refer to caption
Miroslav Klose celebrating his record-breaking sixteenth World Cup goal during Germany's 2014 semi-final victory

A total of over 2,700 goals have been scored in matches across the 22 final tournaments of the men's FIFA World Cup, not counting penalties scored during shoot-outs.[1] Since the first goal scored by French player Lucien Laurent in 1930,[2] nearly 1300 footballers have scored goals at the World Cup tournaments,[3] of whom 101 have scored five or more.

Numbers of goals scored[3][4]
Goals ≥11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Total
Nos. of players 9 7 10 8 7 25 35 >50 >90 >200 >750 >1,250

The top goalscorer of the inaugural competition was Argentina's Guillermo Stábile, with eight goals. Since then, only 25 players have scored more World Cup goals in total than Stábile did during the 1930 tournament. The first to do so was Hungary's Sándor Kocsis, scoring eleven in 1954. At the following tournament, France's Just Fontaine improved on this record, recording thirteen goals in just six matches. Gerd Müller then scored ten goals for West Germany in 1970, before breaking the overall record when he scored his fourteenth World Cup goal during West Germany's win in the 1974 final. Müller's record stood for more than three decades, until Ronaldo recorded fifteen goals between 1998 and 2006 for Brazil. The record is jointly held by Germany's Miroslav Klose and Argentina's Lionel Messi with 16 goals each in total.

Of all the players who have played at the World Cup, only six have achieved an average of two goals or more per match played: Kocsis, Fontaine, Stábile, Russia's Oleg Salenko, Switzerland's Josef Hügi, and Poland's Ernst Wilimowski — the latter of whom scored four in his only ever World Cup match, played in 1938.[5] The top 101 goalscorers have represented 30 nations, with 14 players scoring for Brazil, and another 14 for Germany or West Germany. In total, 67 footballers came from UEFA (Europe), 30 from CONMEBOL (South America), and only four from elsewhere: Cameroon and Ghana from CAF (Africa), Australia from AFC (Asia) (formerly from OFC of Oceania), and the United States from CONCACAF (North/Central America).

Fontaine's thirteen goals in 1958 remains the record for the most scored in a single World Cup tournament. The players that came closest to this tally were Kocsis in 1954 (eleven goals), Müller in 1970 (ten goals), and Portugal's Eusébio in 1966 (nine goals). The top scorers with the fewest goals were from the 1962 tournament, when six players finished joint-top with just four goals each. Across the 22 tournaments of the World Cup, 31 footballers have been credited as the tournament top scorer, and no one has achieved this feat twice. Ten of these players scored at least seven goals in a tournament, while Brazil's Jairzinho in 1970 and Argentina's Lionel Messi in 2022 were the only footballers to record at least seven goals but still not finish as the tournament's top scorer. These 31 top goalscorers played for 20 nations, with the most (five) coming from Brazil. Another five came from other South American countries, with the remaining 21 coming from Europe.

In 2006, Ronaldo became the first player to score eight goals in knockout matches (excluding the match for third place) at the World Cup, coming in his three tournaments for Brazil, a feat which would be equalled in 2022 by France's Kylian Mbappé.[6] Mbappé himself became the first player to score four goals in World Cup final matches: he netted one in the 2018 final followed by a hat-trick in the 2022 final. England's Geoff Hurst is the only other player to record a hat-trick in a World Cup final, doing so in 1966.

