In brief
Over the years, international football has been fortunate to have some amazing goal scorers.
The exclusive list of the top 30 international goal scorers in history now includes names like Romelu Lukaku and Neymar.
Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ferenc Puskas, and Robert Lewandowski are among the top ten players.
Playing at the club level is completely different from playing international football. Some celebrities perform significantly better for their nation, and vice versa. However, there aren’t as many opportunities to have an impact on your country as there are on your club, given how little football is played at the international level.
Nevertheless, some sportsmen have succeeded in leaving their countries with amazing legacies. Players like Romelu Lukaku, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo have all turned into national heroes. The top 30 goal scorers in men’s international football history have been examined in further detail.
Luis Suarez and Stern John are tied for the 30th and 21st.
The list begins with a number of well-known figures from the contemporary era in the 30–21 range. Edin Dzeko, who has scored 67 goals for Bosnia in his career, sneaks throughout at number thirty. The attacker, who has made a name for himself in front of goal for Manchester City, Roma, and now Fenerbahce, has also been a goal machine at the club level.
Then, Robbie Keane and Gerd Muller, two of Germany’s greatest players, are tied for 68 goals. The two are tied with Hossam Hassan of Egypt and Carlos Ruiz of Guatemala. The remainder of the segment then consists of two groups of two. On 69 international goals, Luis Suarez of Uruguay and Stern John are level, while Abdul Kadir of Indonesia and Piyapong Pue-on of Thailand are somewhat ahead at 70.
20th–11th
The only well-known names are Harry Kane, Pele, and Miroslav Klose.
The majority of the names in this area, which moves into the top 20, may be unknown to most fans. Miroslav Klose is the only well-known person to show up here. Over the course of his international career, the German forward scored 71 goals, making him his country’s all-time top scorer. Harry Kane, England’s top scorer, is tied with him. During Thomas Tuchel’s second game as the Three Lions’ manager, the forward, who is still moving up the ranks, levelled with Klose.
With 71 goals for their nations, Malawi’s Kinnah Phiri and Thailand’s Kiatisuk Senamuang are tied with the duo. Majed Abdullah, who has scored 72 goals for Saudi Arabia, is only ahead of that group. Just above him are his namesake, Bashar Abdullah, who finished with 75 goals for Kuwait, and Kunishige Kamamoto, who finished with 75 goals for Japan. Next up is football legend Pele, who scored 77 goals for Brazil throughout his incredible career. Hussein Saeed Mohammed of Iraq completes this section with 78 goals.
10th–1st
Ronaldo and Messi are competing for the top spot.
We are now dealing with the greatest international forwards of all time as we enter the top 10. With 79 goals for Brazil, Neymar is tied with Godfrey Chitalu of Zambia for tenth place. Ferenc Puskas and Robert Lewandowski, two cult legends for their respective national teams, Hungary and Poland, are just ahead of those two. For their respective countries, they have scored 84 and 85 goals, respectively, with the former scoring 84 goals in 85 games.
Ali Mabkhout of the United Arab Emirates, who has also scored 85 goals for his nation, is on par with Lewandowski. Romelu Lukaku, the all-time top scorer for Belgium with 88 goals, is just outside the top five. Next are Mokhtar Dahari of Malaysia, Sunil Chhetri of India, and Ali Daei of Iran. For their nations, the three scored 89, 94, and 109 goals, respectively. For a while, Daei led international football in goals scored, but the two greatest players of all time have since surpassed him.
Lionel Messi, who has now scored 112 goals for Argentina, moved into the top two after his Copa America strike against Canada. However, he still has a long way to go before he can catch up to his fiercest opponent. With 136 goals for Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the all-time leading goalscorer in international football history, despite the fact that he did not score a goal during Euro 2024.
Lionel Messi climbed into the top two after scoring against Canada in the Copa America, and he now has 112 goals for Argentina. He still has a long way to go to catch up with his strongest competition. While Cristiano Ronaldo failed to score a single goal during Euro 2024, he remains the all-time leading goalscorer in international football history, with 138 strikes for Portugal.
The top 30 scorers in men’s international football history
Rank
Player
Country
Goals
1
Cristiano Ronaldo
Portugal
138
2
Lionel Messi
Argentina
112
3
Ali Daei
Iran
108
4
Sunil Chhetri
India
95
5
Mokhtar Dahari
Malaysia
89
6
Romelu Lukaku
Belgium
89
7
Robert Lewandowski
Poland
85
8
Ali Mabkhout
United Arab Emirates
85
9
Ferenc Puskas
Hungary
84
10
Neymar
Brazil
79
11
Godfrey Chitalu
Zambia
79
12
Hussein Said Mohammed
Iraq
78
13
Pele
Brazil
77
14
Kunishige Kamimoto
Japan
75
15
Bashar Abdullah
Kuwait
75
16
Harry Kane
England
73
17
Majeed Abdullah
Saudi Arabia
72
18
Kinnah Phiri
Malawi
71
19
Kiatisuk Senamuang.
Thailand
71
20
Miroslav Klose
Germany
71
21
Abdul Kadir
Indonesia
70
22
Piyapong Pue-on
Thailand
70
23
Luis Suárez
Uruguay
69
24
Stern John
Trinidad & Tobago
69
25
Hossam Hassan
Egypt
68
26
Carlos Ruiz
Guatemala
68
27
Gerd Muller
Germany
68
28
Robbie Keane
Republic of Ireland
68
29
Edin Dzeko
Bosnia & Herzegovian
68
30
Teerasil Dangda
Thailand
64
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