Most Goals Ever: Top 20 in Denmark, the Nordic Countries, Europe and the World – Scoring Rates, Club Goals, International Goals and Non-Penalty Goals

Last updated: July 30, 2026

Who has scored the most official goals in football history?

Cristiano Ronaldo has recorded the highest total of official top-level goals. Lionel Messi follows and generally has the stronger goals-per-game average. Behind the two modern superstars are legendary goalscorers such as Pelé, Romário, Ferenc Puskás, Josef Bican and Gerd Müller.

However, one total-goals figure does not tell the full story.

This complete guide compares:

official club and senior international goals
club goals and international goals separately
total goals for club and country
goals per match
non-penalty goals
goals in European football
UEFA Champions League goals
goals for one club
goals before and after the age of 30
international goalscoring records
official hat-tricks
records from Denmark, the Nordic region, Europe and the world
Cristiano Ronaldo versus Lionel Messi
Erling Haaland versus Kylian Mbappé
the active players most likely to challenge the records

Quick Overview: The Biggest Goalscoring Records

Category	Record holder	Record
Most official top-level goals	Cristiano Ronaldo	959
Second-most official top-level goals	Lionel Messi	898
Most top-division league goals	Cristiano Ronaldo	585
Most Champions League goals excluding qualifying	Cristiano Ronaldo	140
Most Champions League goals including qualifying	Cristiano Ronaldo	141
Most official goals for one club	Lionel Messi	672 for Barcelona
Most Champions League goals for one club	Lionel Messi	120 for Barcelona
Most goals in men’s international football	Cristiano Ronaldo	All-time leader
Most goals for Denmark	Poul Nielsen and Jon Dahl Tomasson	52
Best Denmark international scoring rate	Poul Nielsen	1.37 goals per game
Most Nordic official top-level goals	Zlatan Ibrahimović	562
Most recorded goals before turning 30	Pelé	675
Most recorded goals after turning 30	Ronald Rooke	At least 493
Cristiano Ronaldo’s recorded goals after 30	Cristiano Ronaldo	492
Most recorded official hat-tricks	Erwin Helmchen	At least 142

Historical totals must always be read together with the source’s counting method. RSSSF describes several of its historical lists as provisional because match documentation from older, regional and discontinued competitions is incomplete.

What Does “Official Goals” Mean?

This article primarily uses:

Official senior goals at top level for clubs and senior national teams.

That normally includes goals scored in:

the highest national division
official domestic cup competitions
official super cups
official international club competitions
senior international matches
World Cup and continental championship matches
official qualification matches

It normally excludes:

training matches
ordinary club friendlies
exhibition matches
charity matches
youth matches
testimonial matches
goals scored during penalty shootouts

Why Are Different Totals Given for the Same Player?

Historical sources do not always use the same definition.

Some broader career records also include:

regional championships
reserve-team competitions
military competitions
city and regional representative teams
international club friendlies
association-organised exhibition matches
matches against selected representative teams

Pelé can therefore appear with approximately 770 official top-level goals in one list and more than 1,000 career goals in a broader record.

That does not automatically make either figure false. The totals measure different categories.

The essential rule is:

Only compare players when their goals and appearances have been counted using the same method.

World Top 20: Most Official Top-Level Goals

Rank	Player	Country	Official top-level goals
1	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	959
2	Lionel Messi	Argentina	898
3	Pelé	Brazil	770
4	Romário	Brazil	761
5	Ferenc Puskás	Hungary	761
6	Josef Bican	Austria/Czechoslovakia	743
7	Robert Lewandowski	Poland	685
8	Jimmy Jones	Northern Ireland	659
9	Abe Lenstra	Netherlands	645
10	Gerd Müller	West Germany	640
11	Joe Bambrick	Northern Ireland	634
12	Fernando Peyroteo	Portugal	610
13	Luis Suárez	Uruguay	604
14	Uwe Seeler	West Germany	567
15	Glenn Ferguson	Northern Ireland	563
16	Zlatan Ibrahimović	Sweden	562
17	Jimmy McGrory	Scotland	558
18	Eusébio	Portugal	555
19	Imre Schlosser	Hungary	554
20	Alfredo Di Stéfano	Argentina/Spain	524

These totals follow a historical top-level method rather than every goal scored in every type of senior match.