Overall top goalscorers

Table key
Bold (player) Denotes players still active at international level
♦ Denotes national top scorers (or joint top scorers) at the World Cup
[ ] Denotes tournaments where the player was part of the squad, but did not play in a match
( ) Denotes tournaments where the player played in one or more matches, but did not score a goal
Bold (year) Denotes tournaments where the player's team won the World Cup
T Denotes tournaments where the player was top scorer
Players with at least 5 goals at FIFA World Cup tournaments[5][7][8]
Rank Player Team Goals
scored		 Matches
played		 Goals
per
match
[nb 1]		 Tournaments Notes
1 Miroslav Klose♦  Germany 16 24 0.67 2002, 2006T, 2010, 2014 list[10]
Lionel Messi♦  Argentina 27 0.59 2006, (2010), 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 list[11][12]
3 Ronaldo♦  Brazil 15 19 0.79 [1994], 1998, 2002T, 2006 list[13]
4 Gerd Müller  West Germany 14 13 1.08 1970T, 1974 list[14]
Kylian Mbappé♦  France 15 0.93 2018, 2022T, 2026 list
6 Just Fontaine  France 13 6 2.17 1958T list[15]
7 Pelé  Brazil 12 14 0.86 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970 list[16]
8 Sándor Kocsis♦  Hungary 11 5 2.20 1954T list[17]
Jürgen Klinsmann  West Germany
 Germany		 17 0.65 1990
1994, 1998		 list[18]
10 Helmut Rahn  West Germany 10 10 1.00 1954, 1958 list[19]
Gary Lineker♦  England 12 0.83 1986T, 1990 list[20]
Gabriel Batistuta  Argentina 12 0.83 1994, 1998, 2002 list[21]
Harry Kane♦  England 12 0.83 2018T, 2022, 2026 list[22]
Teófilo Cubillas♦  Peru 13 0.77 1970, 1978, (1982) list[23]
Thomas Müller  Germany 19 0.53 2010T, 2014, (2018), (2022) list[24][25]
Grzegorz Lato♦  Poland 20 0.50 1974T, 1978, 1982 list[26]
17 Ademir  Brazil 9 6 1.50 1950T list[nb 2][29]
Eusébio♦  Portugal 6 1.50 1966T list[30]
Christian Vieri♦  Italy 9 1.00 1998, 2002 list[31]
Vavá  Brazil 10 0.90 1958, 1962T [32]
David Villa♦  Spain 12 0.75 2006, 2010T, 2014 list[33]
Paolo Rossi♦  Italy 14 0.64 1978, 1982T, [1986] list[34]
Jairzinho  Brazil 16 0.56 (1966), 1970, 1974 list[35]
Roberto Baggio♦  Italy 16 0.56 1990, 1994, 1998 list[36]
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge  West Germany 19 0.47 1978, 1982, 1986 list[37]
Uwe Seeler  West Germany 21 0.43 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970 [38]
27 Guillermo Stábile  Argentina 8 4 2.00 1930T list[39]
Leônidas  Brazil 5 1.60 1934, 1938T list[nb 3][41]
Óscar Míguez♦  Uruguay 7 1.14 1950, 1954 [42]
Neymar  Brazil 13 0.62 2014, 2018, 2022, [2026] list[11][43]
Rivaldo  Brazil 14 0.57 1998, 2002 list[44]
Rudi Völler  West Germany
 Germany		 15 0.53 1986, 1990
1994		 list[45]
Diego Maradona  Argentina 21 0.38 1982, 1986, (1990), 1994 list[46]
Cristiano Ronaldo  Portugal 23 0.35 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, (2026) list[11][47]
35 Oldřich Nejedlý♦  Czechoslovakia 7 6 1.17 1934T, 1938 [nb 4][48]
Lajos Tichy  Hungary 8 0.88 1958, 1962, [1966] list[49]
Careca  Brazil 9 0.78 1986, 1990 [50]
Johnny Rep♦  Netherlands 13 0.54 1974, 1978 [51]
Andrzej Szarmach  Poland 13 0.54 1974, 1978, 1982 [52]
Hans Schäfer  West Germany 15 0.47 1954, 1958, (1962) [53]
Luis Suárez  Uruguay 16 0.44 2010, 2014, 2018, (2022) list[54][11]
42 Josef Hügi♦   Switzerland 6 3 2.00 1954 [55]
Oleg Salenko♦  Russia 3 2.00 1994T list[56]
