On March 12th, 2022, Cristiano Ronaldo became the All-Time Top Goal Scorer In Football History. He scored the hattrick against Tottenham and broke the Official FIFA Recognized 805 goal records set by Josef Bican. We dig deep and rank the top 10 top goal scorers in all competitions officially recognized by FIFA.
10 All-Time Top Goal Scorer In Football History
Content Summary
According to official statistics of FIFA, there are atleast 20 players with more then 500 career goals. While 10 of them has scored 575+ in their careers. We list the top 10 greatest goal scorers. This list is based on official statistics and not opinion based.
#11. Tulio Maravilha
- Goals | 575
- Number of Games | 560
- Career Duration | 1988-2019
- Average | 1.026
During his peripatetic, 24-year career, Tulio claims to have scored more than 1,000 goals. However, his personal figure included friendlies and games at the amateur level. Still, his final haul of 575 goals is nonetheless impressive, particularly when one considers that 13 of those strikes came in just 15 appearances for the Brazilian national team.
#10. Uwe Seeler
- Goals | 575
- Number of Games | 649
- Career Duration | 1953-1978
- Average | 0.89
Uwe Seeler was one of the finest Players of football that Germany ever produced. He was renowned for his aerial duel and spectacular scissors kick. In 649 matches he hit 575 goals with an average goal ratio of 0.89.
#9. Ferenc Deak
- Goals | 576
- Number of Games | Unknown
- Career Duration | 1940-1957
- Average | Unknown
The Hungarian striker’s achievements may be overshadowed by Frank Puskas but he was a lethal threat for the opposition. He scored 220 goals in 72 games for his first club Szentlorinci AC averaged more than three goals a game. For his country, he scored 29 goals. The number of games is still unknown but he ended up scoring 576 career goals.
#8. Eusebio
- Goals | 623
- Number of Games | 639
- Career Duration | 1957-1980
- Average | 0.97
Before Cristiano or Luis Figo, the world of football only knew one striker from Portugal and that was Eusebio. He was the most prolific goal scorer of the 1960s and 1970s. He played mostly for Benfica that dominates European football. In his career, he played 639 games and scored 623 goals.
#7. Gerd Muller
- Goals | 735
- Number of Games | 793
- Career Duration | 1962-83
- Average | 0.93
The Mightiest German player ever graces the football field, He was the supreme poacher. The Bayern Munich icon scored the winner for West Germany in the 1974 World Cup final and he averaged more than a goal a game at the international level (68 in just 62 matches).
A short and stocky striker blessed with explosive power, ‘Der Bomber’ bowed out with an overall record of 735 goals in only 793 matches.
#6. Ferenc Puskas
- Goals | 741
- Number of Games | 746
- Career Duration | 1943-66
- Average | 0.99
Ferenc Puskas in true words was the legend of the game. The Hungarian was known as “The Galloping Major”. He played a crucial role in Hungry and Real Madrid’s dominance in world football in the late 1950s and 1960s. He won the 1960 European Cup with Real Madrid. Despite his small height and lack of pace, he scored 746 goals in a mere 754 games.
#5. Pele
- Goals | 757
- Number of Games | 831
- Career Duration | 1956-77
- Average | 0.92
The only player ever to win three world cups, Pele is 5th on the list. He was regeared as the great football player of all time by Franz Beckenbauer. The king of football netted 757 goals in 831 games with an average goal ratio of 0.92. However, Pele claimed he scored 1200 goals in 1089 games and he is still the all-time top goal scorer in football.
#4. Lionel Messi
- Goals | 759
- Number of Games | 960
- Career Duration | 2004-Present
- Average | 0.80
A true goat, a magician, and a complete definition of football. Leo Messi is the only player ever to win 7 ballon d”Ors and 5 Golden shoe awards. He is regarded as the greatest player in history.
He recently broke the 757 goal record of Pele and entered into the top 4. Leo Messi scored 759 goals with an average of 0.8 in 961 games for club and country. Furthermore, Messi is arguably more complete than ever before, meaning the sky remains the limit for a player considered “an alien” by goalkeeping great Gigi Buffon.
#3. Romario
- Goals | 772
- Number of Games | 961
- Career Duration | 1985-2009
- Average | 0.78
An Icon that left his legacy behind for generations to come. Brazil Legend Ronaldo once said, “He learned the art of Goalscoring from Romario”. Johann Cruyff regarded him as “a genius in the penalty area”.
Indeed, He was the proper number 9 for the team. In 994 games, he scored 772 goals for club and country with an average goal ratio of 0.78. His career highlight was scoring 5 goals in the 1992 World Cup and leading brazil to world cup glory.
#2. Josef Bican
- Goals | 805
- Number of Games | 530
- Career Duration | 1931-55
- Average | 1.51
He was labeled with the Most Prolific goal scorer title. As many believed his goal-scoring tally of 805 goals will never be broken. A star of Austria team that reached the semifinal of 1934 world cup.
