The ten men who have scored the most goals in official top-level competitive football, from Cristiano Ronaldo's record haul down.
Quick answer: 1. Cristiano Ronaldo, 2. Lionel Messi, 3. Pele, 4. Romario, 5. Ferenc Puskas, 6. Josef Bican, 7. Robert Lewandowski, 8. Jimmy Jones, 9. Gerd Muller, 10. Joe Bambrick.
Who has really scored the most goals in football history? It depends on which matches you count, and the honest answer is that career-goal tallies vary between record-keepers. This list uses the IFFHS-based ranking compiled by Wikipedia, which counts goals in official top-level competitive matches: club league games, domestic cups, and full internationals. The result is a mix of the modern giants still adding to their totals and the historic marksmen whose records stood for decades. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi sit clear at the top, but the names beneath them, including two prolific Irish League forwards, show how the count changes once you look past the biggest leagues.
The all-time record scorer, pairing hundreds of league goals with a men's-record 146 international goals for Portugal. Still active in July 2026, so his lead keeps growing with every match.
Second on the all-time list and holder of the most goals for a single club, with 672 for Barcelona. Still active as of July 2026.
Held the world record for official goals for roughly 45 years, scoring the bulk of his tally for Santos alongside 77 goals in full internationals for Brazil.
The Brazilian striker built one of the highest official tallies ever across nearly 1,000 senior appearances for clubs and country, adding 55 goals for the Brazil national team.
The star of Hungary's Mighty Magyars and Real Madrid, ranked by UEFA among the leading all-time scorers in European top-flight leagues with 518 league goals.
FIFA recognised Bican in 2020 as a record scorer with an estimated 805 goals across all competitions; his top-level official total on the IFFHS-based ranking is 722.
Poland's all-time top scorer and a relentless finisher for Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and Barcelona. Still active in July 2026, so his total keeps climbing.
The Northern Irish forward scored prolifically in the Irish League, with the large majority of his goals coming in domestic league and cup football.
The West Germany and Bayern Munich striker was famed for his goal ratio, including 68 goals in just 62 internationals for West Germany.
The 1920s-30s Northern Irish forward famously scored six goals in a single international, with the bulk of his tally coming in Irish League cup and league play.
| # | Name | nationality | careerSpan | internationalGoals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 2002-present | 146 |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 2004-present | 124 |
| 3 | Pele | Brazil | 1957-1977 | 77 |
| 4 | Romario | Brazil | 1985-2007 | 55 |
| 5 | Ferenc Puskas | Hungary/Spain | 1943-1966 | 84 |
| 6 | Josef Bican | Austria/Czechoslovakia | 1931-1955 | 32 |
| 7 | Robert Lewandowski | Poland | 2008-present | 89 |
| 8 | Jimmy Jones | Northern Ireland | 1947-1964 | 1 |
| 9 | Gerd Muller | West Germany | 1964-1981 | 68 |
| 10 | Joe Bambrick | Northern Ireland | 1926-1943 | 12 |
Players are ranked by total career goals in official top-level competitive matches, per the IFFHS-based ranking compiled by Wikipedia's "List of footballers with 500 or more goals." Counted: goals in senior club league matches, domestic cup competitions, continental/international club competitions, and full international appearances. Excluded: friendlies, wartime matches, regional and lower-division football, and reserve-team goals. Totals for active players (Ronaldo, Messi, Lewandowski) are as of July 2026 and continue to rise. Where alternative all-competition counts exist (for example FIFA's 2020 recognition of Josef Bican with an estimated 805 goals), we use the IFFHS-based official-match figure for consistency across the table. Rank 1 is the highest career-goal total.
By the IFFHS-based ranking of official top-level competitive matches, Cristiano Ronaldo is the all-time record scorer with 976 goals as of July 2026, a total that continues to rise while he is active. He combines hundreds of league goals with a men's-record 146 international goals for Portugal.
Some tallies you may have seen, such as FIFA's estimated 805 goals for Josef Bican, count all competitions including friendlies, regional and lower-division matches. This list uses only official top-level competitive goals for consistency, which puts Bican at 722 and Pele at 762. Different record-keepers count different matches, so totals vary.
Yes. The totals include goals in full international matches alongside club league, domestic cup and continental competition goals. Ronaldo's 146 goals for Portugal and Messi's 124 for Argentina are part of their career figures shown here.
Jimmy Jones (639) and Joe Bambrick (626) scored the vast majority of their goals in Irish League domestic league and cup football, which counts as top-level competitive football in this ranking. Their high tallies reflect prolific domestic scoring over long careers rather than international fame.