Although respective players inactive progressive diagnostic successful this ranking, meaning the numbers are liable to displacement astir weekly, present is simply a snapshot of the 10 highest goalscorers successful shot history. To marque this Top 10, a subordinate needs to person surpassed 616 vocation goals.
Despite a important emergence successful the fig of matches played implicit the decades, players from the 21st period bash not marque up the bulk of this Top 10 of all-time starring scorers. That inclination tin beryllium explained by a overmuch higher wide modular and level of competitiveness than successful the past.
Conversely, 4 of the players connected this database ended their careers earlier the 1970s.
10. Joe Bambrick — 616 goals (1926-1943)
Born successful Belfast successful 1905, Joe Bambrick began his vocation successful 1926 with Glentoran successful the Northern Irish league.
A nine good known to Olympique de Marseille fans, since their victorious 1993 Champions League run began with a two-legged necktie against the Belfast broadside (8-0 connected aggregate to the French club). In a azygous season, helium scored 22 goals successful 28 matches.
After a little spell there, helium joined rivals Linfield, located somewhat further southbound successful the city. There, the forward's numbers exploded. Between 1927 and 1935, helium netted nary less than 286 goals successful 183 matches, a ratio of 1.56 goals per game.
Bambrick past made the determination to England and Chelsea, wherever helium spent 3 years, earlier signing for Walsall successful 1938-39. In total, helium added 49 much goals to his tally earlier returning to Linfield to extremity his vocation successful 1943.
Overall, the numbers spot Joe Bambrick 10th connected the database of the top goalscorers successful history, with 616 goals. Playing against Wales for Ireland, helium scored six goals astatine Celtic Park successful 1930, a people that has ne'er been matched since successful an planetary match.
9. Eusebio — 619 goals (1957-1978)
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© Imago / BSR Agency
We determination guardant somewhat successful clip to observe the ninth sanction connected this list: the Portuguese fable Eusebio, who lit up Benfica betwixt 1961 and 1975, winning, among different honours, the Ballon d'Or successful 1965.
Born successful Mozambique, a Portuguese colony until 1975, helium arrived astatine Benfica successful December 1960 astatine the property of 18. In his precise archetypal lucifer for the Eagles, successful May 1961, helium scored a hat-trick. He ne'er mislaid his scoring interaction during his 14 years successful the Portuguese capital, netting nary less than 473 goals successful 440 matches.
Following spells successful the United States, Mexico and Canada astatine the extremity of his career, helium hung up his boots with 619 goals and an awesome honours database that included 11 Portuguese league titles and 1 European Cup (1962). Eusebio da Silva Ferreira, to springiness him his afloat name, is considered 1 of the top players of each time.
8. Gerd Muller — 634 goals (1964-1981)
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© Imago
Gerd Muller is known arsenic a one-club man: Bayern Munich. Developed successful his hometown of Nordlingen, helium joined the Bavarian giants successful 1964 and, for 15 years, terrorised German and European defences.
Nicknamed "Der Bomber", the striker scored nary less than 570 goals successful 613 matches and, beyond his quality to people from immoderate position, it is besides his knack for delivering connected the biggest occasions that remains etched successful memory, peculiarly for the nationalist team.
He scored, for example, successful the finals of Euro 1972 and the 1974 World Cup, some won by West Germany.
"Everything Bayern Munich has achieved is acknowledgment to Gerd Muller and his goals," the large Franz Beckenbauer erstwhile said of him.
The 1970 Ballon d'Or victor won nary less than 14 titles with Bayern, including 4 league titles and 3 European Cups. Late successful his career, helium added 40 goals for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers successful the United States, taking his full to 634.
7. Jimmy Jones — 647 goals (1947-1964)
After Joe Bambrick, different Northern Irishman makes his mode into this ranking of the top goalscorers successful history. Unlike his compatriot, Jimmy Jones spent his full vocation astatine home, representing 5 clubs successful the Northern Irish league.
Notably, helium scored 553 goals successful 417 appearances for Glenavon betwixt 1949 and 1962, winning 3 league titles with the club. There is nevertheless immoderate statement implicit his full extremity tally, with immoderate claiming helium surpassed 840 goals.
6. Josef Bican — 720 goals (1931-1957)
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© Imago / CTK Photo
Considered 1 of the top strikers of each time, Josef Bican played betwixt 1931 and 1955, archetypal successful Austria (Rapid Vienna, Admira), past successful what is present the Czech Republic, astir notably during eleven seasons with Slavia Prague, during which helium averaged much than 2 goals per match.
On 3 occasions, Bican managed to people 7 goals successful a azygous match.
His vocation was besides shaped by the assorted governmental situations crossed Europe astatine the time. Courted by immoderate of the biggest clubs connected the continent, helium notably turned down Juventus implicit concerns astir a imaginable communist takeover successful Italy.
Various governments successful Czechoslovakia and Austria attempted to usage him for propaganda purposes, without success.
The International Federation of Football History & Statistics credits "Pepik" with 720 vocation goals.
5. Ferenc Puskas — 729 goals (1943-1966)
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© Imago
We proceed this ranking with a centre-forward who near his people connected satellite football, and who adjacent has an grant named aft him, recognising the champion extremity of a season: Ferenc Puskas. The Hungarian spent his archetypal 13 seasons with Budapest Honved betwixt 1943 and 1956, winning 4 league titles.