Cristiano Ronaldo: Football’s Greatest Total Goalscorer

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored official senior goals for:

Sporting CP
Manchester United
Real Madrid
Juventus
Al-Nassr
Portugal

His position at the top is not based on only two or three exceptional seasons.

It is the result of more than two decades of elite goalscoring.

As a young player, Ronaldo was primarily a wide dribbler. He later developed into a more central goalscorer who depended increasingly on:

intelligent positioning
runs towards the far post
first-time finishing
heading ability
penalty-box movement
explosive short sprints
penalties
rebounds and second balls

His ability to change his playing style has been essential to his longevity.

Lionel Messi: Fewer Goals, Greater Efficiency

Messi has scored fewer official top-level goals than Ronaldo, but he has generally produced:

a higher goals-per-game average
more assists
more goals after carrying or dribbling with the ball
a lower proportion of penalty goals
more goals for one club
more involvement in creating chances for teammates

It is therefore possible for both statements to be correct:

Ronaldo has scored the most official goals.
Messi has been the more efficient all-round attacking creator.

Europe Top 20: Most Official Top-Level Goals

Europe is defined here according to the player’s senior international nationality.

Rank	Player	Country	Official top-level goals
1	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	959
2	Ferenc Puskás	Hungary	761
3	Josef Bican	Austria/Czechoslovakia	743
4	Robert Lewandowski	Poland	685
5	Jimmy Jones	Northern Ireland	659
6	Abe Lenstra	Netherlands	645
7	Gerd Müller	West Germany	640
8	Joe Bambrick	Northern Ireland	634
9	Fernando Peyroteo	Portugal	610
10	Uwe Seeler	West Germany	567
11	Glenn Ferguson	Northern Ireland	563
12	Zlatan Ibrahimović	Sweden	562
13	Jimmy McGrory	Scotland	558
14	Eusébio	Portugal	555
15	Imre Schlosser	Hungary	554
16	Alfredo Di Stéfano	Spain	524
17	Gyula Zsengellér	Hungary	513
18	Karim Benzema	France	510
19	Ferenc Bene	Hungary	506
20	Sándor Kocsis	Hungary	505

Hungary’s Extraordinary Goalscoring Tradition

Hungary has more historic goalscorers near the top than many modern football superpowers.

Ferenc Puskás, Imre Schlosser, Gyula Zsengellér, Ferenc Bene and Sándor Kocsis all belong to Europe’s historical goalscoring elite.

Hungary was one of football’s most innovative nations during the first half of the 20th century.

The country developed technically gifted and tactically intelligent forwards long before many other nations professionalised their player-development structures.

Most Goals in Top Domestic Divisions

This table includes only goals scored in the highest national league division.

Rank	Player	Top-division goals
1	Cristiano Ronaldo	585
2	Lionel Messi	553
3	Josef Bican	526
4	Ferenc Puskás	516
5	Albert De Cleyn	431
6	Robert Lewandowski	421
7	Imre Schlosser	417
8	Gyula Zsengellér	416
9	Luis Suárez	408
10	Jimmy McGrory	408
11	Gerd Müller	405
12	Hugo Sánchez	394
13	Zlatan Ibrahimović	394
14	Ferenc Szusza	393
15	Carlos Bianchi	385

Why Are League Goals So Important?

League football rewards sustained performance.

To score 400 or 500 goals in top divisions, a player must perform:

week after week
season after season
against opponents who have studied his movements
at home and away
under different coaches
in different tactical systems
after injuries and periods of poor form

A player can have one extraordinary cup tournament.

Nobody scores 500 top-flight league goals by accident.

Most UEFA Champions League Goals Ever

The most commonly used Champions League ranking excludes qualifying rounds.

