List of footballers with 500 or more goals

For women's footballers, see List of women's footballers with 300 or more goals.

In top-level association football competitions, 25 players have scored 500 or more goals in both club and international football, according to research by the IFFHS,^[1] first published in 2007.^[2] Taking into account competitions of all levels, 79 players have reached the milestone, according to the RSSSF.^[3][4] FIFA, the international governing body of football, has never released a list detailing the highest goalscorers and does not keep official records.^[5][6] It is challenging for statisticians and media to agree on which goals should be counted, with debate over whether to include those scored in friendlies, regional competitions, and even matches taking place during wartime.^[7][8]

With over 930 goals at club and international level combined, Cristiano Ronaldo is the top goalscorer of all time.

In 2020, FIFA recognised Josef Bican, an Austrian-Czech dual international who played between the 1930s and the 1950s,^[9] as the record scorer with an estimated 805 goals,^[10][11] although CNN, the BBC, France 24, and O Jogo all acknowledge that Bican's tally includes goals scored for reserve teams and in unofficial international matches.^{[6][12][13][14]} UEFA, the governing body for European football, ranks him as the leading all-time goalscorer in European top-flight leagues with 518 goals, narrowly ahead of Hungarian Ferenc Puskás.^[15] RSSSF credits Bican with 948 goals, a tally which includes goals scored in winter tournaments, as well as when selected to represent regional and city teams,^[16] and the Football Association of the Czech Republic claims a total of 821.^[17][18] Spanish newspapers Marca and Sport state that both Bican and Pelé scored 762 goals.^[19][20] Bican once walked out of a gala held in his honour by the IFFHS after the organisation had excluded war-time goals from his tally, although it later recognised the 229 goals he had scored during the period.^[21]

Media outlets like Sky Sports, ESPN, and Globo Esporte argue that for Pelé and his era, friendly matches were important and their goals should count,^[22][23][24] while journalist Hugh McIlvanney called them "profit-making excursions" with little "relevance to Pelé's reality",^[25] and Jonathan Liew said many friendlies were "against up-country teams or down-at-heel invitational sides".^[26] When Argentinian forward Lionel Messi was reported to have broken the record for most goals at a single club (644 for Barcelona), Pelé's former club Santos denied it, saying 448 of Pelé's friendly goals had been uncounted,^[27] arguing many were against "the best teams of all time",^[28] a point Pelé supported by updating his tally to 1,283 on Instagram.^[29] Barcelona responded that because Bican, Pelé, Erwin Helmchen, and Abe Lenstra scored mostly in leagues below national level, those goals shouldn't count,^[30] and goals from wartime matches, lower tiers, and regional divisions by players like Bican, Ferenc Deák, Puskás, Seeler, Müller, Túlio Maravilha, and Robert Lewandowski are also disputed.^[31]

In 2021, Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo was reported to have broken the record by scoring his 760th goal,^[32][33][34] although it was widely accepted as impossible to confirm with certainty since stats from earlier eras are often disputed,^{[18][35][36][37][38][39]} as noted by journalist Jonathan Wilson and Corriere dello Sport editor Ivan Zazzaroni, who noted German striker Helmchen may have scored 981 goals.^[16][40] Ronaldo said: "the world has changed since then and football has changed as well, but this doesn't mean we can just erase history according to our interests".^[41] Other claims exist; Guinness World Records credits Pelé with the "most career goals" at 1,279,^[42] and Brazilian striker Romário claimed his 1,000th goal in 2007 but later admitted it included friendlies;^[43] they are reported to have scored 767 and 772 goals respectively,^{[18][44][45][46][47]} with Pelé's total including one goal for the military team and nine for the state team of São Paulo at the State Team Championship.^[48][49] The Encyclopædia Britannica notes Brazilian Arthur Friedenreich is "officially recognised" by FIFA to have scored 1,329 goals,^[50] though there is little evidence.^[42][51] In March 2022, Ronaldo surpassed Bican's estimated 805 goals.^[52][53]

Hungarian Imre Schlosser is generally recognised as the first to reach the 500-goal mark, doing so in 1927 shortly before his retirement.^[54] Nine players have accomplished the feat at a single club: Josef Bican (Slavia Prague), Jimmy Jones (Glenavon), Jimmy McGrory (Celtic), Joe Bambrick (Linfield), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Gerd Müller (Bayern Munich), Pelé (Santos), Fernando Peyroteo (Sporting CP), and Uwe Seeler (Hamburg).^[55] Of these nine, Messi scored the most, with 672 goals between his debut in 2004 and his departure in 2021.^[56]

List

With 672 goals for Barcelona, Lionel Messi has scored the most goals for one club.

