Top international goal scorers - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

This page lists the top all-time male goal scorer for each national football team where the top scorer has a minimum 20 goals

Goal (sport)

Goal refers to a method of scoring in many sports. It can also refer to the physical structure or area of the playing surface where scoring occurs....

in official international matches for his country. Players who are currently active at international level are indicated in bold type.

This list is not an all-time top international goal scorers list, as some country's second top scorer could have scored more than another country's top scorer. It only lists the top scorer for each country.

This list is for Men's association football only.

#	Name	International goals	Caps Cap (sport) In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...	Goals per Match
1	Ali Daei Ali Daei Ali Daei is an Iranian retired football player and former national team coach who currently manages a local Iranian team, Rah Ahan. He is a former captain of the Iran national football team, and is the world's all-time leading goalscorer in international matches...	109	149	0.73
2	Ferenc Puskás Ferenc Puskás Ferenc Puskás was a Hungarian footballer and manager. He scored 84 goals in 85 international matches for Hungary, and 514 goals in 529 matches in the Hungarian and Spanish leagues. He became Olympic champion in 1952 and was a World Cup finalist in 1954...	84	85	0.99
3	Pelé Pelé However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...	77	92	0.84
4	Bashar Abdullah	75	134	0.56
5	Stern John Stern John Stern John is a Trinidadian football player currently playing for North East Stars in Trinidad. He played for a number of high profile English football clubs that included Nottingham Forest, Birmingham City and Coventry City.-Early Career in US:John moved to the United States to attend Mercer...	70	114	0.61
6	Hossam Hassan Hossam Hassan Hossam Hassan Hussein is a retired Egyptian footballer who played as a striker, and a current coach.A prolific goalscorer, he amassed well over 150 caps for Egypt, netting more than 50 times...	69	169	0.41
7	Gerd Müller Gerd Müller Gerhard "Gerd" Müller is a former German football player and one of the most prolific goalscorers of all time.With national records of 68 goals in 62 international appearances, 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga games and the international record of 66 goals in 74 European Club games, he was one of the...	68	62	1.09
8	Hussein Saeed Hussein Saeed Hussein Saeed Mohammed is a former Iraqi football player. Hussein Saeed is in 10th place in FIFA’s list of most international matches at 126 matches. He was also in the Iraq national football team's golden team in 1986. He competed for Iraq at the 1980, 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics.Saeed is also...	63	126	0.50
9	Gabriel Batistuta Gabriel Batistuta Gabriel Omar Batistuta , nicknamed Batigol, is a former professional footballer. The prolific Argentine striker played most of his club football at Fiorentina in Italy, and he is the tenth top scorer of all-time in the Italian Serie A league, with 184 goals in 318 matches...	56	78	0.72
9	Carlos Pavón Carlos Pavón Carlos Alberto Pavón Plummer is a Honduran football striker.He is most costly related to Real C.D. España of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Honduras....	56	101	0.55
11	Kunishige Kamamoto Kunishige Kamamoto Kunishige Kamamoto is a former association football player from Japan, who won the bronze medal with the Japan national team at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico, finishing as the tournament's top scorer with seven goals... /Kazuyoshi Miura Kazuyoshi Miura ----Kazuyoshi Miura , often known simply as Kazu, is a Japanese football striker. He has played for the Japanese national team and was the first Japanese recipient of the Asian Player of the Year award in 1993, an award presented annually by the Asian Football Confederation. He is currently with...	55	61/89	0.90/0.62
