Top 35 Men’s International Football Goalscorers in History
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi stand as the top two goal scorers in men’s international football history. Their incredible records highlight careers full of impact on the world stage.
Ranking from 35th to 21st
The lower section of the top 35 includes notable names like Jasem Al-Huwaidi from Kuwait with 63 goals, and a tie at 64 goals between Serbia’s Aleksandar Mitrovic and Thailand’s Teerasil Dangda. Didier Drogba trails just behind Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, who has netted 69 goals so far.
Just inside the top 30 is former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane, scoring 68 goals for Ireland. He shares this tally with Guatemala’s Carlos Ruiz and German legend Gerd Muller. A step ahead, Egyptian Hossam Hassan and Uruguay’s Luis Suarez both have 69 goals. Three more players sit on 70 goals: Stern John, Piyapong Pue-on, and Abdul Kadir.
Positions 23 to 21 are tied at 71 goals. Germany’s Miroslav Klose is notable here for holding the record of 16 World Cup goals scored across four tournaments (2002-2014). He matches the totals of Thai striker Kiatisuk Senamuang and Malawian forward Kinnah Phiri.
From 20th to 11th
This range features some lesser-known but impressive scorers. Kinnah Phiri reached 71 goals in fewer matches than his peers. Ahead of him is Bosnia’s Edin Dzeko, the nation’s top scorer with 73 goals, followed by Saudi Arabia’s Majed Abdullah who scored 72 times.
Three players each scored 75 goals: Bashar Abdullah (Kuwait), Kunishige Kamamoto (Japan), and Sandor Kocsis (Hungary). Pele, often regarded as one of football’s all-time greats, netted 77 goals during his career, just behind Iraq’s Hussein Saeed Mohammed. Zambia’s Godfrey Chitalu and Brazil’s Neymar share the 10th spot with 79 goals each.
The Top 10 Scorers
Entering the elite group, Harry Kane, England’s leading scorer, starts the top 10 with 79 goals. Just ahead is Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskas with 84 goals. Poland’s Robert Lewandowski recently surpassed United Arab Emirates’ Ali Mabkhout (85 goals) by scoring 88 times.
Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku sits fifth with 90 goals, just ahead of Malaysia’s Mokhtar Dahari who scored 89 goals. India’s Sunil Chhetri follows with 95, while Iran’s Ali Daei ranks third with 108 goals, once holding the international scoring record.
Lionel Messi secured second place by scoring his 111th goal in a 3-0 win over Venezuela, now having 116 goals for Argentina. Despite no goals in Euro 2024, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the top scorer with 143 goals for Portugal, continuing his pursuit of an unprecedented 1,000 career goals.
Top 30 Men’s International Goalscorers
- 1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal): 143 goals
- 2. Lionel Messi (Argentina): 116 goals
- 3. Ali Daei (Iran): 108 goals
- 4. Sunil Chhetri (India): 95 goals
- 5. Romelu Lukaku (Belgium): 90 goals
- 6. Mokhtar Dahari (Malaysia): 89 goals
- 7. Robert Lewandowski (Poland): 88 goals
- 8. Ali Mabkhout (United Arab Emirates): 85 goals
- 9. Ferenc Puskas (Hungary): 84 goals
- 10. Harry Kane (England): 79 goals
- 11. Neymar (Brazil): 79 goals
- 12. Godfrey Chitalu (Zambia): 79 goals
- 13. Hussein Saeed Mohammed (Iraq): 78 goals
- 14. Pele (Brazil): 77 goals
- 15. Sandor Kocsis (Hungary): 75 goals
- 16. Kunishige Kamamoto (Japan): 75 goals
- 17. Bashar Abdullah (Kuwait): 75 goals
- 18. Edin Dzeko (Bosnia & Herzegovina): 73 goals
- 19. Majed Abdullah (Saudi Arabia): 72 goals
- 20. Kinnah Phiri (Malawi): 71 goals
- 21. Miroslav Klose (Germany): 71 goals
- 22. Kiatisuk Senamuang (Thailand): 71 goals
- 23. Piyapong Pue-on (Thailand): 70 goals
- 24. Abdul Kadir (Indonesia): 70 goals
- 25. Stern John (Trinidad and Tobago): 70 goals
- 26. Luis Suarez (Uruguay): 69 goals
- 27. Hossam Hassan (Egypt): 69 goals
- 28. Gerd Muller (Germany): 68 goals
- 29. Carlos Ruiz (Guatemala): 68 goals
- 30. Robbie Keane (Republic of Ireland): 68 goals
Mohamed Salah (Egypt) with 67 goals, Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast) on 65, and others follow outside the top 30.