Rank	Player	Champions League goals
1	Cristiano Ronaldo	140
2	Lionel Messi	129
3	Robert Lewandowski	109
4	Karim Benzema	90
5	Raúl	71
6	Kylian Mbappé	70
7	Erling Haaland	57
7	Thomas Müller	57
9	Ruud van Nistelrooy	56
10	Harry Kane	54
11	Thierry Henry	50
11	Mohamed Salah	50
13	Zlatan Ibrahimović	48
13	Andriy Shevchenko	48
15	Filippo Inzaghi	46

UEFA’s published all-time ranking places Ronaldo first, ahead of Messi and Lewandowski. The exact total can differ by one goal depending on whether qualifying rounds are included.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Champions League Records

Ronaldo:

has scored the most goals in the competition
became the first player to reach 100 Champions League goals
scored for Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus
scored in multiple Champions League finals
won the tournament five times
shares the record for eight Champions League hat-tricks with Messi

One of the most surprising facts about his record is that he did not score in his first 26 Champions League appearances.

He started as a creative winger and only later became one of football’s greatest penalty-box scorers.

Most Champions League Goals for One Club

Rank	Player	Club	Goals
1	Lionel Messi	Barcelona	120
2	Cristiano Ronaldo	Real Madrid	105
3	Karim Benzema	Real Madrid	78
4	Robert Lewandowski	Bayern Munich	69
5	Raúl	Real Madrid	66
6	Thomas Müller	Bayern Munich	57
7	Mohamed Salah	Liverpool	47
8	Kylian Mbappé	Paris Saint-Germain	42
8	Alessandro Del Piero	Juventus	42
10	Antoine Griezmann	Atlético Madrid	40
11	Sergio Agüero	Manchester City	36
11	Didier Drogba	Chelsea	36
13	Thierry Henry	Arsenal	35
13	Ruud van Nistelrooy	Manchester United	35

Messi’s 120 Champions League goals for Barcelona represent the highest total for one club.

Champions League Top Scorers by Season

Season	Leading scorer	Club	Goals
2025/26	Kylian Mbappé	Real Madrid	15
2024/25	Raphinha and Serhou Guirassy	Barcelona/Dortmund	13
2023/24	Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé	Bayern/PSG	8
2022/23	Erling Haaland	Manchester City	12
2021/22	Karim Benzema	Real Madrid	15
2020/21	Erling Haaland	Borussia Dortmund	10
2019/20	Robert Lewandowski	Bayern Munich	15
2018/19	Lionel Messi	Barcelona	12
2017/18	Cristiano Ronaldo	Real Madrid	15
2016/17	Cristiano Ronaldo	Real Madrid	12
2015/16	Cristiano Ronaldo	Real Madrid	16
2014/15	Messi, Neymar and Ronaldo	Various	10
2013/14	Cristiano Ronaldo	Real Madrid	17

Ronaldo’s 17 goals in 2013/14 remain one of the competition’s greatest individual season records.

The European Cup Before the Champions League

Before the Champions League began in 1992/93, the competition was known as the European Cup.

The tournament was mainly played through straight knockout rounds. Players therefore had fewer matches in which to score than they do under the modern format.

Rank	Player	European Cup goals
1	Alfredo Di Stéfano	49
2	Eusébio	47
3	Ferenc Puskás	36
4	Gerd Müller	34
5	Paco Gento	30

Gerd Müller scored 34 goals in only 35 European Cup appearances.

That is almost one goal per match against the champions of Europe’s strongest leagues.

Most Official Goals for One Club

Rank	Player	Club	Official goals
1	Lionel Messi	Barcelona	672
2	Erwin Helmchen	PSV Chemnitz	At least 667
3	Pelé	Santos	643
4	Josef Bican	Slavia Prague	622
5	Fernando Peyroteo	Sporting CP	579
6	Gerd Müller	Bayern Munich	573
7	Abe Lenstra	Heerenveen	531
8	Joe Bambrick	Linfield	524
8	Jimmy McGrory	Celtic	524
10	Jimmy Jones	Glenavon	515

Messi’s 672 official goals for Barcelona are the modern record for one club.

The achievement may become increasingly difficult to match because elite footballers now change clubs and leagues more frequently.

Club Goals, International Goals and Total Goals

The figures below use the same broad top-level method for club and international football.