He retired from the game at the age of 42. By that point, he scored 805 goals in just 530 appearances. Yes in 530 games with an average goal ratio of 1.51. No footballer ever touched his average of goal ratio per match.
Although it is said he scored close to 1,500 goals in total during his playing days, only 805 of those were recognized by FIFA. Some teammates even claimed he’d actually scored more than 5,000 – something that Bican never denied, simply saying “Who’d have believed me if I said I’d scored five times as many goals as Pele?…”
#1. Cristiano Ronaldo
- Goals | 807
- Number of Games | 1110
- Career Duration | 2002-Present
- Average | 0.73
A Modern-day great and now all-time greatest goal scorer in football history, There’s nothing left for this man now. Ronaldo has won everything in the game and is still going strong today, and has now added the biggest record yet to his historic career by overtaking Bican.
At the age of 37, he broke the 805 goals record and now sitting on top of the list with 807. He is nowhere near hanging his boat so we can expect another 80-100 goals from him.
Out of 807 goals, he scored 115 goals for Portugal and became the all-time leading goalscorer in men’s international football
Top Scorer in Football History
| Rank | Player | Goals | Games | Average | Seasons |
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 807 | 1110 | 0.73 | 2002-act |
| 2 | Josef Bican | 805 | 530 | 1.51 | 1931-55 |
| 3 | Romário | 772 | 961 | 0.78 | 1985-2009 |
| 4 | Lionel Messi | 759 | 960 | 0.80 | 2004-Act |
| 5 | Pelé | 757 | 831 | 0.92 | 1956-77 |
| 6 | Ferenc Puskás | 746 | 746 | 0.99 | 1943-66 |
| 7 | Gerd Müller | 735 | 793 | 0.93 | 1962-83 |
| 8 | Eusebio | 623 | 639 | 0.97 | 1957-1980 |
| 9 | Ferenc Deak | 576 | Unknown | N/A | 1940-1957 |
| 10 | Uwe Seeler | 575 | 649 | 0.88 | 1953-1978 |
| 10 | Tulio Maravilha | 575 | 529 | 1.026 | 1988-2019 |
| 11 | Robert Lewandowski | 576 | 797 | 0.73 | 2006-Act |
| 12 | Zlatan Ibrahimović | 572 | 956 | 0.60 | 1999- Act |
| 13 | Eusébio | 547 | 596 | 0.91 | 1957-79 |
| 14 | Jimmy McGrory | 528 | 415 | 1.01 | 1922-37 |
| 15 | Isidro Lángara | 525 | 414 | 1.2 | 1930-48 |
| 16 | Zico | 522 | 773 | 0.68 | 1971-94 |
| 17 | Luis Suárez | 517 | 846 | 0.61 | 2005-Act |
| 18 | Hugo Sánchez | 516 | 883 | 0.58 | 1976-97 |
| 19 | Alfredo Di Stéfano | 509 | 706 | 0.72 | 1945-66 |
| 20 | Ferenc Bene | 508 | 493 | 1.16 | 1961-85 |
| 21 | Roberto Dynamite | 507 | 838 | 0.60 | 1971-1992 |
| 22 | Jef Mermans | 500 | 629 | 0.79 | 1937-60 |
| 23 | Gunnar Nordahl | 498 | 548 | 0.91 | 1937-58 |
| 24 | Uwe Seeler | 489 | 592 | 0.83 | 1954-78 |
| 25 | Stjepan Bobek | 480 | 554 | 0.87 | 1944-59 |
| 26 | Imre Schlosser | 475 | 388 | 1.23 | 1905-22 |
| 27 | Henrik Larsson | 471 | 874 | 0.54 | 1988-2010 |
| 28 | Jimmy Greaves | 466 | 660 | 0.71 | 1957-79 |
| 29 | Alberto Spencer | 451 | 662 | 0.68 | 1953-1972 |
| 30 | Gyula Zsengellér | 448 | 433 | 1.03 | 1933-52 |
| 31 | Rivaldo | 446 | 1033 | 0,43 | 1989-2015 |
| 32 | Dixie Dean | 442 | 601 | 0.74 | 1923-40 |
Brazilian strikers Pele and Romario each scored more than 1,000 goals during their careers, but those statistics include goals in amateur, unofficial and friendly matches.
Recently Manchester United and football star Cristiano Ronaldo Broke the all-time goal-scoring record of Joseph Bican. Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest scorer in the history of world football with a total of 807 official goals.
He is followed by the Austrian Josef Bican with 805 official goals. Romario closes the podium with 772 goals. Leo Messi is currently lying on 4th on the list with 759 goals. Let’s take a look at the other members on the list.
*Note | Statistics updated March 2022. Goals and matches in youth categories (club or national team) and friendlies are not counted. The goals in friendlies with the senior national teams are counted.