Men’s international football has been graced with wonderful talents—players whose remarkable ability to find the back of the net has inscribed their names in the annals of the beautiful game history.
These goal-scoring maestros, beyond bringing glory to their nations, have also captured the hearts of football fans.
Their goalscoring prowess transcends borders, attracting a global audience and leaving solid footprints on the beautiful game sands of time.
In today’s football world, where clubs take the spotlight, scoring goals for your country remains a dream every player yearns for.
Yet, there’s a special bunch of players who didn’t just live that dream once but did it over and over again.
- 10 Players With The Most Goals In Men’s International Football
- 1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) -127 goals
- 2. Ali Daei (Iran) – 109 goals
- 3. Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 104 goals
- 4. Sunil Chhetri (India) – 93 goals
- 5. Mokhtar Dahari (Malaysia) – 89 goals
- 6. Ferenc Puskas (Hungary) – 84 goals
- 7. Ali Mabkhout (UAE) – 81 goals
- 8. Robert Lewandowski (Poland) – 81 goals
- 9. Godfrey Chitalu (Zambia) – 79 goals
- 9. Neymar jr (Brazil) – 79 goals
- 10. Romelu Lukaku (Belgium) 78 goals
- 10. Hussein Saeed (Iraq) – 78 goals
10 Players With The Most Goals In Men’s International Football
1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) -127 goals
Ronaldo stands atop the charts as the all-time leading goal-scorer in men’s international football, having a remarkable 127 goals in 203 senior appearances for Portugal while playing for Al Nassr.
Regarded as one of the all-time greats, Ronaldo won five Ballon d’Or awards, a record three UEFA Best Player in Europe titles, and four European Golden Shoes — the most for any European player. His illustrious career boasts 34 trophies.
At the age of 18, Ronaldo made his senior debut for Portugal in a 1–0 victory over Kazakhstan on August 20, 2003.
He entered the game as a half-time substitute for Luís Figo. Shortly after, he earned a call-up for UEFA Euro 2004, hosted in his home country. Ronaldo scored his first international goal in the group stage, a 2–1 loss to eventual champions Greece. This goal came in his eighth appearance for Portugal.
In September 2021, Ronaldo made history by breaking the longstanding goal record held by Iran’s Ali Daei.
This monumental achievement unfolded during a match against the Republic of Ireland, where Ronaldo’s double strike propelled him to the top of the goal-scoring charts in men’s international football.
2. Ali Daei (Iran) – 109 goals
Daei’s 109 goals once stood as an apparently unassailable record.
A skilled striker, captained the Iranian national team from 2000 to 2006. He played in the German Bundesliga for Arminia Bielefeld, Bayern Munich, and Hertha Berlin, earning recognition as one of Iran’s greatest footballers and one of the top in Asia.
Known for his height and scoring ability, especially with headers, Daei held the title of the world’s leading international goal-scorer with 108 goals until Cristiano Ronaldo surpassed him in 2021.
Daei was honored as the world’s top scorer in official international competitions by (IFFHS).
In 1996, he scored 20 goals in competitive matches for Iran, including a memorable four-goal performance against South Korea in the Asian Cup.
By the end of the 1996 Asian Cup, he had scored 29 goals in 38 appearances.
In the 1998 World Cup qualifying campaign, he topped the charts with nine goals in 17 matches, bringing his total to 38 goals in 52 appearances for Iran.
3. Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 104 goals
Lionel Messi secured his place in history as one of the most prolific goal-scorers of all time, ranking third in international football history with an impressive tally of 104 goals.
Messi, seen as one of the all-time greats, bagged a record seven Ballon d’Or awards and six European Golden Boots.
In 2020, he got the nod for the Ballon d’Or Dream Team. Messi stuck with Barcelona his whole career until 2021, stacking up an impressive 34 trophies with the club.
Being both Argentine and Spanish, Messi could’ve played for either national team.
After doing well with the under-20 squad, manager José Pékerman called him up for a friendly against Hungary on August 17, 2005.
Messi, only 18 at the time, made his senior debut for Argentina at the Ferenc Puskás Stadium.
His entry in the 63rd minute was cut short as he got sent off two minutes later. The referee called a foul against him for a tussle with Vilmos Vanczák, who had his shirt. Messi, trying to shake him off, accidentally hit him with his arm. The ref thought it was on purpose, a call that stirred some controversy.
Messi’s exceptional skill, precision, and unmatched talent have captivated fans worldwide. His dribbles, lightning-fast pace, and deadly accuracy consistently find the back of the net.
