Top 35 Goal Scorers in Men’s International Football History

The top two spots for international goal scorers are held by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who have set remarkable records for their countries.

Ranking Positions 35 to 21

This segment includes some modern football stars along with historic names. At 35th place, Kuwait's Jasem Al-Huwaidi has scored 63 goals. Tied at 34th are Serbia's Aleksandar Mitrovic and Thailand's Teerasil Dangda with 64 goals each. Ivory Coast legend Didier Drogba trails behind Egypt's Mohamed Salah, who has netted 69 goals so far.

Former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane is just inside the top 30 with 68 goals for Ireland, sharing this tally with Guatemala’s Carlos Ruiz and Germany's iconic Gerd Muller. They are one goal shy of Egyptian Hossam Hassan and Uruguayan Luis Suarez. Three players including Stern John, Piyapong Pue-on, and Abdul Kadir have each scored 70 goals.

At ranks 23 to 21, all share 71 goals: Germany’s Miroslav Klose, who also holds the FIFA World Cup scoring record with 16 goals; Thai forward Kiatisuk Senamuang; and Malawi’s Kinnah Phiri.

Positions 20 to 11

This group includes many lesser-known but impressive scorers. Kinnah Phiri made his mark with 71 goals in fewer matches than some peers. Ahead is Bosnia’s Edin Dzeko, who has 73 goals. Just above him are Bashar Abdullah (75 goals for Kuwait), Japan’s Kunishige Kamamoto (75 goals), and Hungary’s Sandor Kocsis (75 goals).

Among them is football legend Pele, who scored 77 goals for Brazil, a tally just behind Iraqi Hussein Saeed Mohammed. Zambia’s Godfrey Chitalu and Brazilian Neymar both stand at 79 goals, tying with Pele near this section’s top.

Top 10 International Scorers

In the elite top ten, England’s leading scorer Harry Kane begins the list, followed by Hungarian icon Ferenc Puskas with 84 goals. Poland’s Robert Lewandowski recently surpassed UAE’s Ali Mabkhout who has 85 goals, with Lewandowski now at 88.

Romelu Lukaku sits fifth, Belgium’s top scorer with 90 goals. Malaysia’s Mokhtar Dahari is close behind with 89 goals. India’s Sunil Chhetri and Iran’s Ali Daei follow with 95 and 108 goals respectively. Daei held the international scoring record until recently overtaken by Messi and Ronaldo.

Lionel Messi raised his tally to 116 goals after scoring twice in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Venezuela. Despite this, Cristiano Ronaldo leads with 143 goals for Portugal, continuing his pursuit of 1,000 career goals despite not scoring in Euro 2024.

Top 35 Goal Scorers Summary

• 1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal): 143 goals
• 2. Lionel Messi (Argentina): 116 goals
• 3. Ali Daei (Iran): 108 goals
• 4. Sunil Chhetri (India): 95 goals
• 5. Romelu Lukaku (Belgium): 90 goals
• 6. Mokhtar Dahari (Malaysia): 89 goals
• 7. Robert Lewandowski (Poland): 88 goals
• 8. Ali Mabkhout (UAE): 85 goals
• 9. Ferenc Puskas (Hungary): 84 goals
• 10. Harry Kane (England): 79 goals
• 11. Neymar (Brazil): 79 goals
• 12. Godfrey Chitalu (Zambia): 79 goals
• 13. Hussein Saeed Mohammed (Iraq): 78 goals
• 14. Pele (Brazil): 77 goals
• 15. Sandor Kocsis (Hungary): 75 goals
• 16. Kunishige Kamamoto (Japan): 75 goals
• 17. Bashar Abdullah (Kuwait): 75 goals
• 18. Edin Dzeko (Bosnia & Herzegovina): 73 goals
• 19. Majed Abdullah (Saudi Arabia): 72 goals
• 20. Kinnah Phiri (Malawi): 71 goals
• 21. Miroslav Klose (Germany): 71 goals
• 22. Kiatisuk Senamuang (Thailand): 71 goals
• 23. Piyapong Pue-on (Thailand): 70 goals
• 24. Abdul Kadir (Indonesia): 70 goals
• 25. Stern John (Trinidad and Tobago): 70 goals
• 26. Luis Suarez (Uruguay): 69 goals
• 27. Hossam Hassan (Egypt): 69 goals
• 28. Gerd Muller (Germany): 68 goals
• 29. Carlos Ruiz (Guatemala): 68 goals
• 30. Robbie Keane (Republic of Ireland): 68 goals
• 31. Mohamed Salah (Egypt): 67 goals
• 32. Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast): 65 goals
• 33. Teerasil Dangda (Thailand): 64 goals
• 34. Aleksandar Mitrovic (Serbia): 64 goals
• 35. Jasem Al-Huwaidi (Kuwait): 63 goals

All statistics are accurate as of December 16, 2025, based on multiple sources including Transfermarkt.