Player	Approximate official club goals	Senior international goals	Total top-level goals
Cristiano Ronaldo	813	146	959
Lionel Messi	773	125	898
Pelé	693	77	770
Ferenc Puskás	677	84	761
Robert Lewandowski	596	89	685
Zlatan Ibrahimović	500	62	562

The approximate club total is calculated by subtracting the senior international total from the player’s overall top-level figure.

These totals should not be mixed with sources using different match definitions.

International Goals as a Percentage of the Total

Player	International goals	Overall total	International share
Cristiano Ronaldo	146	959	Approximately 15.2%
Lionel Messi	125	898	Approximately 13.9%
Robert Lewandowski	89	685	Approximately 13.0%
Ferenc Puskás	84	761	Approximately 11.0%
Zlatan Ibrahimović	62	562	Approximately 11.0%
Pelé	77	770	10.0%

Ronaldo has both the largest international total and the highest international percentage among these six players.

Most Goals in Men’s International Football

International totals for active players change whenever their national teams play.

Rank	Player	Country	International goals	Approximate scoring rate
1	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	140+	Approximately 0.63
2	Lionel Messi	Argentina	120+	Approximately 0.60
3	Ali Daei	Iran	108	0.73
4	Sunil Chhetri	India	95	0.61
5	Romelu Lukaku	Belgium	90+	Approximately 0.70
6	Mokhtar Dahari	Malaysia	89	0.63
7	Robert Lewandowski	Poland	88+	Approximately 0.54
8	Ali Mabkhout	United Arab Emirates	85	0.74
9	Harry Kane	England	80+	Approximately 0.70
10	Ferenc Puskás	Hungary	84	0.94

Best Scoring Rates Among the International Leaders

Player	Approximate goals per international
Ferenc Puskás	0.94
Ali Mabkhout	0.74
Ali Daei	0.73
Romelu Lukaku	Approximately 0.70
Harry Kane	Approximately 0.70
Cristiano Ronaldo	Approximately 0.63
Mokhtar Dahari	0.63
Sunil Chhetri	0.61
Lionel Messi	Approximately 0.60
Robert Lewandowski	Approximately 0.54

Puskás had the strongest scoring rate among this elite historical group.

Ronaldo’s achievement is based more on enormous longevity and sustained output across more than two decades.

Denmark Top 20: Most Senior International Goals

Rank	Player	Goals	Appearances	Goals per game
1	Jon Dahl Tomasson	52	112	0.46
1	Poul “Tist” Nielsen	52	38	1.37
3	Christian Eriksen	46	151	0.30
4	Pauli Jørgensen	44	47	0.94
5	Ole Madsen	42	50	0.84
6	Preben Elkjær	38	69	0.55
7	Michael Laudrup	37	104	0.36
8	Nicklas Bendtner	30	81	0.37
9	Henning Enoksen	29	54	0.54
10	Ebbe Sand	22	66	0.33
10	Michael Rohde	22	40	0.55
12	Brian Laudrup	21	82	0.26
12	Flemming Povlsen	21	62	0.34
12	Dennis Rommedahl	21	126	0.17
15	Allan Simonsen	20	55	0.36
16	Jens Peder Hansen	18	38	0.47
17	Poul Pedersen	17	50	0.34
17	Carl Aage Præst	17	24	0.71
17	Karl Aage Hansen	17	22	0.77
20	Sophus “Krølben” Nielsen	16	20	0.80

Jon Dahl Tomasson and Poul Nielsen share Denmark’s senior international goalscoring record.

Best Denmark International Scoring Rates

A minimum of ten senior international appearances is required.

Rank	Player	Goals	Appearances	Goals per game
1	Poul “Tist” Nielsen	52	38	1.37
2	Harald Nielsen	15	14	1.07
3	Pauli Jørgensen	44	47	0.94
4	Ole Madsen	42	50	0.84
5	Sophus “Krølben” Nielsen	16	20	0.80
6	Karl Aage Hansen	17	22	0.77
7	Carl Aage Præst	17	24	0.71
8	Preben Elkjær	38	69	0.55
9	Michael Rohde	22	40	0.55
10	Henning Enoksen	29	54	0.54

Poul Nielsen Versus Jon Dahl Tomasson

Player	Goals	Appearances	Goals per game
Poul Nielsen	52	38	1.37
Jon Dahl Tomasson	52	112	0.46

Poul Nielsen was clearly the more efficient scorer.