György Sárosi  Hungary 5 1.20 1934, 1938 [57]
Max Morlock  West Germany 5 1.20 1954 [58]
Erich Probst♦  Austria 5 1.20 1954 [59]
Salvatore Schillaci  Italy 7 0.86 1990T list[60]
Enner Valencia♦  Ecuador 7 0.86 2014, 2022, (2026) list
Davor Šuker♦  Yugoslavia
 Croatia		 8 0.75 [1990],
1998T, (2002)		 list[61]
Helmut Haller  West Germany 9 0.67 (1962), 1966, (1970) [62]
James Rodríguez♦  Colombia 9 0.67 2014T, (2018), (2026) list[63][64]
Hristo Stoichkov♦  Bulgaria 10 0.60 1994T, (1998) list[65]
Diego Forlán  Uruguay 10 0.60 2002, 2010T, (2014) list[66]
Asamoah Gyan♦  Ghana 11 0.55 2006, 2010, 2014 list[67]
Dennis Bergkamp  Netherlands 12 0.50 1994, 1998 list[68]
Rob Rensenbrink  Netherlands 13 0.46 1974, 1978 [69]
Rivellino  Brazil 15 0.40 1970, 1974, (1978) [70]
Bebeto  Brazil 15 0.40 (1990), 1994, 1998 list[71]
Arjen Robben  Netherlands 15 0.40 2006, 2010, 2014 list[72]
Zbigniew Boniek  Poland 16 0.38 1978, 1982, (1986) list[73]
Thierry Henry  France 17 0.35 1998, (2002), 2006, (2010) list[74]
Robin van Persie  Netherlands 17 0.35 2006, 2010, 2014 list[75]
Wesley Sneijder  Netherlands 17 0.35 (2006), 2010T, 2014 list[76]
Ivan Perišić♦  Croatia 17 0.35 2014, 2018, 2022, (2026) list[11][77]
Mario Kempes  Argentina 18 0.33 (1974), 1978T, (1982) list[78]
Lothar Matthäus  West Germany
 Germany		 25 0.24 (1982), 1986, 1990
1994, (1998)		 list[79]
67 Pedro Cea  Uruguay 5 4 1.25 1930 list[80]
Silvio Piola  Italy 4 1.25 1938 list[81]
Gyula Zsengellér  Hungary 4 1.25 1938 [82]
Peter McParland♦  Northern Ireland 5 1.00 1958 list[83]
Tomáš Skuhravý  Czechoslovakia 5 1.00 1990 [84]
Juan Alberto Schiaffino  Uruguay 6 0.83 1950, 1954 [85]
Geoff Hurst  England 6 0.83 1966, 1970 list[86]
Jon Dahl Tomasson♦  Denmark 6 0.83 2002, 2010 list[87]
Alessandro Altobelli  Italy 7 0.71 1982, 1986 [88]
Kennet Andersson♦  Sweden 7 0.71 1994 list[89]
Fernando Morientes  Spain 7 0.71 1998, 2002 list[90]
Romário  Brazil 8 0.63 (1990), 1994 list[91]
Marc Wilmots♦  Belgium 8 0.63 [1990], (1994), 1998, 2002 list[92]
Mario Mandžukić  Croatia 8 0.63 2014, 2018 list[11][93]
Valentin Ivanov  Soviet Union 9 0.56 1958, 1962T list[94]
Emilio Butragueño  Spain 9 0.56 1986, (1990) list[95]
Roger Milla♦  Cameroon 9 0.56 (1982), 1990, 1994 list[96]
Tim Cahill♦  Australia 9 0.56 2006, 2010, 2014, (2018) list[97][98]
Hans Krankl  Austria 10 0.50 1978, 1982 list[99]
Raúl  Spain 11 0.45 1998, 2002, 2006 list[100]
Garrincha  Brazil 12 0.42 (1958), 1962T, 1966 [101]
Johan Neeskens  Netherlands 12 0.42 1974, (1978) [102]
Fernando Hierro  Spain 12 0.42 [1990], 1994, 1998, 2002 list[103]
Zinedine Zidane  France 12 0.42 1998, (2002), 2006 list[104]
Landon Donovan♦  United States 12 0.42 2002, (2006), 2010 list[105]
Xherdan Shaqiri   Switzerland 12 0.42 (2010), 2014, 2018, 2022 list
Henrik Larsson♦  Sweden 13 0.38 1994, 2002, 2006 list[106]
Romelu Lukaku♦  Belgium 13 0.38 2014, 2018, (2022), (2026) list[107]
Michel Platini  France 14 0.36 1978, 1982, 1986 list[108]
Zico  Brazil 14 0.36 1978, 1982, (1986) [109]
Gonzalo Higuaín  Argentina 14 0.36 2010, 2014, (2018) list[110][111]
Lukas Podolski  Germany 15 0.33 2006, 2010, (2014) list[112]
Edinson Cavani  Uruguay 17 0.29 2010, 2014, 2018, (2022) list[11][113]
Franz Beckenbauer  West Germany 18 0.28 1966, 1970, (1974) list[114]
Olivier Giroud  France 18 0.28 2014, (2018), 2022 list

