The world of football has seen many legends in their prime. However, scoring a goal is the ultimate objective of the sport, but consistently scoring against different teams requires a combination of precision, dedication and skill.
Only a handful of such players have managed to accomplish their milestones making a name for them in football history. This article highlights the top five goal scorers detailing their history.
5. Pele – 778 goals approx
- Matches played: 840 approx
The Brazilian footballer is known as the best football player there ever existed on the pitch. He only played for two clubs in his entire career, which were Santos FC and New York Cosmos. He played from 1956 to 1977. He scored about 1279 goals in his career with 1363 match appearances but according to RSSSF, he also included his friendly games. He nearly scored a goal in each game. The Brazilian legend passed away in 2022 but remains as an icon in the football world. He had over 369 career assists.
4. Romario – 768 goals approx
- Matches played: 1002 approx
Romario led the Brazil national team into world cup glory in 1994 scoring five goals in the tournament. The forward started his career in 1985-2009, playing for 10 clubs in total, playing for famous clubs like Barcelona and Valencia. He also scored 55 goals in 70 match appearances for the Brazil national team. Romario is the fourth highest goal scorer for his country behind Neymar, Pele and Ronaldo. He had over 1000 goals including friendlies and unofficial matches and over 369 assists.
3. Josef Bican – 805 goals
- Matches played – 624
The legendary striker scored an incredible 395 in 217 games for Slavia Prague from 1937 to 1948.He also starred for multiple clubs in Czechia, racking up an unbelievable number of goals. He was the leading goal scorer in 60 years Although it’s said he scored close to 1,500 goals in total during his playing days, only 805 of those were recognised by FIFA.
2. Lionel Messi – 892 goals
- Matches played: 1132
Messi, the Argentinian legend currently playing for Inter Miami in the MLS league has scored 892 goals in his entire football career. Messi also won the FIFA world cup for Argentina in 2022, a massive achievement in his sporting career. He has countless trophies including 8 Ballon d’Or awards. His career took off majorly in Barcelona scoring 674 goals in 778 official match appearances.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo – 952 goals
- Matches played: 1295
Ronaldo’s career is defined as high versatility. His status is described as one of the greatest players ever produced in football history, terming him as the “Goat”. The Portuguese forward started his career at Manchester United and played for big clubs like Real Madrid and Juventus. He was best known for his prime in Real Madrid, netting 451 goals in 438 match appearances. Ronaldo will be the first player to score 1000 career goals in the history of football leaving him with only 48 more goals to score.
Written by: Atin Kevin