Pelé held the world record for around 50 years.

Josef Bican is credited by FIFA with 805 goals

Luis Suárez, the most recent to score 500 goals

Alfredo Di Stéfano, the first South American to score 500 goals

Imre Schlosser, the first footballer to score 500 goals

According to the IFFHS and other media outlets, 25 players are credited with scoring 500 or more goals in top-level professional football competitions:

As of 6 August 2025.^[1]

Bold indicates players currently active.

* indicates player has scored at least 500 goals for a single club.^[57][58]

Rank	Player	Club			Country and other	Total	Career span
		League	Cup	Continental
1	Cristiano Ronaldo	572[a]	56	172	138	938[62]	2002–present
2	Lionel Messi*	536[b]	71	155	112	874[65]	2004–present
3	Pelé*	604[c]	49	26	83	762	1957–1977
4	Romário	545[d]	93	54	64	756	1985–2007
5	Ferenc Puskás	516[e]	69	56	84	725	1943–1966
6	Josef Bican*	515[f]	137	38	32	722	1931–1955
7	Robert Lewandowski	412[g]	61	115	85	673[68]	2008–present
8	Jimmy Jones*	330[h]	286	14	9	639	1947–1964
9	Gerd Müller*	405[i]	92	69	68	634	1964–1981
10	Joe Bambrick*	347[j]	253	5	21	626	1926–1943
11	Abe Lenstra	573[k]	18	0	33	624	1936–1963
12	Luis Suárez	414[l]	48	62	69	593[71]	2005–present
13	Eusébio	381[m]	97	59	41	578	1960–1978
14	Glenn Ferguson	313[n]	241	9	0	563	1987–2011
15	Zlatan Ibrahimović	394[o]	48	57	62	561	1999–2023
16	Imre Schlosser	413[p]	68	13	59	553	1906–1928
17	Fernando Peyroteo*	464[q]	72	3	14	553	1937–1949
18	Uwe Seeler*	447[r]	41	21	43	552	1954–1978
19	Jimmy McGrory*	407[s]	131	0	12	550	1923–1937
20	Alfredo Di Stéfano	378[t]	54	76	29	537	1945–1966
21	György Sárosi	350[u]	35	103	42	530	1931–1948
22	Roberto Dinamite	476[v]	10	5	22	513	1971–1992
23	Hugo Sánchez	390[w]	49	38	30	507	1976–1997
24	Franz Binder	297[x]	93	87	26	503	1930–1949
25	Zico	410[y]	27	16	48	501	1971–1994

RSSSF statistics

As the RSSSF uses different methodology from that of the IFFHS and other media outlets to determine which goals to include,^[72] 82 players are credited with scoring 500 or more goals in matches taking into account competitions at all levels:

As of 13 July 2025.^[3]

Bold indicates players currently active.

+ indicates player may have scored and played more.