Timeline

Leônidas in 1940, posing for camera with hand at his waist.
Leônidas scored a record eight World Cup goals for Brazil, coming at the 1934 and 1938 tournaments.
Portrait photograph of Ademir de Menezes
Ademir scored a record nine World Cup goals for Brazil, all coming at the 1950 tournament.
Sándor Kocsis, dressed in formal jacket and tie.
Sándor Kocsis was the first player to score ten or more goals in a single World Cup: he scored a record eleven goals in just five matches for Hungary during the 1954 tournament.
Just Fontaine in 1971, dressed in formal dress
Just Fontaine scored a record thirteen World Cup goals for France, all coming at the 1958 tournament.
Key
Goal set a new record
Goal equalled the existing record
Progressive list of footballers that have held the record for most goals scored at the FIFA World Cup final tournaments
Goals Date Player Team Goal Opponent Score Tournament & Stage Previous goals Ref.
1 13 July 1930 Lucien Laurent  France 1–0 Mexico 4–1 1930, Uruguay
Group stage		 N/A [nb 5]
Bart McGhee  United States 1–0 Belgium 3–0
Marcel Langiller  France 2–0 Mexico 4–1
André Maschinot  France 3–0 Mexico 4–1
Tom Florie  United States 2–0 Belgium 3–0
Bert Patenaude  United States 3–0 Belgium 3–0
Juan Carreño  Mexico 1–3 France 1–4
2 André Maschinot  France 4–1 Mexico 4–1
  • 1930 vs Mexico
16 July 1930 Carlos Vidal  Chile 3–0 Mexico 3–0
  • 1930 vs Mexico
 [117]
17 July 1930 Ivan Bek  Yugoslavia 1–0 Bolivia 4–0
  • 1930 vs Brazil
 [118]
3 3–0
Bert Patenaude  United States 2–0 Paraguay 3–0
  • 1930 vs Belgium, Paraguay
 [119]
4 3–0
22 July 1930 Guillermo Stábile  Argentina 1–0 Chile 3–1
  • 1930 vs Mexico (3)
 [120]
5 2–0
6 26 July 1930 3–0 United States 6–1 1930, Uruguay
Semi-final
7 6–0
8 30 July 1930 2–1 Uruguay 2–4 1930, Uruguay
Final
19 June 1938 Leônidas  Brazil 3–2 Sweden 4–2 1938, France
Match for third place
  • 1934 vs Spain
  • 1938 vs Poland (3), Czechoslovakia, Czechoslovakia, Sweden
 [121]
13 July 1950 Ademir  Brazil 1–0 Spain 6–1 1950, Brazil
Final round
  • 1950 vs Mexico (2), Yugoslavia, Sweden (4)
 [29]
9 5–0
27 June 1954 Sándor Kocsis  Hungary 4–2 Brazil 4–2 1954, Switzerland
Quarter-final
  • 1954 vs South Korea (3), West Germany (4), Brazil
 [122]
10 30 June 1954 3–2 Uruguay 4–2aet 1954, Switzerland
Semi-final
11 4–2
28 June 1958 Just Fontaine  France 3–1 West Germany 6–3 1958, Sweden
Match for third place
  • 1958 vs Paraguay (3), Yugoslavia (2), Scotland,
    Northern Ireland (2), Brazil, West Germany
 [123]
12 5–2
13 6–3
3 July 1974 Gerd Müller  West Germany 1–0 Poland 1–0 1974, West Germany
Second round
  • 1970 vs Morocco, Bulgaria (3), Peru (3), England, Italy (2)
  • 1974 vs Australia, Yugoslavia
 [14]
14 6 July 1974 2–1 Netherlands 2–1 1974, West Germany
Final
22 June 2006 Ronaldo  Brazil 4–1 Japan 4–1 2006, Germany
Group stage
  • 1998 vs Morocco, Chile (2), Netherlands
  • 2002 vs Turkey, China, Costa Rica (2), Belgium, Turkey, Germany (2)
  • 2006 vs Japan
 [124]
15 27 June 2006 1–0 Ghana 3–0 2006, Germany
Round of 16
21 June 2014 Miroslav Klose  Germany 2–2 Ghana 2–2 2014, Brazil
Group stage
  • 2002 vs Saudi Arabia (3), Ireland, Cameroon
  • 2006 vs Costa Rica (2), Ecuador (2), Argentina
  • 2010 vs Australia, England, Argentina (2)
 [125]
16 8 July 2014 2–0 Brazil 7–1 2014, Brazil
Semi-final
16 June 2026 Lionel Messi  Argentina 3–0 Algeria 3–0 2026, Canada/Mexico/United States
Group stage
  • 2006 vs Serbia and Montenegro
  • 2014 vs Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iran, Nigeria (2)
  • 2018 vs Nigeria
  • 2022 vs Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Australia, Netherlands, Croatia, France (2)
  • 2026 vs Algeria (2)
 [126]
Ronaldo in black suit
Ronaldo ranks third among players with the most goals at the World Cup, scoring fifteen, including two in the 2002 final.
Gary Lineker is the top scorer for England at the World Cup, joint with Harry Kane, with ten goals.
Grzegorz Lato (left) became the top scorer for Poland at FIFA World Cups during the 1974 tournament, with ten total goals.
Teófilo Cubillas is the top scorer for Peru at the World Cup, with ten goals.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the first player to score in five World Cup tournaments.
With six goals for Ghana, Asamoah Gyan is the only player outside of Europe or South America to score more than five goals at the World Cup.