With 434 goals successful 405 matches to his name, helium signed for Real Madrid aft a twelvemonth and a fractional without playing. Not done injury, but due to the fact that of a governmental crisis, with the Hungarian nationalist squad deciding not to instrumentality location and going into exile instead.
Alongside Alfredo Di Stefano and Raymond Kopa, Ferenc Puskas, whom immoderate had considered finished, shone brightly erstwhile again, adding a further 242 goals for the Merengues, including 4 league top-scorer titles. He besides finished 2nd successful the 1960 Ballon d'Or, down Barcelona's Luis Suarez.
4. Romario — 755 goals (1985-2007)
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© Imago / Buzzi
We present leap guardant somewhat to observe the 4th sanction connected our list. It's Romario, who burst onto the European country with PSV Eindhoven betwixt 1988 and 1993, earlier joining Barcelona for 2 seasons.
The erstwhile Brazil planetary went done nary less than 16 nine changes implicit the people of his career, but that didn't halt him from scoring astir everyplace helium played.
Following his occurrence with Brazil astatine the 1994 World Cup, his vocation became somewhat much turbulent. Barcelona decided to terminate his declaration owed to disciplinary issues and disappointing performances, combined with the player's ain tendency to instrumentality home.
From 1995 onwards, helium went connected to person spells successful Brazil (Flamengo, Vasco da Gama, Fluminense), Qatar, the United States and adjacent Australia, continuing to find the nett wherever helium went. His grounds for the Selecao is arsenic impressive, with 55 goals successful 70 appearances, taking his wide tally to 755.
3. Pele — 762 goals (1957-1977)
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© Iconsport / Edward Roth / Alamy
The fig of goals scored by Pele has been the taxable of statement for galore years. The Brazilian fable claimed to person surpassed the mythical 1,000 mark, and FIFA adjacent credited him with 1,281 vocation goals.
However, a ample information of that full is believed to person travel from Santos' satellite tours, sometimes against low-level opposition.
Regardless, "King Pele" remains an exceptional player, inactive precise overmuch portion of the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) conversation. The lone footballer to person won 3 World Cups (1958, 1962 and 1970), helium is credited with nary less than 762 vocation goals, with Santos (1956-1974), New York Cosmos (1975-1977) and Brazil.
"Records are made to beryllium broken, but excavation volition beryllium hard to beat. People ever inquire maine erstwhile the adjacent Pele volition beryllium born. Never! My begetter and parent person closed the factory," helium erstwhile said himself.
2. Lionel Messi — 921 goals (2004-)
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© Iconsport / Joel Marklund / BILDBYRÅN / kod JM
Developed astatine La Masia and fixed his nonrecreational debut connected 16 October 2004 against Espanyol successful the Barcelona derby, Leo Messi enchanted Barcelona fans for 17 years.
During that time, the Flea recovered the nett 672 times successful 778 matches. He reached his highest single-season full successful 2011-12, scoring 73 goals successful 60 matches crossed each competitions. In the 2012 calendar twelvemonth alone, helium scored an astonishing 91 times, an all-time record.
In 2021, helium near Catalonia for Paris Saint-Germain with an extended honours list, including 35 titles, among them 10 La Liga titles and 4 Champions Leagues.
His spell with the Parisian nine did not rather spell arsenic planned, with "only" 32 goals scored successful 75 matches. Since joining Inter Miami successful 2023, helium has returned to elite standards, netting prolifically for the Florida franchise.
At planetary level, helium presently has implicit 100 goals to his sanction for Argentina, a tally that grew further during a historical tally to the 2026 World Cup final, successful which helium scored 8 goals and became the tournament's all-time starring scorer.
As of August 2026, Lionel Messi's vocation full stands astatine 921 goals, a fig inactive climbing.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo — 976 goals (2002-)
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© Iconsport / Pablo Garcia / Marca
This ranking of the top goalscorers successful past presently remains dominated by Cristiano Ronaldo, who is closing successful connected the unprecedented 1,000-goal people astatine a singular pace.
Having reached 976 authoritative vocation goals pursuing his punishment against Croatia astatine the 2026 World Cup, the Portuguese prima is present conscionable 24 goals distant from becoming the archetypal subordinate successful shot past to deed 4 figures.
Ronaldo's scoring exploits began astatine Sporting Portugal successful 2002, earlier taking connected a caller magnitude astatine Manchester United (145 goals crossed 2 spells), and supra each astatine Real Madrid, wherever helium besides shattered records successful his long-distance duel with Lionel Messi (451 goals successful 438 matches). He continued astatine the aforesaid complaint with Juventus, scoring 101 goals successful 134 matches.
He has besides go the all-time starring scorer successful men's planetary shot history, overtaking Iran's Ali Daei with implicit 130 planetary goals, successful summation to being the most-capped subordinate successful the men's game.
Could CR7 realistically scope the symbolic 1,000-goal mark? It is acold from intolerable — ESPN's ain projections suggest helium could scope the milestone earlier the extremity of 2026 if helium continues scoring astatine his existent complaint for Al-Nassr.
The Top 10 highest goalscorers successful history
- Cristiano Ronaldo — 976 goals
- Lionel Messi — 921 goals
- Pele — 762 goals
- Romario — 755 goals
- Ferenc Puskas — 729 goals
- Josef Bican — 720 goals
- Jimmy Jones — 647 goals
- Gerd Muller — 634 goals
- Eusebio — 619 goals
- Joe Bambrick — 616 goals
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