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15 World Cup Goalscorers in FIFA History
FIFA World Cup was established in 1930, more than 92 years ago. It is one of the most prestigious association soccer events in the world, with over 79 national teams participating. As a result, it is safe to claim that the competition has been graced by a plethora of excellent players.
And this begs the issue of who has scored the most goals in FIFA World Cup history.
To answer the topic, we’ve prepared a list of the most prolific World Cup top scorers.
Not every great player is a top scorer.
As a result, don’t be shocked if you don’t see huge names like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, and others on our list.
So, without further ado, here is our list of the World Cup players with the most goals in FIFA history.
15 World Cup Goalscorers in FIFA History
We compiled the list using websites such as Wikipedia, The18, and others. Before we get started, have a look at the preview in the table below.
| Player Name | Goals |
| 15. Christian Vieri | 9 |
| 14. Eusebio Portugal | 9 |
| 13. Grzegorz Lato | 10 |
| 12. Thomas Muller | 10 |
| 11. Teofilo Cubillas | 10 |
| 10. Gary Lineker | 10 |
| 9. Gabriel Batistuta | 10 |
| 8. Helmut Rahn | 10 |
| 7. Jurgen Klinsmann | 11 |
| 6. Sandor Kocsis | 11 |
| 5. Pele | 12 |
| 4. Just Fontaine | 13 |
| 3. Gerd Muller | 14 |
| 2. Ronaldo | 15 |
| 1. Miroslav Klose | 16 |
Christian Vieri, 15
Italy is a country.
Christian Vieri, a former professional soccer player, is the only player in FIFA history to have nine total goals.
He is a 49-year-old former center forward who debuted as a senior in 1991.
During his playing career, Vieri represented his country as well as numerous prominent foreign clubs such as Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, and others. He played for almost a dozen clubs during his career.
In 1999, when Inter Milan paid Lazio £32 million to sign him, he became the world’s most expensive footballer.
Similarly, Vieri is recognized as one of Europe’s top strikers.
He is one of three Italians who have scored the most goals in FIFA World Cup history.
Between 1997 and 2005, he scored 23 goals in 49 international games for Italy.
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Eusebio 14
Portugal is a country.
Eusebio, a Mozambican-born Portuguese player, is ranked 14th in World Cup goals.
He was born on January 25, 1942, as Eusébio da Silva Ferreira.
Eusebio is regarded as one of the best soccer players of all time.
He was nicknamed the “Black Panther,” “Black Pearl,” and “O Rei” and was noted for his technique, quickness, and powerful right-footed shot.
Eusebio was named the ninth-best footballer of the twentieth century by the IFFHS.
Similarly, World Soccer magazine ranked him as the tenth finest footballer of the twentieth century.
The Portuguese Football Federation named him the Golden Player of Portugal in 2003.
Eusebio has also been dubbed “Africa’s first great and greatest-ever player.”
Eusebio was one of his generation’s most recognizable faces.
On January 5, 2014, this great, prolific goalscorer died at the age of 71.
Grzegorz Lato is from Poland
Grzegorz Lato was a member of Poland’s golden generation of soccer players and is now a manager.
He made his professional debut with Stal Mielec in 1966, when he was 72 years old.
His performance drew a lot of attention after his international debut in 1980.
His best performance came during the 1974 World Cup in West Germany.
Lato also finished the tournament with seven goals, making him the competition’s leading scorer.
Over a decade, he represented his country in five major competitions.
In addition, he won gold in the 1972 Summer Olympics and finished third in the 1982 FIFA World Cup.
Lato retired from professional baseball in 1984.
After retiring, he pursued a managerial career, taking the reins of various national and international clubs.
Muller, Thomas
Germany is a country.
We have 32-year-old Thomas Muller, who is known for his versatility, on our World Cup most goals list.
He currently plays for the Bundesliga club Bayern Munich as well as the German national team.
Muller is widely considered one of the world’s top midfielders.
Similarly, he is regarded as one of the most versatile attacking players.
He started his professional career at a youth academy.
He has also played for the national team in various divisions.
Muller was instrumental in the team’s World Cup victory in 2014.
As a result, he was awarded the Silver Vall and Silver Boot for being the second-highest goalscorer.
He is one of Germany’s most decorated soccer players in history.
Teofilo Cubillas (11th)
Peruvian Republic
Teofilo Juan Cubillas Arizaga, 73, was born as Teofilo Juan Cubillas Arizaga and is our number 11 in World Cup goals.
He is regarded as one of the best South American footballers of all time.
His finest achievements include FIFA awards for the best young player and the bronze boot in Mexico in 1970, earning him the moniker “El Nene.”
Teofilo, one of the best-attacking midfielders in soccer history, was one of 50 players chosen as the Best Footballer of the Century in all historical polls conducted at the conclusion of the twentieth century.
Gary Lineker is ten
England is the country.
Gary Lineker is ranked tenth in World Cup goals with ten.
He is a 61-year-old sports announcer and former professional soccer player.
Lineker is widely recognized as one of the finest English strikers of all time.
He began his professional career with Leicester City’s junior academy before making his senior debut in 1978.
Lineker had been awarded the Golden Boot.
Similarly, he played a key role in England’s World Cup semi-final victory in 1990.
With three clubs, he is the only English top scorer.