Top goalscorers for each tournament

Portrait photograph of Ademir de Menezes
Guillermo Stábile scored a then-record eight goals for Argentina at the 1930 World Cup.
A portrait of Eusébio
Eusébio scored nine goals for Portugal at the 1966 World Cup.
Gerd Müller
Gerd Müller scored ten goals for West Germany at the 1970 World Cup.
Top goalscorers at each FIFA World Cup final tournament[127][128][129]
World Cup Player Team Goals
scored		 Matches
played		 Golden
Boot		 Other FIFA Awards
Uruguay 1930 Guillermo Stábile  Argentina 8 4 Yes Silver Ball
Italy 1934 Oldřich Nejedlý  Czechoslovakia 5 4 Yes Bronze Ball
France 1938 Leônidas  Brazil 7 4 Yes Golden Ball
Brazil 1950 Ademir  Brazil 9 6 Yes Bronze Ball
Switzerland 1954 Sándor Kocsis  Hungary 11 5 Yes Silver Ball
Sweden 1958 Just Fontaine  France 13 6 Yes Bronze Ball
Chile 1962 Garrincha  Brazil 4 6 Yes Golden Ball
Vavá  Brazil 6 Yes
Leonel Sánchez  Chile 6 Yes Bronze Ball
Flórián Albert  Hungary 3 Yes Best Young Player
Valentin Ivanov  Soviet Union 4 Yes
Dražan Jerković  Yugoslavia 6 Yes
England 1966 Eusébio  Portugal 9 6 Yes Bronze Ball
Mexico 1970 Gerd Müller  West Germany 10 6 Yes Best Young Player, Bronze Ball
West Germany 1974 Grzegorz Lato  Poland 7 7 Yes
Argentina 1978 Mario Kempes  Argentina 6 7 Yes Golden Ball
Spain 1982 Paolo Rossi  Italy 6 7 Yes Golden Ball
Mexico 1986 Gary Lineker  England 6 5 Yes
Italy 1990 Salvatore Schillaci  Italy 6 7 Yes Golden Ball
United States 1994 Hristo Stoichkov  Bulgaria 6 7 Yes Bronze Ball
Oleg Salenko  Russia 3 Yes
France 1998 Davor Šuker  Croatia 6 7 Yes Silver Ball
South Korea & Japan 2002 Ronaldo  Brazil 8 7 Yes Silver Ball
Germany 2006 Miroslav Klose  Germany 5 7 Yes
South Africa 2010 Thomas Müller  Germany 5 6 Yes Best Young Player
Wesley Sneijder  Netherlands 7 No Bronze Boot, Silver Ball
David Villa  Spain 7 No Silver Boot, Bronze Ball
Diego Forlán  Uruguay 7 No Golden Ball
Brazil 2014 James Rodríguez  Colombia 6 5 Yes
Russia 2018 Harry Kane  England 6 6 Yes
Qatar 2022 Kylian Mbappé  France 8 7 Yes Silver Ball

Goalscorers at multiple tournaments

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are the only players to have scored in five World Cups. Three players (Uwe Seeler, Pelé and Miroslav Klose have each scored in four tournaments, while another 37 have each scored in three.

In the table below players are listed in order of achieving their tallies.