Moreover, Messi achieved the peak of success by winning the World Cup in 2022 in Qatar, adding another remarkable chapter to his legacy in international football.
4. Sunil Chhetri (India) – 93 goals
India’s leading goalscorer, and captain, ranks among the top four highest-scoring active footballers.
Despite being 39, Chhetri has carried the responsibility of scoring goals for his country, contributing a goal each against Cambodia, Afghanistan, and Hong Kong in the AFC Asian Cup 2023 Qualifiers in Kolkata, securing India’s consecutive AFC Asian Cup finals.
As Chhetri continues to age like fine wine, it seems only a matter of time before he climbs even higher on this list.
5. Mokhtar Dahari (Malaysia) – 89 goals
Mokhtar Dahari, a football legend in Malaysian history, spent the majority of his career with F.A. Selangor.
Renowned as a prolific forward, FIFA recognized his impressive tally of 89 goals in international matches, elevating his team to a World Football Elo Rating of 61 in 1977.
Due to his playing skills and strength, Mokhtar earned the affectionate nickname “Supermokh.”
He remains the all-time top scorer for the Malaysian national team.
After retiring in May 1986, having secured the Malaysia Cup for F.A. Selangor, Mokhtar made a poignant gesture. In a surprising move, Mokhtar came out of retirement in January 1987, playing one more season for F.A. Selangor.
Unfortunately, after a brave battle against muscular dystrophy, his health deteriorated over three years, leading to his passing on July 11, 1991, at the Subang Jaya Medical Centre (SJMC).
His enduring legacy and contributions to Malaysian football are indelibly etched in the sport’s history.
6. Ferenc Puskas (Hungary) – 84 goals
A versatile player, adept as both a forward and attacking midfielder.
Across 85 international matches for Hungary and four for Spain, he scored an impressive 84 goals. His successes include Olympic glory in 1952 and leading Hungary to the final of the 1954 World Cup.
Revered as the “Galloping Major,” this football luminary achieved remarkable success with three European Cups (1959, 1960, 1966), ten national championships (comprising five Hungarian and five Spanish Primera División titles), and eight individual scoring honors.
In a testament to his prowess, the IFFHS recognized him as the greatest top-division scorer of the 20th century in 1995.
Having an extraordinary career tally of 806 goals in 793 official games, he stands as the seventh-highest goalscorer of all time.
7. Ali Mabkhout (UAE) – 81 goals
One of the UAE’s top goalscorers and one of the few active players, has been a consistent presence for the Whites since his debut against the Czech Republic in 2009, accumulating 110 appearances for the UAE national side.
Playing for the UAE Pro League club Al Jazira, he not only shows his scoring ability at the international level but also in domestic competitions.
Having risen through the youth system, Mabkhout made his debut for Al Jazira’s first team in 2009, marking the start of an impressive journey.
His standout year was 2019, when he found the net 19 times, highlighting his goal-scoring abilities.
In the recent World Cup Qualifiers for the UAE, Mabkhout continued his impressive form, scoring three goals in as many matches, including a brace against Indonesia and one against Vietnam and India.
8. Robert Lewandowski (Poland) – 81 goals
Considered one of the greatest strikers and a key figure in Bundesliga and Bayern Munich history, Lewandowski has surpassed 600 career goals for both club and country.
His international journey began with Poland under-19 in 2007, followed by three appearances for Poland’s U21 team in friendly matches against England, Belarus, and Finland.
Making his mark on the senior national team, Lewandowski’s debut occurred on September 10, 2008, shortly after turning 20, in a 2–0 away win against San Marino during the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification.
Coming off the bench, he scored, marking a memorable start to his senior international career. Notably, only Włodzimierz Lubański had scored at a younger age on his national team debut, achieving this feat at 16.
Lewandowski continued his prolific form, adding another qualifying goal against San Marino on April 1, 2009, contributing to a decisive 10–0 victory. This early success set the stage for Lewandowski’s stellar international career.
9. Godfrey Chitalu (Zambia) – 79 goals
Considered the greatest Zambian player of all time, holding his national team’s all-time goalscoring record and winning the Zambian Footballer of the Year award five times.
In 2006, CAF recognized his talent, naming him one of the best 200 African footballers of the past 50 years.
In 1972, the Football Association of Zambia claimed Chitalu scored over 100 goals in all competitions, surpassing the totals of renowned footballers Gerd Müller and Lionel Messi in the same year.
These were often referred to by journalists as “world records.”
