Most Goals in International Football

By : Neha Dhyani

Updated : Jan 12, 2023, 17:54

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored the most goals in international football. The Portuguese player score 118 goals in 196 matches since his debut in international men’s football in 2003. The second highest goal scorer in the world is the Iranian player, Ali Daei with 109 goals in 148 matches. Argentina’s Lionel Messi is in the third position, with 98 goals in 172 matches.

India’s Sunil Chhetri is also on the Top 10 most goal scorers in men’s football. Check out the complete list of Top 10 players who have scored the most goals in international football here.

Highest Goal Scorer in World

Currently, the world’s highest goal scorer is Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored 118 goals in 196 match appearances. This top player has also scored 10 hat-tricks in his career. In women’s football, the highest goal scorer in the world is Canada’s Christine Sinclair, who scored 190 goals in 317 matches.

Here is more information about some other football players with high goal scores:

  • Ali Daei from Iran was the first player to score 100 goals in the history of football.
  • India’s Sunil Chhetri hold the fifth position in the world’s all-time highest goal scorer in international football.
  • Argentina’s Lionel Messi is the most active goal scorer after Cristiano Ronaldo.

Most Goals in International Football: Top 10 Players [Men’s]

The top goal scorer in international football is Cristiano Ronaldo, followed by Ali Daei and Lionel Messi. Check out the top 10 highest goal scorer in the world, along with details about the number of goals in the table below:

Position

Player Name

Country

Goals

Appearances

1

Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal

118

196

2

Ali Daei

Iran

109

148

3

Lionel Messi

Argentina

98

172

4

Mokhtar Dahari

Malaysia

89

142

5

Ferenc Puskás

Hungary

84

85

5

Sunil Chhetri

India

84

131

7

Ali Mabkhout

United Arab Emirates

80

109

8

Godfrey Chitalu

Zambia

79

111

9

Hussein Saeed

Iraq

78

137

10

Robert Lewandowski

Poland

78

138

Top 10 International Goal Scorers: Women’s Football

In women’s football, the highest goal scorer in the world is Canada’s Christine Sinclair, who scored 190 goals in 317 matches. Here is the complete list of the top 10 highest goal scorer in international football:

Position

Player Name

Country

Goals

Appearances

1

Christine Sinclair

Canada

190

317

2

Abby Wambach

USA

184

256

3

Mia Hamm

USA

158

275

4

Carli Lloyd

USA

134

316

5

Kristine Lilly

USA

130

352

6

Birgit Prinz

Germany

128

214

7

Alex Morgan

USA

119

198

8

Julie Fleeting

Scotland

116

121

9

Marta

Brazil

115

172

10

Myasa Jbarah

Jordan

113

110

 

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FAQs on Most Goals in International Football

Q1. Who has scored the most goals in international football?

In men’s football, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored the most goals in international football. In 196 total match appearances, Ronaldo has scored 118 goals, with 10 hat-tricks. On the other hand, in women’s football, the highest goal scorer in the world is Canada’s Christine Sinclair, who scored 190 goals in 317 matches.

Q2. Who are the top 10 highest goal scorer in the world in men’s football?

The top 10 highest goal scorer in the world in men’s football are Cristiano Ronaldo (118), Ali Daei (109), Lionel Messi (98), Mokhtar Dahari (89), Ferenc Puskas (84), Sunil Chhetri (84), Ali Mabkhout (80), Godfrey Chitalu (79), Hussein Saeed (78), and Robert Lewandowski (78).

Q3. Is Sunil Chhetri the highest goal scorer in the world?

Sunil Chhetri is among the top 10 highest goal scorer in the world in men’s football. Sunil Chhetri currently stands in the fifth position in the world’s all-time top goal scorer in football. In addition, Chhetri is also on the third rank in the active scorers list.

Q4. Who are the top 10 highest goal scorer in the world in women’s football?

In women’s football, the top 10 highest goal scorer in international football are Christine Sinclair (190), Abby Wambach (184), Mia Hamm (158), Carli Lloyd (134), Kristine Lilly (130), Birgit Prinz (128), Alex Morgan (119), Julie Fleeting (116), Marta (115), and Myasa Jbara (113).

Q5. Who is the world’s highest goal scorer Ronaldo or Messi?

Cristiano Ronaldo is the world’s highest goal scorer. Ronaldo has a record of scoring 118 goals in 196 appearance matches in his career. In comparison, Lionel Messi has a record of scoring 98 goals in 172 matches. Both the players are regarded as legends in international football.