Players who scored at 3 or more World Cups
Rank Player Team Tournaments
with
goals		 Goals
scored		 Matches
played		 Goals
per
match		 Tournaments
with goals
1 Cristiano Ronaldo  Portugal 5 8 23 0.35 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022
Lionel Messi  Argentina 16 27 0.59 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026
3 Uwe Seeler  West Germany 4 9 21 0.43 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970
Pelé  Brazil 12 14 0.86 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970
Miroslav Klose  Germany 16 24 0.67 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014
6 Grzegorz Lato  Poland 3 10 20 0.50 1974, 1978, 1982
Joe Jordan  Scotland 4 7 0.57 1974, 1978, 1982
Andrzej Szarmach  Poland 7 13 0.54 1974, 1978, 1982
Dominique Rocheteau  France 4 10 0.40 1978, 1982, 1986
Michel Platini  France 5 14 0.36 1978, 1982, 1986
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge  West Germany 9 19 0.47 1978, 1982, 1986
Diego Maradona  Argentina 8 21 0.38 1982, 1986, 1994
Rudi Völler  West Germany
 Germany		 8 15 0.53 1986, 1990
1994
Lothar Matthäus  West Germany
 Germany		 6 25 0.24 1986, 1990
1994
Roberto Baggio  Italy 9 16 0.56 1990, 1994, 1998
Jürgen Klinsmann  West Germany
 Germany		 11 17 0.65 1990
1994, 1998
Gabriel Batistuta  Argentina 10 12 0.83 1994, 1998, 2002
Fernando Hierro  Spain 5 12 0.42 1994, 1998, 2002
Sami Al-Jaber  Saudi Arabia 3 9 0.33 1994, 1998, 2006
Raúl  Spain 5 11 0.45 1998, 2002, 2006
Henrik Larsson  Sweden 5 13 0.38 1994, 2002, 2006
Ronaldo  Brazil 15 19 0.79 1998, 2002, 2006
David Beckham  England 3 13 0.23 1998, 2002, 2006
Park Ji-sung  South Korea 3 14 0.21 2002, 2006, 2010
Cuauhtémoc Blanco  Mexico 3 11 0.27 1998, 2002, 2010
Robin van Persie  Netherlands 6 17 0.35 2006, 2010, 2014
Arjen Robben  Netherlands 6 15 0.40 2006, 2010, 2014
Tim Cahill  Australia 5 9 0.56 2006, 2010, 2014
Clint Dempsey  United States 4 10 0.40 2006, 2010, 2014
Asamoah Gyan  Ghana 6 11 0.55 2006, 2010, 2014
David Villa  Spain 9 12 0.75 2006, 2010, 2014
Rafael Márquez  Mexico 3 19 0.16 2006, 2010, 2014
Luis Suárez  Uruguay 7 16 0.44 2010, 2014, 2018
Javier Hernández  Mexico 4 12 0.33 2010, 2014, 2018
Keisuke Honda  Japan 4 10 0.40 2010, 2014, 2018
Edinson Cavani  Uruguay 5 17 0.29 2010, 2014, 2018
Xherdan Shaqiri   Switzerland 5 12 0.42 2014, 2018, 2022
Ivan Perišić  Croatia 6 17 0.35 2014, 2018, 2022
Neymar  Brazil 8 13 0.62 2014, 2018, 2022
Ángel Di María  Argentina 3 18 0.17 2014, 2018, 2022
Kylian Mbappé  France 14 15 0.93 2018, 2022, 2026
Harry Kane  England 10 12 0.83 2018, 2022, 2026

Top goalscorers in final matches

Main article: List of FIFA World Cup final goalscorers
Players with multiple goals in FIFA World Cup Finals
Player Team Goals scored Finals played Final(s)
Kylian Mbappé  France 4 2 2018, 2022 (3)
Geoff Hurst  England 3 1 1966 (3)
Vavá  Brazil 2 1958 (2), 1962
Pelé  Brazil 2 1958 (2), 1970
Zinedine Zidane  France 2 1998 (2), 2006
Gino Colaussi  Italy 2 1 1938 (2)
Silvio Piola  Italy 1 1938 (2)
Helmut Rahn  West Germany 1 1954 (2)
Mario Kempes  Argentina 1 1978 (2)
Paul Breitner  West Germany 2 1974, 1982
Ronaldo  Brazil 2 (1998), 2002
Lionel Messi  Argentina 2 (2014), 2022
  • Bold indicates winning final
  • Parentheses around a year indicates no goals scored

See also

  • FIFA Women's World Cup top goalscorers
  • List of FIFA World Cup hat-tricks
  • List of FIFA World Cup own goals
  • All-time table of the FIFA World Cup

Notes

  1. ^ Outside this list is Ernst Wilimowski of Poland, the player with the highest goals-to-games ratio in the World Cup. His ratio is 4.00 as he scored four goals in his only World Cup appearance, in 1938.[9]
  2. ^ There was a controversy regarding the number of goals scored by Ademir in 1950 because of incomplete data from the final group round game against Spain, that ended in a 6–1 victory for Brazil. The first Brazilian goal was credited as own goal and the fifth was credited to Jair,[27] but both are now credited to Ademir.[28]
  3. ^ FIFA initially credited Leônidas with eight goals in the 1938 tournament, but in November 2006, FIFA revised it to seven (he scored one additional goal in the 1934 tournament).[40]
  4. ^ FIFA initially credited Nejedlý with only four goals in 1934. However, FIFA changed it to five goals in November 2006, meaning he scored a total of seven goals overall (he scored two goals in 1938).[40]
  5. ^ The two initial games of the 1930 FIFA World Cup (France vs Mexico[115] and United States vs Belgium[116]) were played at the same time, as seven players scored, with André Maschinot scoring two goals. The order in which these players are listed reflects the actual elapsed time in the games when their goals were scored.