11	Jan Koller Jan Koller Jan Koller is Czech footballer currently playing in AFK Smetanova Lhota.As an international player he played as a striker for the Czech Republic national team. He is the all-time leading goal scorer for either the Czech Republic or the former Czechoslovakia, with 55 goals in 91 caps...	55	91	0.60
11	Cha Bum-Kun Cha Bum-Kun Cha Bum-Kun is a South Korean football manager and former player, nicknamed Tscha Bum in Germany because of his name and his thunderous ball striking ability. In South Korea, Cha is greatly respected for his accomplishments in the Bundesliga and the South Korean national team...	55	121	0.45
14	Samuel Eto'o Samuel Eto'o Samuel Eto'o Fils is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Russian team Anzhi Makhachkala. He is also the current captain of the Cameroon national team.Eto'o trained at Kadji Sports Academy...	54	109	0.49
15	Joachim Streich Joachim Streich Joachim Streich is a former East German footballer, who won the bronze medal with East Germany at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich....	53	98	0.54
15	Robbie Keane Robbie Keane Robert David "Robbie" Keane is an Irish association football player who plays as a striker for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer and captains the Irish national football team....	53	114	0.46
15	Adnan Al Talyani	53	164	0.32
18	Poul Nielsen Poul Nielsen Niels Poul "Tist" Nielsen was a Danish amateur football player, who is the joint all-time leading goalscorer for the Danish national team with 52 goals in only 38 matches, averaging 1.37 goals per match, and won a silver medal with the Danish national team at the 1912 Summer Olympics... /Jon Dahl Tomasson Jon Dahl Tomasson Jon Dahl Tomasson is a retired Danish footballer and assistant manager at the Dutch football club SBV Excelsior....	52	38/112	1.37/0.46
19	David Villa David Villa David Villa Sánchez , nicknamed , is a Spanish footballer who currently plays as a striker for FC Barcelona and the Spanish national football team. He can also operate as a winger....	51	82	0.62
19	Hakan Sükür Hakan Sükür Hakan Şükür is a retired Turkish footballer who played as a striker. He spent the majority of his professional career with Galatasaray, being a three-time Gol Kralı , representing the club in three different spells and winning a total of 14 major titles.Şükür represented Turkey a...	51	112	0.46
19	Thierry Henry Thierry Henry Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...	51	123	0.41
21	Didier Drogba Didier Drogba Didier Yves Drogba Tébily is an Ivorian footballer who plays in the centre forward position. He currently plays for Chelsea in the Premier League, where he is deputy vice-captain, and is the captain and all-time top scorer of the Côte d'Ivoire national football team...	50	76	0.66
22	Sven Rydell Sven Rydell Sven Åke Albert Rydell was a Swedish football player, the all-time leading scorer for the Swedish national team....	49	43	1.14
23	Bobby Charlton Bobby Charlton Sir Robert "Bobby" Charlton CBE is an English former professional football player, a member of the England team who won the World Cup and Ballon d'Or for European Footballer of the Year in 1966...	49	106	0.47
25	Wlodzimierz Lubanski Wlodzimierz Lubanski Włodzimierz 'Włodek' Leonard Lubański is a former Polish football striker, the all-time goal scorer for the Polish national team. He was considered the best Polish striker ever...	48	75	0.64
25	Dimitar Berbatov Dimitar Berbatov Dimitar Ivanov Berbatov is a Bulgarian footballer who plays as a forward for Manchester United. He captained the Bulgarian national team from 2006 to 2010, and is its all-time leading goalscorer and has also won the Bulgarian Footballer of the Year a record seven times, surpassing the number of...	48	76	0.63
27	Pauleta Pauleta Pedro Miguel Carreiro Resendes, OIH , commonly known as Pauleta , is a retired Portuguese footballer who played as a striker....	47	88	0.53
