The time is nigh for two of our favourite footballers, Messi and Ronaldo, to break some more records. The pair has pushed each other to be hungry for more, battling it out for the Ballon d’Or among all the other honours. It is a joy to be a fan, amidst this rivalry to see who gets to be crowned the greatest goalscorer in world football. Though these two will claim the top 2 spots shortly, let us explore how the rankings stand for Top 10 Highest Goalscorers in the World right now.
List of Top 10 Highest Goalscorers in The World
10. Túlio Maravilha (575 goals, 1988-2019)
[Image Source: odia.ig.com.br]
Túlio Maravilha has a relatively low-key profile as he played most of his games in the lower divisions of the Brazilian football league, but his goal-scoring numbers attest to his finishing ability. He is the only player to have been the leading goalscorer in the top three tiers of the Brazilian league.
His goal-scoring antics in the box earned him 15 international caps and did not disappoint, scoring 13 goals, bringing his total tally to 575 goals. Túlio has always been a drifter and has played for more than 34 clubs in Brazil. The number of games he played is non-conclusive as he was involved in lower-tier football leagues in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.
9. Uwe Seeler (575 goals in 649 games, 1953-1978)
[Image Source: sports.mynorthwest.com]
A football legend who represented West Germany in four different FIFA World cup tournaments in which three were won by Brazil led by Pele and the other by England, their maiden victory of the tournament. Seeler is considered a gentleman of the sport, spending 18 years in the German club Hamburger SV, knocking in 404 goals in the league.
Seeler’s aerial prowess and acrobatic finishes brought admiration and fear among the defenders and fellow peers. He scored more than 575 goals in his consistent and reliable career for club and country and only very few can come close to his goals per game ratio of 0.89.
8. Ferenc Deák (576 goals, 1940-1957)
[Image Source: technosports.co.in]
The Hungarian striker was lethal back in the glory days of Hungarian football, leading the line along with Ferenc Puskas in his early years. Deák’s combined ratio of 1.98 goals per game in his first two clubs is staggering with 420 goals in just 212 games.
Ferenc Deák didn’t have a stellar career as his compatriot Puskas did, but the sheer number of goals he scored elevated him to the status of legend in Hungary. The number of games he played is lost during the raging World War II and thankfully his goal-scoring stats survived which accounts to 576 goals for club and country.
7. Lionel Messi (724 goals in 911 games, 2003-present)
[Image Source: goal.com]
At just 32, Lionel Messi is the obvious heir to claim the most goals scored in the history of football. The Magician of football hasn’t scored less than 40 goals a season for Barcelona since the end of the 2008-2009 campaign. On his current trajectory, he is bound to be in top 2 spots in two years, battling it out with his archnemesis on the pitch, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi has changed football the way we perceive and his 724 goals which includes 70 goals for Argentina. Messi is a more complete player right now and is at a precipice of making more historical stats.
6. Gerd Müller (735 goals in 793 games, 1962-1981)
[Image Source: thesefootballtimes.co]
A poacher inside the box, Gerd Müller was gifted with predatory instincts to slot in goals. His diminutive stature enabled him to use tight spaces and be in positions to haunt the defenders. Scored the winning goal to lift the 1974 FIFA World cup and another 565 goals for Bayern Munich, filling the trophy cabinet with 14 more trophies including 3 European Cups. Nicknamed as ‘Der Bomber’, he racked in 735 goals in 19 years for club and country and is considered a legend not only in Germany but all around the world.
5. Cristiano Ronaldo (743 goals in 1036 games, 2001-present)
[Image Source: soccergator.io]
There is no greater inspiration for anyone who aspires to become an athlete than Cristiano Ronaldo. Long forgotten are the days of Ronaldo when he amazed us with dazzling runs but disappointed with his fizzling finishes. He embraced his critics and transformed himself into one of the best players the game has ever seen.
Ronaldo has scored 99 goals for Portugal just 11 short to have scored more goals than anyone on the international stage. The Portuguese will not rest on his laurels of 743 goals in 1036 official matches and will not retire until he secures his legacy as the best footballer ever.
4. Ferenc Puskás (746 goals in 754 games, 1943-1966)
[Image Source: hungarytoday.hu]
The Hungarian is more renowned in world football than his compatriot Ferenc Deák down the list. A legend of the past who brought in beauty to the game with his thunderous left foot. Anything that touched his swinging left foot became a thing of beauty, scoring 746 goals at an incredible ratio of 0.99 goals per game for the Mighty Magyars and Real Madrid.
Puskás’s swinger from the corner spot right into the far side top corner of the goalpost was one such beauty that made FIFA name the award granted for the most beautiful goal of the calendar year in his name.
3. Pelé (767 goals in 831 games, 1957-1977)
[Image Source: sportskeeda.com]
There is no complete player in football than Pelé. Every player lacks one or the other, but the Brazilian legend had everything. He could change the pace and direction of the ball at his whims, could shift his body to create space that did not exist a moment ago and a true genius on the pitch, chipping in all kinds of goals with both his feet seamlessly. He drove the Brazilians to three World Cup titles, slotting in 767 goals in 20 years of his illustrious career. Guinness World Records report Pelé to have scored 1283 goals in total which includes friendlies and charity matches. There is no greater ambassador than Pelé for football.
2. Romário (772 goals in 994 games, 1985-2007)
[Image Source: fifa.com]
The Master of the penalty box was praised as the greatest player he ever coached by the legendary Johan Cruyff. If that is not enough recognition, his 772 goals will cement his position as one of the best strikers the world has ever seen. Romário never had the spotlight he deserved but any who played against him knew what a menace he was inside the box. Defenders always lost track of his incisive runs and Romário had the uncanny instinct to precisely position himself in spots that lead to goals. His Golden Boot helped the Brazilians reclaim their coveted FIFA World Cup trophy after 24 years.
1. Josef Bican(805 goals in 530 matches, 1928-1955)
[Image Source: futbolretro.es]
Claimed to have scored more than 5000 goals, Bican’s goal rush eclipses even the greatest of players. Josef Bican netted 805 goals in a little more than 530 games to hold on to the top spot just a little longer. In the eleven years he spent at Slavia Prague he shot past the goalkeeper 395 times at a ratio of 1.82 goals every game. The two-footed speed merchant was named as Europe’s top goalscorer for five consecutive seasons, from 1939-40 to 1943-44. Bican is the only player to have scored for three different national teams, scoring 29 times for Austria, Czechoslovakia and Bohemia and Moravia.
This is our list of the top 10 Highest Goalscorers in The World.
10. Túlio Maravilha (575 goals, 1988-2019)
9. Uwe Seeler (575 goals in 649 games, 1953-1978)
8. Ferenc Deák (576 goals, 1940-1957)
7. Lionel Messi (724 goals in 911 games, 2003-present)
6. Gerd Müller (735 goals in 793 games, 1962-1981)
5. Cristiano Ronaldo (743 goals in 1036 games, 2001-present)
4. Ferenc Puskás (746 goals in 754 games, 1943-1966)
3. Pelé (767 goals in 831 games, 1957-1977)
2. Romário (772 goals in 994 games, 1985-2007)
1. Josef Bican(805 goals in 530 matches, 1928-1955)
- By VISHANTH FASTINO