The research supporting this claim emerged in 2012, coinciding with Messi breaking Müller’s alleged record.
Despite this, a FIFA spokesman clarified that an official FIFA world record had never existed, as they did not keep track of domestic competitions.
The ongoing debate surrounding Chitalu’s goal-scoring feats underscores the lasting impact of this Zambian football icon.
9. Neymar jr (Brazil) – 79 goals
A seasoned goal scorer and playmaker, he is celebrated for his impressive dribbling abilities and is widely recognized as one of the best players in the world, standing out as the foremost Brazilian talent of his generation.
Neymar has the record of scoring over 100 goals for three different clubs, a feat achieved by only a select few in the game.
His standout performances for Santos in the early 2010 season, were marked by triumphs in the 2010 Copa do Brasil, where he emerged as the leading goal scorer, and the 2010 Campeonato Paulista, where he notched 14 goals.
In response, Brazilian football legends Pelé and Romário reportedly lobbied coach Dunga to include Neymar in the 2010 World Cup squad.
Despite widespread public support, evident in a 14,000-signature petition, and mounting pressure on Dunga, Neymar found himself excluded from both the final 23-man squad and the standby list.
While Dunga acknowledged Neymar’s “extremely talented” capabilities, he argued that the 18-year-old hadn’t undergone sufficient international testing and had failed to make a compelling impact during his international duty, leading to his omission from the World Cup.
10. Romelu Lukaku (Belgium) 78 goals
Lukaku is a left-footed player. In 2014, The Guardian named him one of Europe’s top ten promising young players. He’s a big and strong striker known for his goal-scoring ability, and he uses his physicality to get past defenders.
Despite his size and strength, he prefers to play as an out-and-out striker or poacher, rather than as a traditional target man in the center. He’s also versatile and can play as a winger.
On February 24, 2010, Lukaku was called up to the Belgium senior squad for the first time for a friendly against Croatia. He scored his first two international goals in a friendly against Russia on November 17, 2010.
After a nearly two-year gap, Lukaku scored his first goal for the national team, securing a 4–2 friendly victory over the Netherlands on August 15, 2012.
10. Hussein Saeed (Iraq) – 78 goals
Hussein Saeed holds the tenth position alongside Lukaku, among the top international goal scorers, having netted an impressive 78 goals.
Alongside Ahmed Radhi, he is hailed as one of the finest Iraqi players of the 20th century, securing the 25th spot in Asia’s Best Players of the Century list.
Presently, Saeed stands as the Iraqi national team’s highest-scoring player, boasting a tally of 78 goals.
Starting his professional football journey at the age of 17, Saeed made a huge impact when he joined the Iraq national varsity football team, securing the gold medal at the 1975 Arab Schools Games.
Subsequently, in 1975, he embarked on a 15-year career with Al-Jamiea, later known as Al-Talaba.
Throughout his tenure, Saeed won three league titles and was honored with the league’s top goalscorer award in three seasons.
Top Active Goalscorers In Men’s International Football
| No. | Player | Country | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 127 |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 104 |
| 3 | Sunil Chhetri | India | 93 |
| 4 | Ali Mabkhout | United Arab Emirates | 81 |
| 5 | Robert Lewandowski | Poland | 81 |
FAQs
How many goals has Ronaldo scored for Portugal?
127 goals as of Oct 17, 2023
Cristiano Ronaldo has etched his name in football history by setting a world record with an impressive tally of 127 goals since making his debut for Portugal in 2003.
Not only is he a prolific goal-scorer, but Ronaldo also stands as the all-time leading appearance-maker in men’s international football, having played an astounding 203 games.
When did Ronaldo break the international goals record?
Ronaldo made history on September 1, 2021, during Portugal’s European Qualifier against the Republic of Ireland in Faro-Loulé, by breaking the world record for international goals. At the age of 36, he achieved this milestone by scoring twice.
In doing so, Ronaldo surpassed the previous record held by former Iran forward Ali Daei, who was the first player to achieve a century of international goals.
Has Ronaldo scored every year since making his Portugal debut?
In Ronaldo’s first two appearances in 2003, he did not find the net.
However, from that point onward, spanning an impressive 20-year duration, he has consistently scored, a streak that extends into 2023.
This remarkable achievement establishes a new world record, surpassing the previous mark held by Robbie Keane, who managed to score every year for the Republic of Ireland from 1998 to 2016.
Ronaldo’s enduring goal-scoring prowess over two decades underscores his sustained excellence and dominance on the international football stage.
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