Which footballer has the most goals in the history of the sport?
The Journey of football has been remarkable, with the rising of many outstanding strikers capable of scoring goals at will. Pele, Ferenc Puskas, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi are the players who come to mind when talking about the greatest scorers globally. But which footballer has the most goals in history?
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In football, the scoring department is traditionally assigned to strikers or forwards. In modern football, some midfielders and defenders have also stepped up to become good scorers. So, which footballer has the most goals ever? Unfortunately, only two of the top 10 greatest scorers in history are still playing football. The rest have retired and pursuing different things, while others died.
Which footballer has the most goals in history?
| Player | Goals | Year |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 815 | (2001-present) |
| Josef Bican | 805+ | (1931-1956) |
| Lionel Messi | 778 | (2003-present) |
| Romario | 772 | (1985-2007) |
| Pele | 757 | (1957-1977) |
| Ferenc Puskas | 746+ | (1943-1966) |
| Gerd Muller | 734 | (1962-1981) |
| Ferenc Deak | 576+ | (1940-1957) |
| Uwe Seeler | 575+ | (1953-1978) |
| Tulio Maravilha | 575 | (1988-2019) |
According to FIFA stats, no one has scored more goals in soccer than Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo. He is ahead of Josef Bican and Lionel Messi. In this article, you'll find details of the top 10 goal scorers in history as of 7th October 2022.
10. Tulio Maravilha (1988-2019)
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Tenth on the list is Brazilian legend Tulio Maravilha. He scored around 575 times in about 794 matches. Maravilha played his career for nearly 20 clubs, including Botafogo, Corinthians, Cruzeiro and Goiás Esporte Clube.
9. Uwe Seeler (1953-1978)
Uwe Seeler is a former German striker who had the best phase of his career at Hamburger. He scored slightly over 575 goals, becoming Hamburg's all-time leading scorer.
8. Ferenc Deak (1940-1957)
The Hungarian legend was a scoring machine in his prime. He began his professional career in 1940 and retired in 1957 with over 576 goals. Deak is one of the few Hungarian players who found the back of the net over 25 times in 20 games.
7. Gerd Muller (1962-1981)
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Many people remember Muller for his winning strike in the 1974 World Cup final as West Germany crashed the Netherlands 2-1 to win the title. Gerd Muller scored 734 goals in 793 games for Bayern Munich and his national team.
6. Ferenc Puskas (1943-1966)
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Puskas left behind an incredible legacy, including scoring arguably the most attractive goals in soccer. He found the back of the net 746 times in about 754 matches. The legendary striker had an incredible performance in Budapest before displaying an electrifying career at Real Madrid.
5. Pele (1957-1977)
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Has any footballer scored 1000 goals? Over the years, the Brazilian legend has often claimed to have scored more than 1,000 times in his career. However, some of his strikes are believed to come in amateur and unofficial matches. According to reports, Pele managed around 757 goals in about 831 games.
4. Romario (1985-2007)
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Romario is one of the most accomplished forwards in Brazilian history. One of his best performances was in 2000 when he scored four times in a 6-0 win against Venezuela. Romario played for several clubs, including Barcelona, PSV Eindhoven, Flamengo and Valencia, scoring 772 goals in 994 matches.
3. Lionel Messi (2003-present)
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The seven times Ballon D'or winner ranks as the third-highest scorer in football history with 778 goals in 984 matches. Messi spent most of his career at Barcelona before moving to Paris Saint-Germain in August 2021. He recently won two international titles with his country, Argentina.
2. Josef Bica (1931-1956)
Josef Bican is the second most prolific scorer in soccer. Although he is not a popular figure compared to the others on the list, his numbers prove he was a scoring machine. He helped the Austrian national team reach the semi-finals of the 1934 World Cup.
Bican needed around 530 matches to score slightly over 805 times in his career. So which footballer has scored the most goals?
1. Cristiano Ronaldo (2001-present)
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Ronaldo is the footballer with the most goals ever but does not seem to slow down. The Portuguese forward has broken numerous records in soccer, and he is among the most successful footballers ever. Besides, he has played for four clubs in his professional career, Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus. CR7 has scored 815 times in 1,128 games.
Most goals in international football
Which footballer has the most goals in the world on the international front? Cristiano still leads in men's international football, with 117 goals in 189 caps for Portugal as of 7th October 2022. Iranian Ali Daei comes second with 109, followed by Messi with 90 for Argentina.
| Player | Country | Goals |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 117 |
| Ali Daei | Iran | 109 |
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 90 |
| Mokhtar Dahari | Malaysia | 89 |
| Ferenc Puskas | Hungary & Spain | 84 |
| Sunil Chhetri | India | 84 |
| Ali Mabkhout | UAE | 80 |
| Godfrey Chitalu | Zambia | 79 |
| Hussein Saeed | Iraq | 78 |
| Pele | Brazil | 77 |
Most goals in a football match
Algerian legend Hacene Lalmas holds the record for the most strikes in a single men's game. Lalmas scored 14 times in an Algerian professional league match between OM Ruisseau and JS Birtouta in 1962-63. His contribution helped his club, OM Ruisseau, beat their opponents 18-0.
Lalmas was an outstanding forward who retired after finding the back of the net 131 times in the Algerian professional league. The Confederation of African Football also voted him as the 14th best African player of all time.
Source: Getty Images
Former Australian forward Archie Thompson is the player with the most goals in a single international match. He netted 13 times for his nation in a 31-0 victory over American Samoa during the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
Knowing which footballer has the most goals in soccer could shape your opinion on who is the greatest player of all time. Some people believe having many goals is enough, but others understand that there are many other ways of proving greatness besides getting into the score sheet.
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