27	Rolando Fonseca Rolando Fonseca Rolando Fonseca Jiménez is a Costa Rican footballer. He currently plays as a striker for Comunicaciones of the Guatemalan National League...	47	107	0.44
29	Jared Borgetti Jared Borgetti Jared Francisco Borgetti Echavarría is a retired Mexican footballer. Borgetti is the all-time leading goal scorer for the Mexican national team, with 46 goals. A prolific goal scorer at both club and national level, Borgetti was renowned for his heading ability...	46	90	0.51
29	Andriy Shevchenko Andriy Shevchenko Andriy Mykolayovych Shevchenko is a Ukrainian footballer who plays for Dynamo Kyiv and the Ukraine national team as a striker. He is the third-highest scorer in the history of European club competition with 67 goals as of 2011-03-10, behind Filippo Inzaghi and Raúl. With 175 goals scored with A.C...	46	105	0.44
29	Landon Donovan Landon Donovan Landon Timothy Donovan is an American soccer player for the Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer in the United States. He usually plays as a withdrawn forward, and can also be used as an attacking midfielder on either wing....	46	138	0.33
32	Davor Šuker Davor Šuker Davor Šuker , is a retired Croatian footballer. He played as a striker for a number of European clubs as well as the Croatian national team, where he is the all-time top goal scorer with 45 goals....	45	69	0.65
32	Carlos Ruíz	45	92	0.49
34	Toni Polster	43	95	0.45
35	Alexander Frei	42	82	0.51
35	Oleg Blokhin Oleg Blokhin Oleh Volodymyrovych "Oleg" Blokhin is a Ukrainian football coach and current head coach of the Ukrainian national team. Blokhin was formerly a standout striker for Dynamo Kyiv and the Soviet national team...	42	112	0.38
37	Hao Haidong Hao Haidong Hao Haidong is the current chairman of Tianjin Songjiang F.C. and a former Chinese international football player who was widely regarded as the best striker China has ever produced. Hao holds the record for being China's all-time leader in goals scored...	41	115	0.36
38	Patrick Kluivert Patrick Kluivert Patrick Stephan Kluivert is a former Dutch footballer, currently head coach of the youth side of FC Twente. He played as a striker for AFC Ajax, A.C. Milan, FC Barcelona, Newcastle United, Valencia CF, PSV Eindhoven, and Lille OSC. Kluivert played for the Dutch national team from 1994 to 2004. He...	40	79	0.51
39	Raúl Díaz Arce Raúl Díaz Arce Raúl Díaz Arce is a retired Salvadoran football player.He is El Salvador's second most prolific goal scorer behind Jorge "Mágico" González, with 39 goals in just 68 appearances.-Early career:...	39	68	0.57
40	Stjepan Bobek Stjepan Bobek Stjepan Bobek was a football striker from Yugoslavia, and later a football manager. An ethnic Croat, Bobek started playing at a very young age and had spells with several clubs in Zagreb but is mainly remembered for his time at the Serbian side Partizan Belgrade, where he moved to following the...	38	63	0.60
41	Rashidi Yekini	37	58	0.64
41	Marcelo Salas Marcelo Salas José Marcelo Salas Melinao , better known as El Matador, Shileno or simply Marcelo Salas, is a former football player from Chile. He, along with world cup veterans, 3 time Best Player of America Elías Figueroa and former Real Madrid and Inter Milan forward Iván Zamorano, has been one of Chile's...	37	70	0.53
41	Bambang Pamungkas Bambang Pamungkas Bambang Pamungkas is an Indonesian footballer who currently plays for Persija Jakarta in the Indonesian Super League and the Indonesia national football team. His natural position is striker...	37	83	0.45
41	Savo Milošević Savo Miloševic Savo Milošević is a retired Serbian footballer who played as a striker.After making a name for himself at Partizan, he signed for Aston Villa, and went on to spend the vast majority of the following decade playing in Spain, where he represented four clubs, amassing La Liga totals of 241 games and...	37	102	0.33
41	Akwá	37	unk