Jon Dahl Tomasson reached the record across a much larger number of matches and in a more tactically organised era of international football.

Poul Nielsen played when national teams had fewer fixtures and when differences in quality between countries could be much greater.

Even with that context, 52 goals in 38 internationals remains an extraordinary record.

Sophus Nielsen’s Ten Goals in One Match

Denmark defeated France 17-1 during the 1908 Olympic football tournament.

Sophus “Krølben” Nielsen scored ten goals.

The match is recognised by the Danish Football Association as a senior international.

Danish Club Goals: Why Is There No Fully Reliable Overall Top 20?

There is no single complete public database combining every Danish footballer’s goals in:

Danish league football
foreign league football
domestic cups
European competitions
other official club competitions
senior international football

A completely reliable Danish career Top 20 would require a player-by-player review of club archives, national associations and historical databases.

The following players clearly belong among Denmark’s greatest goalscorers:

Player	Major goalscoring achievements
Poul “Tist” Nielsen	52 Denmark goals in 38 matches and a huge club record for KB
Harald Nielsen	Serie A top scorer and 15 goals in 14 Denmark appearances
Jon Dahl Tomasson	52 international goals and a major European club career
John Hansen	Italian champion and leading scorer for Juventus
Preben Elkjær	Goals in Denmark, Belgium, Italy and international football
Ebbe Sand	Major scorer for Brøndby and Schalke
Morten “Duncan” Rasmussen	145 Danish Superliga goals
Allan Simonsen	Goals for Gladbach, Barcelona and Denmark
Nicklas Bendtner	Goals in England, Italy, Germany and Norway
Christian Eriksen	46 international goals as a midfielder
Ole Madsen	42 goals in 50 Denmark appearances
Henning Jensen	Forward for Borussia Mönchengladbach and Real Madrid
Morten Nordstrand	Prolific Danish Superliga scorer
Peter Møller	Goals for several Danish top clubs
Frank Kristensen	Major scorer for FC Midtjylland

Exact career totals should only be added after every player’s league, cup, European and international goals have been checked using the same method.

The Greatest Nordic Goalscorers

There is no single shared Nordic database that counts every official club and international goal using one consistent method throughout history.

The following players unquestionably belong among the Nordic goalscoring elite:

Player	Country	Documented strength
Zlatan Ibrahimović	Sweden	562 official top-level goals
Gunnar Nordahl	Sweden	43 goals in 33 internationals and five Serie A top-scorer awards
Erling Haaland	Norway	One of the fastest Champions League scorers ever
Henrik Larsson	Sweden	Major goalscoring record in Scotland and European football
Poul Nielsen	Denmark	52 goals in 38 internationals
Jon Dahl Tomasson	Denmark	52 goals for Denmark
Jari Litmanen	Finland	Finland’s greatest international club star
Teemu Pukki	Finland	Major club and international goalscoring record
Ole Gunnar Solskjær	Norway	Goals for Manchester United and Norway
Harald Nielsen	Denmark	Serie A top scorer for Bologna
John Hansen	Denmark	Italian champion and top scorer for Juventus
Eidur Gudjohnsen	Iceland	Star for Chelsea and Barcelona

Zlatan Is the Nordic Number One

Zlatan is the highest-ranked Nordic player on the global official top-level list.

He scored club goals in:

Sweden
the Netherlands
Italy
Spain
France
England
the United States

His record combines longevity, adaptability and production in several different styles of football.

Can Haaland Overtake Zlatan?

Haaland has a realistic chance.

His main advantages are:

an extremely high scoring rate
an early start at Champions League level
a specialist role as a central striker
outstanding movement inside the penalty area
the ability to score with both feet and his head

To overtake Zlatan’s overall career total, Haaland will need to:

remain at elite level for many more seasons
avoid repeated long-term injuries
continue playing for attacking teams
retain his role as first-choice striker
adapt his game as his physical explosiveness changes

Manchester City lists Haaland as a central part of the club’s long-term plans after extending his contract deep into the next decade.