Lineker scored 330 goals in his 16-year professional career, including 282 at the club level.
He is a member of the English Football Hall of Fame.
Gabriel Batistuta, 9th
Argentina is a country.
Gabriel Batistuta, 53, is the next person on our list and is known as “El Angel Gabriel.”
He was a former professional soccer player who was recognized as one of the top strikers in the game.
Furthermore, he was so famous among fans that Fiorentina supporters created a life-size bronze monument of him in 1996.
Batistuta finished third in the FIFA World Player of the Year voting in 1999. Similarly, the renowned Brazilian player Pele was named to the FIFA 100 list in 2004.
He is Argentina’s all-time leading international goalscorer.
Similarly, Batistuta is the country’s leading scorer in the FIFA World Cup.
He is the first player in soccer history to have two hat-tricks in different World Cups.
Soccer has a fair share of top soccer pundits.
Helmut Rahn, no. 8
Germany is a country.
Helmut Rahn is our World Cup scoring leader with eight goals.
He was born on August 16, 1929, and his fans dubbed him “Der Boss.”
Rahn accomplished an astonishing feat in the 1954 FIFA World Cup, cementing his place as a legendary figure in German football. He scored a game-winning goal against Hungary in the final.
Similarly, he was a member of the German team that reached the semi-finals of the 1958 World Cup.
Rahn became the World Cup’s third-highest scorer with his goal against Yugoslavia.
Der Boss was also the only player in World Cup history to score at least four goals in two successive tournaments.
Unfortunately, the heroic icon of German soccer died on August 14, 2003, at the age of 73.
Klinsmann, Jurgen
Germany is a country.
Jurgen Klinsmann is ranked seventh in World Cup goal scoring.
The 58-year-old former player is regarded as one of Germany’s best strikers throughout the 1990s.
From the 1988 Euro to the 1998 World Cup, Klinsmann has scored in all six major international competitions.
He finished third in the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 1995.
In 2004, he was also named to FIFA’s list of the “125 Greatest Living Footballers.”
Klinsmann became a manager after retiring from his playing career.
Sandor Kocsis is from Hungary
Sandor Kocsis is tied for sixth place on our list of most World Cup goals with 11 goals.
He was born on September 21, 1929, and is regarded as one of Hungary’s most prolific goal scorers.
While playing for Honved in 1952 and 1954, Kocsis was the top striker in any European league, and he was the World Cup’s top scorer in 1954.
This successful footballer, most known for scoring headers, died at the age of 49 on July 22, 1979.
Pele’s home country is Brazil
Pele, 81, is regarded as one of the best players and has been dubbed “the greatest” by FIFA.
He began his career with Santos at the age of 15.
With 77 goals in 92 games, he is Brazil’s all-time best goalscorer.
Pele, likewise, is the only player to have won three FIFA World Cups in 1958, 1962, and 1970.
Pele set a Guinness World Record with 1,279 goals in 1,363 games.
He declared his retirement in 1977 and has served as a global ambassador for football ever since.
4. Only Fontaine
France is a country.
Just Fontaine is ranked fourth in the World Cup with 13 goals.
The former prolific forward, now 89 years old, is regarded as one of the greatest players in soccer history.
His most notable achievement, however, came at the 1958 FIFA World Cup, when he scored thirteen goals in six matches.
It is one of the most goals ever scored by a single player in a single World Cup competition.
Fontaine was awarded the Golden Boot for her achievement.
Pele called him one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers at a FIFA Awards Ceremony in 2004.
Fontaine became a manager after retiring from playing and managing various teams.
Gerd Muller is third
Germany is a country.
Gerd Muller, widely regarded as one of the best goal scorers in soccer history, has 14 World Cup goals.
The former striker, born on November 3, 1945, is known for his clinical finishing.
He played for Bayern Munich and the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, and was known as “Bomber der Nation” or “Der Bomber.”
He scored 10 goals in the 1970 FIFA World Cup, earning him the Golden Boot as top scorer.
In the 1974 World Cup, he scored four more goals.
Among the top scorers, Muller has the third-highest goal-to-game ratio.
Unfortunately, this famous goal scorer died on August 15, 2021, at the age of 75.
2. Ronaldo Nationality: Brazilian
Ronaldo, 45, is ranked second in the World Cup with 15 goals.
He is widely regarded as one of the finest players and is known as R9.
He was the national team’s youngest member when it won the FIFA World Cup in 1994.
Ronaldo celebrates after scoring against Germany in the 2002 World Cup final.
Ronaldo celebrates after scoring a goal against Germany in the 2002 World Cup final.
Ronaldo won the Golden Ball in the 1998 FIFA World Cup and the Golden Boots in the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
In addition, he was the youngest FIFA World Player of the Year in 1996.
He has three times been named FIFA World Player of the Year.
Ronaldo is one of the most marketable athletes, serving as an inspiration to a new generation of strikers.
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Klose, Miroslav
Germany is a country.
Miroslav Klose, 44, is the greatest World Cup goal scorer in FIFA history, with 16 goals in the tournament.
The former striker is one of the few players in FIFA World Cup history to have earned gold, silver, and bronze medals.
He scored five goals in his maiden World Cup in 2002 and won the Golden Boot in the 2006 World Cup.
Similarly, following the 2014 World Cup, Klose surpassed Ronaldo’s 15 goals.
