Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won the Ballon d’Or five times, is the top goal scorer in the world. The Portuguese forward scored 54 goals for his club and country in 2023. Our article, “Top 10 Highest Goal Scorers of All Time,” features football legends who changed the game with their goal-scoring skills. From Pelé to Lionel Messi, these players have become famous for scoring many goals and setting new records. They are known for their accuracy, power, and consistency, making them some of the best in football history.
In 2023, Bayern Munich and England striker Harry Kane scored 52 goals, PSG and France forward Kylian Mbappe also scored 52 goals, and Manchester City and Norway striker Erling Haaland scored 50 goals, making them the top scorers of the year.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo – 859 goals
No player has scored more goals for Real Madrid than Ronaldo. He is also the top scorer for Portugal and has scored more international goals than any other male player.
Ronaldo has scored 873 goals in his career and won many trophies, including three Premier League titles, five Champions League titles, and Euro 2016. Even at 38, he continues to excel. He scored more goals than anyone else in 2023, netting 52 times for Portugal and Al-Nassr. It’s unlikely we’ll see another striker as good as Cristiano Ronaldo, whose goal-scoring ability makes him one of the greatest in history.
Ronaldo started as a fast winger and became a top goal scorer in the 21st century, breaking many records and setting Champions League totals that may never be matched.
2. Lionel Messi – 821 goals
Lionel Messi is often seen as the best football player ever. He is great at both creating and scoring goals. The small Argentine has scored over 800 goals in just over 1,000 professional games.
He played his first game for Barcelona in 2004 and quickly became one of the most exciting players in football. Over the years, Messi has broken many records, including:
- Most goals for one club: Messi scored 672 goals for Barcelona in all competitions before moving to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021.
- Most Ballon d’Or awards: Messi has won this award 7 times, making him the player who has been named the world’s best player the most times in history.
- Most goals in a calendar year: Messi set a record in 2012 by scoring 91 goals for his club and country, beating Gerd Müller’s old record of 85 goals in 1972.
- Most hat-tricks in La Liga: Messi has scored 36 hat-tricks in Spain’s top league, more than any other player.
3. Josef Bican – 805 goals
He was a famous player in Austria during the 1930s. He played for the team that reached the 1934 World Cup semi-finals and continued playing until 1955, retiring at 42. By then, Bican, a fast forward who could use both feet, had scored 805 goals.
There have been different stories about Bican’s official goal record, but in 2020, FIFA found he scored 805 goals in a career from 1931 to 1955. Born in Vienna, Austria, in 1913, Bican started his career in the Austrian league and then moved to Czechoslovakia, where he became a football legend. He was most successful with Slavia Prague, where he was the top scorer in many seasons.
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4. Romario – 775 Goals
Brazilian superstar Ronaldo says he learned how to score goals from Romario, who was called “a genius” in the penalty area by famous Barcelona coach Johann Cruyff.
Romario was one of the best goal-scorers ever, with 775 goals in his career. He started at Vasco da Gama in Brazil and became a top striker quickly. Romario played for PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands and Barcelona in Spain, where he showed his great goal-scoring skills. At Barcelona, under Johan Cruyff, Romario was part of the “Dream Team” and helped win the La Liga title in the 1993-1994 season.
5. Pele – 762 goals
Franz Beckenbauer thought Pele was the best soccer player ever. Pele was also one of the most successful forwards in soccer history.
Known as ‘The King,’ Pele won the World Cup three times with Brazil. He is still seen as the best player ever, scoring 762 goals in his amazing career full of trophies.
6. Ferenc Puskas – 729 goals
Ferenc Puskas, called ‘The Galloping Major,’ played for two of the best football teams ever: Hungary’s ‘Magnificent Magyars’ and Real Madrid’s 1960 European Cup winners. He was short and a bit chubby, and his right foot wasn’t very strong. But his left foot was very powerful, and he scored most of his 729 goals with it between 1943 and 1966.
7. Jimmy Jones – 647 goals
Jones played most of his career in his country, where he was almost unbeatable and known for scoring goals very often.
He is the top goalscorer in Irish League football history, with 517 goals for Glenavon. He led their scoring charts for ten seasons from 1952-53 to 1961-62, and scored a total of 647 goals for all his teams.
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8. Robert Lewandowski – 638 goals
FIFA named Lewandowski the best player in the world in 2020 and 2021. He started his career at Dortmund and became famous at Bayern Munich, where he broke many goal-scoring records.
Now, he plays for the famous team Barcelona.
At 34, he has also done very well in international football. He is Poland’s top scorer ever and the third highest men’s international goalscorer in Europe, behind Ferenc Puskás and Cristiano Ronaldo.
9. Gerd Muller – 634 goals
Gerd Muller, a famous goal scorer, was known for his sharp instincts in the penalty area. The Bayern Munich legend, who scored the winning goal for West Germany in the 1974 World Cup final, averaged more than one goal per game at the international level (68 goals in just 62 games).
Called ‘Der Bomber’, this small but powerful striker retired with a total of 634 goals.
10. Eusebio – 619 goals.
Eusebio, nicknamed O Rei in Portugal, scored many goals in the 1960s and 1970s. He played for Benfica, winning in Portugal and Europe. Eusebio was famous in Lisbon and worldwide for his amazing goal rate: 619 goals in 639 games.
Given below is the list of the Top 10 Highest with their nationalities:
| Goal Scorer | Goals Scored | Nationality | Notable Club(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 895 | Portugal | Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus |
| Lionel Messi | 837 | Argentina | Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain |
| Josef Bican | 805 | Czech Republic | Slavia Prague |
| Romario | 755 | Brazil | Vasco da Gama, Barcelona |
| Pele | 762 | Brazil | Santos, New York Cosmos |
| Ferenc Puskas | 724 | Hungary | Budapest Honvéd, Real Madrid |
| Jimmy Jones | 648 | Northern Ireland | Glenavon, Fulham |
| Robert Lewandowski | 629 | Poland | Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Barcelona |
| Gerd Muller | 634 | Germany | Bayern Munich |
| Eusebio | 619 | Portugal | Benfica |
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