46	Andres Oper Andres Oper Andres Oper is an Estonian footballer who plays as a striker. He played in AEK Larnaca. He has set the goalscoring record for the Estonian national team, by scoring 36 goals in 117 matches.-Early career:...	36	121	0.30
47	Luigi Riva Luigi Riva Luigi Riva , best known as Gigi Riva or by his nickname Rombo di Tuono , is a former Italian footballer, the all-time leading scorer for the Italian national team...	35	42	0.83
47	Zlatko Zahovic Zlatko Zahovic Zlatko Zahovič is a retired Slovenian footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.After making a name for himself in Europe in Portugal, most notably with Porto and Benfica, he went on to have unassuming spells in Spain and Greece...	35	80	0.44
47	David Healy David Healy (footballer) David Jonathan Healy, MBE is a Northern Ireland international footballer who plays as a striker for Scottish Premier League champions Rangers...	35	91	0.38
47	Gheorghe Hagi Gheorghe Hagi Gheorghe Hagi is a former Romanian footballer. He was famous for his passing, close control, long shots and was regarded as one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe during the 1980s and 1990s and is considered the greatest Romanian footballer of all time...	35	125	0.28
51	Maksim Shatskikh Maksim Shatskikh Maksim Aleksandrovich Shatskikh , is an Uzbek professional footballer who plays for Arsenal Kyiv in the Ukrainian Premier League....	34	60	0.57
51	Antonín Puč Antonín Puc Antonín Puč was a former Czech football player, the all-time leading scorer for the Czechoslovak national team....	34	60	0.57
51	Abdelhafid Tasfaout Abdelhafid Tasfaout Abdelhafid Tasfaout is a retired Algerian footballer. A midfielder, he was the captain of the Algerian national football team for five years.-Career:...	34	62	0.55
51	Luis Tejada Luis Tejada Luis "Matador" Tejada is a Panamanian professional association football striker. He currently plays for Juan Aurich of the Peruvian Primera División and the Panamanian national team.-Club career:...	34	unk
55	Jørgen Juve Jørgen Juve Jørgen Juve was a Norwegian football player. He played as a striker for Lyn, and also for the Norwegian national team. He is still the highest scoring player ever for Norway, with 33 goals out of just 45 games...	33	45	0.73
55	Abedi Pele Abédi Pelé Abedi Ayew, known professionally as Abedi Pele is a former Ghana International football player and captain. Having been given the nickname "Pelé" in recognition of his superior ability that evoked comparisons to Brazilian great Pelé, he found fame in France's Ligue 1 with Lille OSC and Olympique...	33	67	0.49
57	Benni McCarthy Benni McCarthy Benedict Saul "Benni" McCarthy is a South African footballer who is currently contracted to Orlando Pirates in South Africa.McCarthy holds the record of international goals for a South African...	32	79	0.41
57	Michalis Konstantinou Michalis Konstantinou Michalis Konstantinou is a Cypriot football striker. He plays for the Cyprus national football team, and is already the all-time leading scorer with 32 goals in 80 appearances....	32	82	0.39
57	Diego Forlán Diego Forlán Diego Forlán Corazo is an Uruguayan footballer who plays as a striker for Internazionale and the Uruguayan national team. He is a two-time winner of both the Pichichi Trophy and the European Golden Shoe, and also received the Golden Ball as the best player at the 2010 World Cup.Forlán was born...	32	84	0.38
57	Jari Litmanen Jari Litmanen Jari Olavi Litmanen is a Finnish footballer, currently playing for HJK. He is the current vice-captain of Finland national football team, where he served as a first choice captain between 1996–2008...	32	137	0.23
61	Luton Shelton Luton Shelton Luton Shelton is a Jamaican footballer who plays as a striker or winger for the Turkish club Karabükspor.-Harbour View:...	31	57	0.54