Who Has Scored the Most Goals “Only in Europe”?

The phrase can refer to several different categories:

Goals for European clubs.
Goals in European domestic leagues.
Goals in UEFA competitions.
Goals physically scored on European soil.
Goals scored by European footballers.

No complete historical database ranks every player according to goals physically scored in Europe.

The category should therefore be divided into more precise lists.

Most Goals by European Players

Rank	Player	Country	Official top-level goals
1	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	959
2	Ferenc Puskás	Hungary	761
3	Josef Bican	Austria/Czechoslovakia	743
4	Robert Lewandowski	Poland	685
5	Jimmy Jones	Northern Ireland	659
6	Abe Lenstra	Netherlands	645
7	Gerd Müller	West Germany	640
8	Joe Bambrick	Northern Ireland	634
9	Fernando Peyroteo	Portugal	610
10	Uwe Seeler	West Germany	567

Most Goals in Europe’s Biggest Club Competition

Rank	Player	Champions League goals
1	Cristiano Ronaldo	140
2	Lionel Messi	129
3	Robert Lewandowski	109
4	Karim Benzema	90
5	Raúl	71
6	Kylian Mbappé	70
7	Erling Haaland	57
7	Thomas Müller	57
9	Ruud van Nistelrooy	56
10	Harry Kane	54

This is more accurate than presenting one artificial list called “most goals in Europe”.

Most Goals Before Turning 30

Rank	Player	Goals before turning 30
1	Pelé	675
2	Ferenc Deák	At least 635
3	Tommy Lawton	At least 632
4	Erwin Helmchen	At least 629
5	Joe Bambrick	At least 610
6	Fred Roberts	At least 600
7	Sammy Hughes	At least 599
8	Jimmy Jones	At least 593
8	Lionel Messi	593
10	Gerd Müller	570
11	Ferenc Puskás	556
11	Fernando Peyroteo	556
13	David “Boy” Martin	At least 537
14	Dixie Dean	528
15	Imre Schlosser	515
16	Jimmy Greaves	511
17	Gyula Zsengellér	506
18	Ferenc Bene	504
18	Josef Bican	At least 504
20	Franz Binder	At least 495

Pelé’s Early Dominance

Pelé made his senior debut for Santos at a very young age and became a world champion at 17.

He had therefore already played several senior seasons before most modern footballers become established starters.

His record reflects both extraordinary ability and an unusually early beginning.

Most Goals After Turning 30

Rank	Player	Goals after turning 30
1	Ronald Rooke	At least 493
2	Cristiano Ronaldo	492
3	Romário	451
4	Josef Bican	At least 446
5	Joe Smith	At least 379
6	Otto Harder	At least 373
7	Erwin Helmchen	At least 360
8	Zlatan Ibrahimović	346
9	Lionel Messi	332
10	Pongo Waring	At least 330
11	Abe Lenstra	At least 328
12	Robert Lewandowski	326

How Ronaldo Changed With Age

Career phase	Main role	Main strengths
Early career	Winger	Pace, dribbling and crossing
Real Madrid peak	Inside forward	Shooting, counterattacks and explosive movement
Later career	Central goalscorer	Positioning, heading and quick finishing

Ronaldo did not simply try to maintain his original playing style.

He reduced the amount of energy used far from goal and focused increasingly on reaching decisive positions inside the penalty area.

Best Goals-Per-Game Records Ever

A goals-per-game ranking requires a minimum threshold.

Without one, a player with three goals in one match could appear artificially at the top.

Recommended Minimum Requirement

A serious historical list should require at least:

300 official senior appearances, or
300 official senior goals

Historic Goalscorers With Exceptional Averages

Player	Approximate scoring rate	Data type
Erwin Helmchen	Above 1.5	Broad official record
Fernando Peyroteo	Approximately 1.6	Broad official record
Ferenc Deák	Approximately 1.5	Broad official record
Josef Bican	Approximately 1.5	Broad official record
Ernst Willimowski	Approximately 1.4	Broad official record
Joe Bambrick	Above 1.1	Broad official record
Jimmy Jones	Above 1.0	Broad official record
Ferenc Puskás	Around 1.0	Broad official record
Gerd Müller	Around 0.9	Long elite career
Pelé	Around 0.9	Long elite career
Lionel Messi	Around 0.8	Modern top level
Cristiano Ronaldo	Around 0.7	Modern top level

Why Were Historic Scoring Rates Sometimes Higher?

