There are few more prestigious honors for international players than representing their respective nations at the biggest competitions on the calendar. However, few players can achieve World Cup glory for their country, meaning that ending your career with the most goals for your nation is an esteemed achievement.
So, let’s examine which players currently rank among the top 10 scorers who still play in competitive international matches.
10. Ismail Abdullatif
The first shock name to rank on the all-time leading scorers list is Ismail Abdullatif. The 38-year-old remains a mainstay in the Bahrain national team, and two of his 49 international goals produced famous moments in the nation’s history.
One of those came in a shock 2-1 win over South Korea in the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, while he also netted in the win over Saudi Arabia in World Cup qualification.
9. Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah is rightly considered to be one of the greatest players in the world. The forward has set scoring records throughout his club career and is also among Egypt’s highest scorers after netting 59 times in 103 matches.
Salah made his international debut in 2011 and has since been named the BBC African Footballer of the Year twice.
8. Edin Džeko
Edin Džeko could be regarded as one of the most underrated strikers of the 21st century, as he has scored impressive tallies across all clubs that he has played for, which include Manchester City, AS Roma, Inter, and currently Fenerbahçe.
Džeko is the highest-scoring player for Bosnia and Herzegovina and also holds the record for most appearances. Overall, he has scored 67 goals in 138 appearances.
7. Harry Kane
Harry Kane is undeniably one of the finest soccer players in the world, despite failing to achieve a major honor to this point. Kane made his breakthrough at Tottenham, setting a club-record scoring tally before moving to Bayern Munich. Kane made his England debut in March 2015, and has been the national team captain since 2018.
The striker has scored 68 goals in 101 matches and has led England to their first major final since 1966, but successive finals in EURO 2020 and 2024 means that the Three Lions are still chasing a second honor.
6. Romelu Lukaku
Romelu Lukaku has been considered to be one of the best strikers in the world throughout his career, enjoying stints with Chelsea, Manchester United, and Inter Milan.
Lukaku made his international debut in 2010, and has since represented Belgium at six major tournaments. His best performance came at the 2018 World Cup, finishing at the Bronze Boot winner as Belgium finished third. Overall, Lukaku has scored a national-high of 85 goals in 119 matches.
5. Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski is regarded as one of the best strikers of all time and has won the joint-most top scorer awards in club soccer alongside Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.
Despite achieving little of note with Poland, he is the nation’s highest-scoring player, having netted 84 goals in 156 appearances. However, he is yet to lead his nation to an esteemed honor like many of the other players on this list.
4. Ali Mabkhout
Ali Mabkhout is another shock name included on the all-time soccer scorer list. The United Arab Emirates international has scored 85 goals in 114 internationals, and he continues to play at the highest level at Al-Nasr in the UAE Pro League.
With the national side, he was part of the Arabian Gulf Cup-winning team in 2013, before finishing third at the AFC Asian Cup.
3. Sunil Chhetri
An unknown name that ranks among the active highest international scorers is Sunil Chhetri. The 40-year-old has scored 94 goals in 151 appearances for India, seeing him rank just behind Messi, Ronaldo, and Ali Daei in the overall records for most goals in international soccer.
At international level, Chhetri has achieved major honors with India, winning the SAFF Championship on four occasions, and the AFC Challenge Cup in 2008.
2. Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi is the most recognized soccer star on the planet, having achieved success with Inter Miami, PSG, and Barcelona throughout his career.
The Argentinean superstar has scored 112 goals in 189 appearances for his nation, which included seven on his way to guiding Argentina to success at the 2022 World Cup. Messi also played key roles in successive Copa America victories in 2021 and 2024.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
No player has scored more professional goals in soccer than Cristiano Ronaldo. Therefore, it is little surprise to see the Portuguese superstar rank as the highest international scorer in history.
Ronaldo scored 133 goals in 216 matches for Portugal, which included 13 in 13 matches, as he led his nation to success in Euro 2016. The former Real Madrid star added further international success with Portugal in 2019 after winning in the inaugural edition of the Nations League.