References

  1. ^ "Second-half surge sees Tunisia bow out in style". FIFA. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  2. ^ FIFA World Cup — Milestone Goals (PDF) (Report). FIFA. October 2007. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  3. ^ a b "World Cup — All-time Topscorers". WorldFootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL Medien GmbH & Co. KG. Archived from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  4. ^ "FIFA World Cup Players Statistics — Players with the Most Goals Scored". FIFA. Archived from the original on 28 August 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  5. ^ a b "FIFA World Cup Players Statistics". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 28 August 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  6. ^ "Which player has scored the most goals in World Cup knockout games? | The Knowledge". the Guardian. 7 December 2022. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  7. ^ "FIFA World Cup All Time Statistics — All editions". FIFA. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  8. ^ "WORLD CUP STATISTICS : RANKING OF THE GOAL SCORERS (1930–2014)". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 8 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  9. ^ "More goals than caps". FIFA. 3 June 2009. Archived from the original on 8 April 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2018. The Golden Shoe may have eluded Ernest Wilimowski, but he does boast the best goals-to-games ratio in World Cup history at 400 per cent. Indeed, in his solitary appearance – an unforgettable match at France 1938 – he scored four of Poland's goals in a 6-5 defeat by Brazil in the first round.
  10. ^ "Miroslav Klose". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 17 January 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g "Goals Scored". FIFA. Archived from the original on 24 June 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  12. ^ "Lionel Messi". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 21 January 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  13. ^ "Ronaldo". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 14 March 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  14. ^ a b "Gerd Mueller". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 9 August 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  15. ^ "Just Fontaine". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 9 August 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  16. ^ "Pelé (Edson Arantes do Nascimento)". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 20 April 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  17. ^ "Sandor Kocsis". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 9 August 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  18. ^ "Juergen Klinsmann". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  19. ^ "Helmut Rahn". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  20. ^ "Gary Lineker". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 14 September 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  21. ^ "Gabriel Batistuta". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 27 June 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  22. ^ "Harry Kane". ESPN. 24 June 2018. Archived from the original on 15 April 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  23. ^ "Teofilo Cubillas". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 9 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  24. ^ "Thomas Mueller". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 25 July 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  25. ^ "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia – Players – Thomas Mueller". FIFA. Archived from the original on 8 June 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  26. ^ "Grzegorz Lato". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  27. ^ Glanville, Brian (16 August 2005). "Obituary — Jair da Rosa Pinto". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  28. ^ "1950 FIFA World Cup Brazil: Brazil – Spain". FIFA. 21 June 2022. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  29. ^ a b "Ademir". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 9 August 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  30. ^ "Eusebio (Eusebio da Silva Ferreira)". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 21 June 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  31. ^ "Christian Vieri". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 10 November 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  32. ^ "Vava". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  33. ^ "David Villa". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 12 March 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  34. ^ "Paolo Rossi". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 1 June 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  35. ^ "Jairzinho". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 12 November 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  36. ^ "Roberto Baggio". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 24 September 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  37. ^ "Karl-Heinz Rummenigge". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  38. ^ "Uwe Seeler". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 9 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  39. ^ "Guillermo Stabile". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 7 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  40. ^ a b "American Bert Patenaude credited with first hat trick in FIFA World Cup history". FIFA. 10 November 2006. Archived from the original on 27 October 2013.
  41. ^ "Leonidas". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 9 August 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  42. ^ "Oscar Miguez". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 9 August 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  43. ^ "Neymar". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  44. ^ "Rivaldo". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 22 March 2009. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  45. ^ "Rudi Voeller". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  46. ^ "Diego Maradona". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 13 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  47. ^ "Cristiano Ronaldo". FIFA. 16 June 2018. Archived from the original on 1 September 2015. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  48. ^ "Oldrich Nejedly". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  49. ^ "Lajos Tichy". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  50. ^ "Careca". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 6 May 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  51. ^ "Johnny Rep". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  52. ^ "Andrzej Szarmach". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  53. ^ "Hans Schaeffer". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  54. ^ "Luis Suarez". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 19 May 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  55. ^ "Sepp Huegi". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  56. ^ "Oleg Salenko". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  57. ^ "Gyorgy Sarosi". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  58. ^ "Max Morlock". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  59. ^ "Erich Probst". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  60. ^ "Salvatore Schillaci". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  61. ^ "Davor Suker". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  62. ^ "Helmut Haller". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  63. ^ "James Rodriguez". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 26 December 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  64. ^ "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia – Players – James Rodriguez". FIFA. Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  65. ^ "Hristo Stoichkov". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 24 March 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  66. ^ "Diego Forlan". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  67. ^ "Asamoah Gyan". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 21 November 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  68. ^ "Dennis Bergkamp". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  69. ^ "Rob Rensenbrink". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  70. ^ "Rivelino". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  71. ^ "Bebeto". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  72. ^ "Arjen Robben". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 19 May 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  73. ^ "Zbigniew Boniek". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  74. ^ "Thierry Henry". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 28 April 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  75. ^ "Robin van Persie". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 1 June 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  76. ^ "Wesley Sneijder". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 3 July 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  77. ^ "Ivan Perišić". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  78. ^ "Mario Kempes". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  79. ^ "Lothar Matthaeus". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 8 June 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  80. ^ "Pedro Cea". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  81. ^ "Silvio Piola". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  82. ^ "Gyula Zsengeller". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  83. ^ "Peter McParland". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  84. ^ "Tomas Skuhravy". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  85. ^ "Juan Schiaffino". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  86. ^ "Geoff Hurst". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  87. ^ "Jon Dahl Tomasson". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 18 October 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  88. ^ "Alessandro Altobelli". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  89. ^ "Kennet Andersson". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  90. ^ "Fernando Morientes". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 14 January 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  91. ^ "Romário (Romário de Souza Faria)". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 25 June 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  92. ^ "Marc Wilmots". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 11 March 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  93. ^ "Mario Mandžukić". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 17 August 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  94. ^ "Valentin Ivanov". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  95. ^ "Emilio Butragueno". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 5 December 2009. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  96. ^ "Roger Milla". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  97. ^ "Tim Cahill". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 10 November 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  98. ^ "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia – Players – Tim Cahill". FIFA. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  99. ^ "Hans Krankl". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  100. ^ "Raul". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 5 June 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  101. ^ "Garrincha". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 12 June 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  102. ^ "Johan Neeskens". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  103. ^ "Fernando Hierro". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 27 June 2009. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  104. ^ "Zinedine Zidane". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 20 January 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  105. ^ "Landon Donovan". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 11 November 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  106. ^ "Henrik Larsson". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  107. ^ "Romelu Lukaku". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 20 August 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  108. ^ "Michel Platini". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 4 May 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  109. ^ "Zico". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  110. ^ "Gonzalo Higuain". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 28 June 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  111. ^ "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia – Players – Gonzalo Higuain". FIFA. Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  112. ^ "Lukas Podolski". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 13 May 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  113. ^ "Edinson Cavani". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  114. ^ "Franz Beckenbauer". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  115. ^ "1930 FIFA World Cup Uruguay — France 4:1 Mexico". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 25 February 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  116. ^ "1930 FIFA World Cup Uruguay — USA 3:0 Belgium". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  117. ^ "1930 FIFA World Cup Uruguay — Chile 3:0 Mexico". FIFA. 25 July 2014. Archived from the original on 25 February 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  118. ^ "Ivan Bek". Sky Sports. 16 May 2010. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  119. ^ Straus, Brian. "The 10 Most Significant Goals In U.S. Soccer History: Bert Patenaude". Sports Illustrated. CNN. Archived from the original on 6 September 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  120. ^ "The World Cup's most iconic players: 1930 top scorer Guillermo Stabile". talkSPORT.com. 30 April 2018. Archived from the original on 22 May 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  121. ^ "FIFA Classic Player: Leonidas: Brazil's first superstar". FIFA. 1 February 2011. Archived from the original on 13 August 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  122. ^ "The World Cup's forgotten men". VAVEL. 2 June 2014. Archived from the original on 11 August 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  123. ^ Smyth, Rob (12 January 2012). "The forgotten story of ... Just Fontaine's 13-goal World Cup". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 9 August 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  124. ^ Lynch, Kevin. "World Cup Rewind: Ronaldo sets all-time goals world record". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  125. ^ Grohmann, Karolos (8 July 2014). "Miroslav Klose's World Cup goals". Reuters. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  126. ^ "2026 FIFA World Cup: Argentina 3–0 Algeria". FIFA. 16 June 2026. Retrieved 18 June 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  127. ^ FIFA World Cup: Statistics (PDF) (Report). FIFA. October 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 June 2009. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  128. ^ Kolur, Nihal (15 July 2018). "Golden Ball Winners in World Cup History". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 31 July 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  129. ^ Wittenberg, Danny (14 May 2018). "Every winner of the World Cup's Best Young Player award and what they went on to achieve". Mirror.co.uk. Archived from the original on 30 August 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2018.