FIFA World Cup: Top Scorers In The History

The FIFA World Cup is the greatest international level football and has witnessed the game’s greatest players in the best action. In the tournament’s 22 editions from 1930 through 2022, over 2,700 goals had been scored by more than 1,300 players across the course of the competition.

However, only a few have been able to reach double-digit goal-scoring records at the World Cup. In this regard, let’s look at some of the footballers who have gone into World Cup history books by being some of the biggest goal-scoring talents in the history of the competition.

 

Most FIFA World Cup goals

 

Rank	Player (Team)	Goals scored	Matches	Editions scored in
1	Miroslav Klose (Germany)	16	24	2002, 2006, 2010, 2014
2	Ronaldo (Brazil)	15	19	1998, 2002, 2006
3	Gerd Muller (Germany)	14	13	1970, 1974
4	Just Fontaine (France)	13	6	1958
4	Lionel Messi (Argentina)	13	26	2006, 2014, 2018, 2022
6	Kylian Mbappe	12	14	2018, 2022
6	Pele (Brazil)	12	14	1958, 1962, 1966, 1970
8	Sandor Kocsis (Hungary)	11	5	1954
8	Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany)	11	17	1990, 1994, 1998
10	Helmut Rahn (Germany)	10	10	1954, 1958
10	Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina)	10	12	1994, 1998, 2002
10	Gary Lineker (England)	10	12	1986, 1990
10	Teofilo Cubillas (Peru)	10	13	1970, 1978
10	Thomas Muller (Germany)	10	16	2010, 2014
10	Grzegorz Lato (Poland)	10	20	1974, 1978, 1982

 

Miroslav Klose: 16 Goals in 24 Matches

Perhaps most unusual in modern international football, Miroslav Klose of Germany holds the title for most goals in FIFA World Cup history, with an impressive record of 16 goals over four tournaments: 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014. Klose marked his World Cup career, particularly for his consistency at various editions. He marked his World Cup debut back in 2002 scoring three against Saudi Arabia and concluding the tournament with five.

Klose’s final moment would come in 2014 when he scored in a 7-1 German semi-final victory over Brazil to move past **Ronaldo** and end his World Cup career with five goals in 2002, five more in 2006, four in 2010, and two in 2014-the latter during Germany’s World Cup-winning campaign.

Ronaldo: 15 Goals in 19 Matches

It’s a Brazilian striker, branded “O Fenômeno” or “The Phenomenon,” who comes second with 15 goals from 19 matches in four World Cups (1994, 1998, 2002, and 2006). Although Ronaldo did not play for Brazil during their victory in 1994, Ronaldo first appeared in the World Cup in 1998 wherein he scored four and led Brazil to the final, having avoided a medical condition that haunted him to the game.

Ronaldo was simply unstoppable in the 2002 World Cup held in South Korea and Japan, scoring 8 goals, two of which were in the final against Germany, as Brazil claimed their fifth World Cup. He added three more goals in 2006 before retiring from international football with a career total of 15 goals, only one behind Klose.

Gerd Muller: 14 Goals in 13 Matches

German legend Gerd Muller scored 14 goals in just 13 World Cup matches and is the most prolific scorer in World Cup history in terms of goals per match. Muller scored all his goals in just two World Cups (1970 and 1974). He won the Golden Boot in 1970 with 10 goals, including two hat-tricks, but his team finished fourth. In 1974, Muller helped Germany win the World Cup, scoring four goals, including the decisive goal in the final against the Netherlands.

All 14 of Muller’s goals were scored from inside the penalty box, an outstanding example of clinical finishing.

Just Fontaine: 13 Goals in 6 Matches

Just Fontaine of France has topped the list for scoring the most goals in a World Cup. He scored 13 goals in as few as 6 games to win the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. All his matches went into the scoresheet, though he scored a hat-trick in his debut and four goals in the third-place play-off against Germany.

Although France didn’t win the championship was Brazil that won .ontaine’s record had been without equal of any player to score goals in a single tournament of the World Cup. Sadly, he was also moved out of the game with so much injury, and to this day, he never played in another World Cup.

Lionel Messi: 13 Goals in 26 Matches

Lionel Messi is one of the greatest footballers to ever lace up a boot; he has so far managed to score 13 goals in 26 World Cup matches covering four editions; 2006, 2014, 2018, and 2022. In total, entering this 2022 edition of the World Cup in Qatar with just six, Messi had a stellar tournament in which he found the net 7 times to drive Argentina to victory and his maiden World Cup.

His show included the record feat of scoring in every round of knockout, the first in World Cup history, and two in the final against France. He became the highest scorer in the World Cup history books.

Pele: 12 Goals in 14 Matches

The Brazilian legend Pele scored 12 goals in 14 World Cup matches over four appearances in the tournament in 1958, 1962, 1966, and 1970. Pele made his World Cup debut at a mere 17 years in 1958. He scored six goals, and in the semi-finals, he scored a hat-trick against France. He actually went on to win three World Cup titles (1958, 1962, 1970), making him the first player to achieve this. Pele’s total includes strikes in crucial knockout rounds, which helped Brazil win in 1970, cementing his place as one of the greatest World Cup footballers ever.

Kylian Mbappe: 12 Goals in 14 Matches

French attacker Kylian Mbappe has equaled Pele’s tally of 12 World Cup goals within just two tournaments: 2018 and 2022. The breakout moment for Mbappe was in 2018 when he scored four goals, of which one was in the final, as France won the World Cup.

In 2022, he won the Golden Boot, scoring 8 goals, although it would be a hat-trick in the final against Argentina that day, in a match France lost on penalties. One of the others would be Mbappe’s sudden rise in the scoring table at such a tender age; he happens to be among those to be with the World Cup into the future legends.

Best of the Rest: Top Goal Scorers

Other notable stars on this list are Sandor Kocsis of Hungary, Germany’s Jurgen Klinsmann, and Argentina’s Gabriel Batistuta, who have all scored 11 goals in their account in World Cup history. Others who scored 10 goals include Thomas Muller of Germany and Gary Lineker of England – a place among the legends of the tournament.

Argentinian legend Diego Maradona, who showed great performances in the 1986 World Cup, scored 8 goals across 21 matches in three World Cups: 1982, 1986, and 1994. His five goals, in 1986, which helped Argentina win the World Cup, will be engraved in the memories of football lovers.

Some of football’s greatest names feature in this list of top scorers, and Miroslav Klose heads the table. So many goals over the years have left a mark, and future editions should carry on including players like Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi. For the number of strikers that end up etching their names in history, nothing surpasses a World Cup. We are sure to see more of that in the coming years.

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