Rank	Player	Goals	Matches	Ratio	Career span
1	Erwin Helmchen	989+	582	1.7	1924–1951
2	Cristiano Ronaldo	956	1317	0.73	2002–present
3	Josef Bican	950+	624	1.52	1930–1957
4	Ronnie Rooke	934+	1030	0.91	1929–1961
5	Lionel Messi	901	1168	0.77	2003–present
6	Jimmy Jones	840+	760	1.11	1943–1965
7	Ferenc Puskás	802	792	1.01	1943–1967
8	Ferenc Deák	795+	515	1.54	1939–1959
9	Abe Lenstra	790+	850	0.93	1936–1964
10	Romário	785	1003	0.78	1984–2009
11	Pelé	778	851	0.91	1956–1977
12	Tommy Lawton	749+	831	0.9	1935–1957
13	Gerd Müller	735	793	0.93	1963–1981
14	Robert Lewandowski	729	1056	0.69	2004–present
15	Sammy Hughes	722+	752	0.96	1942–1963
16	Joe Bambrick	690+	578	1.19	1925–1943
17	Ernst Wilimowski	683+	484	1.41	1932–1957
18	Tom Waring	672+	736+	0.91	1924–1948
19	Boy Martin	642+	547	1.17	1930–1947
20	Ferenc Bene	634	972	0.65	1959–1985
21	Eusébio	634+	663	0.96	1960–1978
22	Stan Mortensen	628+	822	0.76	1938–1962
23	Joe Smith	617+	903	0.68	1908–1931
24	Frederick Roberts	613+	471	1.3	1922–1937
25	Gyula Zsengellér	611+	649	0.94	1931–1953
26	Fernando Peyroteo	610	374	1.63	1937–1949
27	Luis Suárez	598	1020	0.59	2005–present
28	Jimmy Greaves	590+	842	0.7	1956–1980
29	Uwe Seeler	586	688	0.85	1954–1972
30	Fritz Walter	586+	583	1.01	1938–1959
31	Túlio Maravilha	585	950+	0.62	1987–2014
32	Zlatan Ibrahimović	582	1001	0.58	1999–2023
33	David Wilson	581+	626	0.93	1927–1947
34	Jimmy Kelly	574+	1004	0.57	1925–1957
35	Imre Schlosser	570	464	1.23	1906–1928
36	Glenn Ferguson	570	1085	0.53	1987–2011
37	Franz Binder	569+	431	1.32	1927–1949
38	Charlie Fleming	569	766+	0.74	1947–1965
39	Hughie Gallacher	569+	717	0.79	1920–1940
40	Dixie Dean	568	612	0.93	1923–1940
41	John Aldridge	565+	990	0.57	1976–1998
42	Isidro Lángara	564+	458	1.23	1930–1948
43	Hugo Sánchez	562	956	0.59	1974–1998
44	José Torres	561	615	0.91	1958–1980
45	Jimmy McGrory	558	549	1.02	1922–1938
46	Sándor Kocsis	556	538	1.03	1946–1966
47	Paul Dechamps	552+	612	0.9	1939–1964
48	Dave Halliday	551+	642	0.86	1920–1938
49	Jimmy Smith	550+	521	1.06	1928–1947
50	Zico	546	798	0.68	1971–1994
51	Ferenc Szusza	545	600	0.91	1940–1961
52	Jock Dodds	542	612	0.89	1932–1950
53	József Takács	542	528	1.03	1920–1942
54	Tommy Dickson	539+	775	0.7	1946–1966
55	Otto Harder	538+	324+	1.66	1910–1934
56	Dennis Westcott	535+	587	0.91	1933–1954
57	Karim Benzema	533	1015	0.53	2004–present
58	Joseph Mermans	528	652	0.81	1937–1960
59	Hughie Ferguson	525+	559	0.94	1914–1930
60	Alfredo Di Stéfano	524	720	0.73	1945–1966
61	Nándor Hidegkuti	523	674	0.78	1938–1958
62	Des Dickson	523+	715	0.73	1964–1983
63	Roberto Dinamite	519	869	0.6	1971–1992
64	W. G. Richardson	518+	622	0.83	1928–1946
65	Hans Krankl	518	725	0.71	1970–1989
66	George Brown	517+	711+	0.73	1920–1938
67	Gunnar Nordahl	514+	597	0.86	1936–1961
68	Trevor Thompson	513+	588	0.87	1955–1969
69	Giorgio Chinaglia	512+	707	0.72	1962–1990
70	David McLean	511+	801	0.64	1906–1931
71	György Sárosi	511	607	0.84	1928–1948
72	George Camsell	509+	593	0.86	1923–1942
73	István Avar	507+	449	1.13	1922–1949
74	Raich Carter	506+	843	0.6	1928–1953
75	Dennis Guy	504+	631	0.8	1960–1976
76	Willy van der Kuijlen	504	807	0.62	1962–1983
77	Roger Milla	504+	907	0.56	1968–1996
78	Steve Bloomer	504	755	0.67	1891–1920
79	Albert de Cleyn	503	588	0.86	1933–1955
80	Arthur Rowley	502+	729	0.69	1941–1967
81	Delio Onnis	502	747	0.67	1966–1986
82	Lajos Tichy	500	628	0.8	1952–1971

By confederation

As of 6 August 2025.^[1]

Confederation	Countries	Players
UEFA	9	17
CONMEBOL	3	7
CONCACAF	1	1
AFC	0	0
CAF	0	0
OFC	0	0
Total	13	25

RSSSF statistics

As of 31 December 2024.^[3]

Confederation	Countries	Players
UEFA	16	68
CONMEBOL	3	9
CAF	1	1
CONCACAF	1	1
AFC	0	0
OFC	0	0
Total	21	79

See also

• List of top international men's football goalscorers by country
• List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
• List of men's footballers with 50 or more international goals
• List of men's footballers with the most official appearances
• List of footballers who achieved hat-trick records
• List of world association football records
• List of goalscoring goalkeepers
• Lists of hat-tricks in football