61	Agustín Delgado Agustín Delgado Agustín Javier Delgado Chalá is a retired Ecuadorian footballer. Nicknamed Tín, Delgado is the all-time top scorer for the Ecuadorian national team with 31 goals in 71 games. He played professional club football in Ecuador, Mexico and England.-Southampton:Delgado moved to Southampton in 2001...	31	70	0.44
63	Le Cong Vinh Le Cong Vinh Lê Công Vinh is a Vietnamese footballer who plays for Hanoi F.C. as a striker. He is also a member of the Vietnamese national team.-Sông Lam Nghệ An:... /Le Huynh Duc Le Huynh Duc Lê Huỳnh Đức is a Vietnamese football manager and former footballer currently coaching SHB Ðà Nẵng of the V-League. Đức is a former member of the Vietnam national football team, with whom he earned 60 caps , as well as being its top scorer...	30	48/unk	0.63/unk
63	Denis Law Denis Law Denis Law is a retired Scottish football player, who enjoyed a long and successful career as a striker from the 1950s to the 1970s.... /Kenny Dalglish Kenny Dalglish Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...	30	55/102	0.55/0.29
63	Bernard Voorhoof Bernard Voorhoof Bernard Voorhoof was a Belgian footballer, the Belgium national team top scorer since 1940 with 30 goals in 61 matches. He was joined by Paul Van Himst in 1974 who needed 81 matches to score the same number of goals.... /Paul Van Himst Paul Van Himst Paul van Himst is a former talented Belgian football midfielder and a football manager. Now retired, he still supports R.S.C. Anderlecht, his former team. He was nicknamed Polle Gazon due to the large number of fouls committed on him...	30	61/81	0.49/0.37
63	Michael Mifsud Michael Mifsud Michael Mifsud is a Maltese footballer. He is the captain of the Malta national football team, and currently plays for Valletta. He was voted Maltese Sports Person of the Year in 2001 and 2003.-Sliema Wanderers:...	30	85	0.35
67	Chan Siu Ki Chan Siu Ki Chan Siu Ki is a Hong Kong professional association football player who currently plays as a striker for South China AA. He is the all-time top scorer for the Hong Kong national football team with 29 goals. As he is capable of playing with either feet, he is sometimes tactically deployed as winger...	29	39	0.74
67	Damian Mori Damian Mori Damian Mori is an Australian football player who is the top scorer for the Socceroos...	29	45	0.64
67	Lester Moré Lester Moré Lester Moré is a Cuban soccer player who currently plays for Los Angeles Azul Legends in the USL Premier Development League.-Club:...	29	60	0.48
67	Nikos Anastopoulos Nikos Anastopoulos Nikos Anastopoulos is a Greek former football player, one of the most prolific strikers in the Greek league during the late 1970s and the 1980s. With 29 goals he is the all time highest scorer for the Greek national football team. Since retiring as a player he has become a football manager...	29	73	0.40
67	Henri Camara Henri Camara Henri Camara is a Senegalese footballer who plays as a striker for Greek Superleague side Panetolikos.-Early career:Camara was born in Dakar to a Guinean father and a Senegalese mother...	29	99	0.29
72	Vaughan Coveny Vaughan Coveny Vaughan Coveny is a former football player, who frequently represented New Zealand from 1992 onwards. Coveny's senior club career spanned 20 years, with his most notable stint being at South Melbourne during their National Soccer League era. He was primarily a striker although he also played as a...	28	64	0.44
72	Ian Rush Ian Rush Ian James Rush, MBE, is a retired football player from Flint, Wales. He is best remembered as a player for Liverpool, where he was among the top strikers in the English game in the 1980s and 1990s. He also had spells playing at Chester City, Juventus, Leeds United, Newcastle United, Sheffield...	28	78	0.36
72	Maris Verpakovskis Maris Verpakovskis Māris Verpakovskis , is a Latvian football forward, currently playing for the Azerbaijan Premier League club FK Baku in Azerbaijan and the Latvia national football team.-Latvia:...	28	90	0.31
75	Ali Al-Nono	27	unk
76	Issam Jemâa	26	57	0.46
