There is ongoing debate about who has scored the most goals in the history of football. This controversy stems from the fact that many organizations include reserve team matches and friendlies, which were important in the mid-20th century. Some purists argue that only goals in official matches should be counted.
It’s also common to see different clubs providing their own goal counts, which are difficult to verify independently. As a result, the list of the top five players with the most goals in history can vary greatly depending on which organization compiling the statistics.
Nevertheless, according to the most reliable sources, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are among the top three players with the most goals scored in history. The current generation has the opportunity to witness the play of these legends, sometimes without fully realizing how exceptional Messi and Ronaldo were in the 2010s.
Below is a list of the top five players in history in terms of goals scored, compiled by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS). This organization holds great authority in world football, so we will use their rating as the basis.
5. Ferenc Puskás (Hungary) – 725 goals
In the mid-20th century, Ferenc Puskás was the main star of European football, and his influence directly contributed to turning Real Madrid into a superclub. While playing for the Spanish club, he scored 156 goals in 180 matches, including 35 goals in 39 European Cup matches.
In the 1959-60 season, he scored four goals in the victorious European Cup final against Eintracht Frankfurt, and in the 1961-62 season, he scored three goals against Benfica, although Real Madrid lost 3-5.
According to the footage, Puskás had an amazing ball-handling technique and often performed deceptive moves before shooting. He was also exceptional at finding space to shoot with his left foot, even when opponents tightly marked the area around the ball.
The Hungarian forward is undoubtedly one of the greatest players in history, as his dribbling and ability to score with both his left and right foot resulted in numerous goals and assists for his team.
4. Romário (Brazil) – 756 goals
In the mid-1990s, Romário was one of the most famous forwards, known not only for his goals but also for his excellent play near the opponent’s penalty area.
Romário spent most of his career in Brazil, but many experts were particularly enthusiastic about his performances at PSV Eindhoven and Barcelona, where he scored a total of 132 goals in 156 matches.
In 1994, Romário was named the best player in the world by FIFA, as he had a direct impact on Brazil’s victory in the 1994 World Cup.
Romário’s outstanding dribbling skills and agility allowed him to score even in the most challenging circumstances. However, the lack of strong defensive resistance in the Dutch and Brazilian leagues also contributed to his remarkable goal-scoring record.
3. Pelé (Brazil) – 762 goals
Taking into account all the friendly matches, “the king of football,” Pelé, scored 1,279 goals in 1,363 games. However, for a fair and objective assessment of players, it is worth considering only the goals scored in official matches.
After all, the level of opponents and the status of the match inevitably influence the number of goals scored by players. It’s easy to imagine how many goals Messi and Ronaldo would have scored if they had played in weaker leagues and in the numerous friendly matches.
Nevertheless, Pelé is undoubtedly one of the greatest players in history, especially considering that he scored 12 goals and made 10 assists in 14 World Cup matches, which is an incredible achievement. At the age of 17, he scored two goals in the final against Sweden in 1958.
Like other great forwards, Pelé had a phenomenal technique, and it was extremely difficult to stop him in 1v1 situations. Few could fully defend against his dribbles and shots, so Pelé’s influence on the numerous victories of the Brazilian national team was simply enormous.
2. Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 840 goals
Lionel Messi, at 37 years old, is the best player in modern MLS, where the level of football has clearly risen over the past decade. Moreover, Messi directly influenced Argentina’s victories in the last two Copa America tournaments and became a key player in the last World Cup.
From 2008 to 2021, Lionel Messi scored an incredible number of goals, often dribbling past 2-3 opponents even in high-level matches, and regularly leading the assists charts. Although Messi started his career as a winger, over time he evolved into a “false nine” and a central striker, and in the later stages of his career, he began receiving the ball in deeper positions and playing more as a playmaker.
Lionel Messi is unique not only for his ability to score many goals and outplay opponents but also for his astonishing endurance and lack of injuries at the peak of his career. It was only in the early 2020s that Lionel began to suffer regular injuries, but before that, both he and Cristiano Ronaldo were examples of physical strength and endurance
1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) – 902 goals
It’s amazing that at the same time as Lionel Messi was showing phenomenal scoring ability, Cristiano Ronaldo was also demonstrating impressive results. Earlier in his career, the Portuguese player was more of a winger and didn’t score goals as frequently.
However, under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson and René Meulensteen, Ronaldo transformed into a prolific goal scorer, performing remarkably in the opponent’s penalty area. At the peak of his career, he was scoring 50-60 goals per season.
Even in the English Premier League, which had a defensive style in the late 2000s, Cristiano scored 64 goals over three seasons, which is an outstanding achievement.
Ronaldo remarkably combines incredible dynamism, speed, and stunning power in his game, allowing him to dribble, outpace, and overpower opponents. He holds the record for the most goals in the history of football, thanks to his ability to accurately shoot with both feet and regularly win aerial duels in the opponent’s penalty area.
Some football historians have found evidence suggesting that certain players from the mid-20th century, who scored a huge number of goals for semi-amateur clubs, surpass the Portuguese forward in the list of the most prolific forwards in history.
However, if we look at the careers of Messi and Ronaldo, it becomes clear that many of their important goals were scored not just against professional clubs, but also against the most prestigious clubs in Europe.
In my opinion, this is what determines the value of goals and demonstrates who are truly the most prolific players in history.