Earlier football eras often included:

greater differences in team quality
more attacking formations
less organised defensive structures
fewer tactical-analysis resources
more regional competitions
different offside laws
less consistent professional standards

That does not make historic goals meaningless.

It means the averages should be judged within the player’s era and counting method.

Non-Penalty Goals

Non-penalty goals are goals scored without a penalty kick.

They include goals:

from open play
following corners
from direct free kicks
on counterattacks
with headers
after combination play
from long-range shots

Why Is There No Fully Reliable Historical Top 20?

Complete penalty data does not exist for every historical player.

For many older goalscorers, information is missing about:

converted penalties
missed penalties
retaken penalties
the competition in which the goal was scored
whether the match counts as top level
incomplete match reports

A precise historical non-penalty total should therefore only be used when the methodology is documented.

Modern Goalscorer Comparison

Player	Total output	Penalty share	Non-penalty scoring rate
Lionel Messi	Extremely high	Lower than Ronaldo	Extremely high
Cristiano Ronaldo	Highest overall total	Higher than Messi	Very high
Robert Lewandowski	Very high	Significant	Very high
Luis Suárez	Very high	Relatively low	Very high
Karim Benzema	High	Increased later in his career	High
Erling Haaland	Rapidly increasing	Regular penalty taker	Extremely high
Kylian Mbappé	Rapidly increasing	Regular penalty taker	Very high
Harry Kane	High	Significant	Very high

Messi Versus Ronaldo Without Penalties

Category	Advantage
Most total goals	Ronaldo
Most international goals	Ronaldo
Most Champions League goals	Ronaldo
Higher overall goals-per-game average	Messi
Higher non-penalty goals-per-game average	Messi
More assists	Messi
More headed goals	Ronaldo
More goals after turning 30	Ronaldo
More goals for one club	Messi

Penalty statistics cannot independently determine which player was greater.

They show that Ronaldo has produced the larger total, while Messi has generally been more efficient per appearance and has created more goals for teammates.

Penalty Goals Count Too

A penalty goal should not be treated as free.

A regular penalty taker must:

accept responsibility
handle pressure
read the goalkeeper
control the run-up
select the correct placement
score in decisive matches and finals

The fairest comparison therefore uses several statistics.

Statistic	What it measures
Total goals	Complete goalscoring output
Penalty goals	Ability from the penalty spot
Non-penalty goals	Output in every other situation
Non-penalty goals per game	Match efficiency
Non-penalty goals per 90 minutes	Efficiency adjusted for playing time
Assists	Chances and goals created for teammates

Most Recorded Official Hat-Tricks

Rank	Player	Recorded hat-tricks
1	Erwin Helmchen	At least 142
2	Josef Bican	137
3	Ferenc Deák	At least 97
4	Ernst Willimowski	At least 96
5	Jimmy Jones	91
6	Pelé	88
7	Ronald Rooke	At least 86
7	Joe Bambrick	86
9	Fernando Peyroteo	82
10	Fred Roberts	77
11	David “Boy” Martin	At least 76
11	Tommy Lawton	76
13	Otto Harder	At least 74
13	Imre Schlosser	74
15	Sammy Hughes	73
16	Gerd Müller	72
17	Fritz Walter	71
18	Ferenc Puskás	70
18	Romário	70
20	Cristiano Ronaldo	66

“At least” means the known number may be lower than the player’s actual total because some historical match records are incomplete.

Most Goals in a Modern Calendar Year

Lionel Messi’s 91 Goals in 2012

Messi scored 91 official goals for Barcelona and Argentina during the 2012 calendar year.

He surpassed Gerd Müller’s famous total of 85 goals from 1972.

