redefined goal-scoring thanks to their exceptional skill, athleticism, and dedication to victory. But who is the highest goal scorer in football history? Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo is the inevitable number-one goal-scorer in the world. From Pelé to Lionel Messi, these athletes have become icons thanks to their extraordinary goal counts that have set new standards and achievements. Celebrated for their precision, power, and consistency, the top ten highest goal scorers in the world had left a mark in football’s history.

Sources:
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/highest-goalscorers-of-all-time
https://talksport.com/football/691008/highest-goalscorers-ever-ronaldo-messi-josef-bican-pele
https://www.planetfootball.com/quick-reads/ronaldo-messi-all-time-goalscorers-list-pele-puskas-muller-romario-ranking
https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/ranked-the-players-who-have-scored-the-most-goals-in-football-history