76	Shota Arveladze Shota Arveladze Shota Arveladze is a former Georgian professional football player and currently the manager of Kayserispor. He is Georgia’s all-time top scorer with 291 goals in his 410 league games for his clubs and 26 goals during his 61 games on the national team...	26	60	0.43
76	Vladimir Beschastnykh Vladimir Beschastnykh Vladimir Yevgenyevich Beschastnykh is a retired association footballer who played forward...	26	71	0.37
76	Teófilo Cubillas Teófilo Cubillas Teófilo Juan Cubillas Arizaga is a Peruvian former footballer. He was selected as Peru's greatest ever player in an IFFHS poll, in which he was also included in the world's Top 50...	26	81	0.32
80	Arnoldo Alberto Iguarán	25	68	0.37
80	José Saturnino Cardozo/Roque Santa Cruz Roque Santa Cruz Roque Luis Santa Cruz Cantero is a Paraguayan footballer currently playing as a striker for La Liga club Real Betis on loan from Manchester City and the Paraguay national football team....	25	83/89	0.30/0.28
82	Mordechai Spiegler Mordechai Spiegler Mordechai "Motaleh" Spiegler is a former Israeli footballer. He remains Israel's record goalscorer, with 33 goals in 83 caps.In 2005, he was voted the 105th-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest...	24	57	0.42
82	Goran Pandev Goran Pandev Goran Pandev , is a Macedonian footballer who plays as a forward for Italian Serie A club Napoli on loan from Internazionale. He is also considered a key player for the Macedonian national team.-Early career:...	24	61	0.39
82	Eiður Guðjohnsen Eiður Guðjohnsen Eiður Smári Guðjohnsen is an Icelandic footballer who currently plays for AEK Athens F.C. in the Superleague Greece. He has previously played for Premier League club Chelsea and FC Barcelona of Spain, having made his name with Bolton Wanderers. He was the captain of the Iceland national team until...	24	66	0.36
85	Emmanuel Adebayor Emmanuel Adebayor Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor is a Togolese footballer who plays for Tottenham Hotspur as a striker on loan from Manchester City. He plays in the same position for the Togo national team. Adebayor previously played for Metz, Monaco and Arsenal and was voted African Footballer of the Year for 2008...	23	43	0.53
85	Róbert Vittek Róbert Vittek Róbert Vittek is a Slovak football player who currently plays for Trabzonspor in Turkey.-Slovan Bratislava:...	23	79	0.29
87	Elvir Bolic Elvir Bolic Elvir Bolić is a former Bosnian football forward. He is the all-time leading scorer for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team....	22	52	0.42
87	Giancarlo Maldonado Giancarlo Maldonado Giancarlo Gregorio Maldonado Marrero is a Venezuelan footballer who currently plays for Atlante. The striker, who was born in Caracas, is the all-time leading Venezuelan goalscorer, where he has the nickname Maldogol.-River Plate:...	22	64	0.34
89	Ali Ashfaq Ali Ashfaq Ali Ashfaq is a Maldivian footballer nicknamed "Dhagandey" . He has played as a forward for club Valencia, New Radiant, DPMM FC and currently playing for V.B Sports Club in the Maldivian Dhiraagu Dhivehi League... /Ibrahim Fazeel Ibrahim Fazeel Ibrahim Fazeel is a Maldivian footballer nicknamed "Oppo",can play both as a midfielder and as a Forward, who started his career while he was a student in Majeedhiyaa School in 1999.He played his first international match on 2 April 2000 Maldives vs Syria .His 1st goal scored in Golden jubilee...	21	unk/unk
90	Joaquín Botero Joaquín Botero Joaquín Botero Vaca is a Bolivian football striker. He was the top goalscorer in world football in the 2002 season, with 49 goals scored for Club Bolívar...	20	48	0.42
90	Maksim Romaschenko	20	63	0.32
90	Olivier Karekezi Olivier Karekezi Olivier Karekezi is a Rwandan footballer, currently playing for APR FC.-Career:He signed for Helsingborgs IF in 2005, leaving his native club APR FC, and scored five goals in 18 matches during the 2005 season. In 2006, he scored 11 goals for Helsingborg and thereby became their top scorer in...	20	unk

sorted by goals then goals-per-match

See also