Who is the top scorer in FIFA World Cup history?
The FIFA World Cup is known for its plethora of iconic goalscorers who have lit up the competition across their respective international careers.
But who currently stands along as the top goalscorer across the history of this iconic tournament?
Here's a look at the present list of top scorers in the men's FIFA World Cup:
GOALS | PLAYER | NATION |
|---|---|---|
16 | Miroslav Klose | Germany |
15 | Ronaldo | Brazil |
14 | Gerd Muller | West Germany |
13 | Just Fontaine | France |
13 | Lionel Messi | Argentina |
12 | Kylian Mbappe | France |
12 | Pele | Brazil |
11 | Jurgen Klinsmann | Germany |
11 | Sandor Kocsis | Hungary |
10 | Gabriel Batistuta | Argentina |
10 | Teofilo Cubillas | Peru |
10 | Grzegorz Lato | Poland |
10 | Gary Lineker | England |
10 | Thomas Muller | Germany |
10 | Helmut Rahn | Germany |
9 | Ademir | Brazil |
9 | Roberto Baggio | Italy |
9 | Eusebio | Portugal |
9 | Jairzinho | Brazil |
9 | Paolo Rossi | Italy |
9 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | West Germany |
9 | Uwe Seeler | West Germany |
9 | Vava | Brazil |
9 | Christian Vieri | Italy |
9 | David Villa | Spain |
Miroslav Klose of Germany remained the all-time top scorer in World Cup history following Qatar 2022, having racked up 16 goals over the course of four World Cups from 2002 to 2014. However, the likes of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe will both have their eyes on exceeding that total before their respective careers come to an end.
Messi has featured in five World Cups since his tournament debut in the 2006 edition and currently sits among the top five highest scorers. Mbappe boasts 12 goals across the 2018 and 2022 World Cup competitions, including a hat-trick in France's 2022 final defeat to Messi's Argentina.
The great Brazilian legend Pele ended his career with 12 World Cup goals with half of those scored in 1958. Meanwhile, a couple of other World Cup legends registered nine goals in the tournament, such as Portugal's Eusebio and Jairzinho, also of Brazil.