Messi’s goals came in:

La Liga
the Champions League
the Copa del Rey
super cup competitions
official senior internationals for Argentina

Why Should Historic Seasonal Totals Be Treated Carefully?

Some older players are listed with more than 90 or even 100 goals across one season.

However, those totals may include:

regional leagues
parallel competitions
reserve competitions
military matches
broader official categories

Messi’s total should therefore be described precisely as a modern and exceptionally well-documented calendar-year record at elite level.

Greatest FIFA World Cup Goalscorers Before the 2026 Tournament

Rank	Player	Country	World Cup goals
1	Miroslav Klose	Germany	16
2	Ronaldo Nazário	Brazil	15
3	Gerd Müller	West Germany	14
4	Just Fontaine	France	13
4	Lionel Messi	Argentina	13
6	Pelé	Brazil	12
6	Kylian Mbappé	France	12

The list should be updated separately after the 2026 World Cup, rather than mixing a completed historical tournament record with live and changing career data.

Cristiano Ronaldo Versus Lionel Messi

Category	Cristiano Ronaldo	Lionel Messi	Advantage
Official top-level goals	959	898	Ronaldo
Top-division league goals	585	553	Ronaldo
Champions League goals	140	129	Ronaldo
Goals before turning 30	483	593	Messi
Goals after turning 30	492	332	Ronaldo
Goals for one club	Fewer than 672	672	Messi
Champions League goals for one club	105	120	Messi
Champions League hat-tricks	8	8	Level
Overall goals per game	Lower	Higher	Messi
Non-penalty goals per game	Lower	Higher	Messi
Total assists	Fewer	More	Messi

Who Wins the Comparison?

Ronaldo leads when the question is:

Who has scored the most official goals?
Who has the most Champions League goals?
Who has scored the most after turning 30?
Who has produced goals in the greatest number of different leagues?
Who has sustained elite goalscoring for the longest period?

Messi leads when the question is:

Who has the better goals-per-game average?
Who has scored the most goals for one club?
Who has recorded more assists?
Who scored more before the age of 30?
Who has the better non-penalty scoring rate?

Erling Haaland Versus Kylian Mbappé

Category	Erling Haaland	Kylian Mbappé
Primary position	Central striker	Forward/left-sided attacker
Greatest strength	Penalty-box positioning and finishing	Pace, dribbling and chance creation
Ability to create his own chances	Good	Outstanding
Strength inside the penalty area	Exceptional	Very high
Heading ability	Strong	Good
Counterattacking threat	Very high	Exceptional
Playmaking contribution	Developing	Stronger
Long-term record potential	Exceptional	Exceptional

Who Is More Likely to Reach Ronaldo?

Mbappé has the advantage of being able to create a larger number of chances for himself.

Haaland is a more specialised central scorer and can produce extraordinary totals when playing in a dominant attacking team.

For both players, the biggest challenge is not their current scoring rate.

It is maintaining elite production across:

15 or more senior seasons
tactical changes
injuries
different coaches
changes in physical ability
changes of club or league
international tournaments

Headed Goals, Free Kicks and Long-Range Goals

These are popular categories, but the historical data is not complete.

Headed Goals

Cristiano Ronaldo is widely recognised as one of the most productive headers of the ball in football history.

However, there is no complete FIFA database classifying the finishing method for every official goal ever scored.

The most accurate wording is therefore:

Most recorded headed goals within the named database and period.

Read the full English guide:

Most Headed Goals in Football History – Ronaldo, Crouch, Klose and the Greatest Heading Records

Direct Free-Kick Goals

Juninho Pernambucano, Pelé, Zico, Ronaldinho, David Beckham, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are frequently named among football’s greatest direct free-kick scorers.

Different rankings can produce different results because they use different match categories.

Goals From Outside the Penalty Area

Modern data companies record:

whether a goal was scored inside or outside the penalty area
which foot was used
whether the goal followed a set piece
whether the goal was a header
the assisting player
the location and type of the shot

That information is not available consistently across the entire 20th century.

A historical record should therefore always name the database and time period.

Who Is the Greatest Goalscorer in Football History?

There is no single objective answer.