Who is the top goal scorer in the World Cup history?

Top 10 goal scorers in the world cup all time

Top 10 goal scorers in the world cup all time

The FIFA World Cup, spanning over 90 years of history, has witnessed the brilliance of a large group of players. It has witnessed the emergence of some of the greatest players across the ages, crafting stories and heroes whose names will be etched forever in the greatest competitions of the beautiful game all-time World Cup goal scorers.

all-time highest goal scorer in the world

When discussing the World Cup or (Copa del Mundo,)one of the most prominent questions that comes to mind is: Who is the all-time leading scorer in the World Cup? In truth, many know the answer to this question, even if they are not deeply involved in football. However, today, let's explore in this article the top 10 goal-scorers in the World Cup, including the national teams for which each player scored and the number of matches they played to achieve this unique feat.

This list will not include many legends of the game because there are other names that have secured an honorary place in the ranking of the all-time leading scorers in the World Cup. These are the stars in descending order. Enjoy the read all-time leading goal scorer World Cup.

10- Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina)

• 10 goals - 12 matches.

Gabriel Batistuta

The legendary Argentine forward, Gabriel Batistuta, kicks off this list with a total of 10 goals after playing 12 matches to achieve this accomplishment. We recommend reading about his career here.

Although Batistuta couldn't bring global glory to his country, his impact was significant in the matches he participated in, and his goals were distributed as follows:

• 1994 FIFA World Cup (4 matches)
• 3 goals against Greece (group stage)
• 1 goal against Romania (Round of 16)
• 1998 FIFA World Cup (5 matches)
• 1 goal against Japan (group stage)
• 3 goals against Jamaica (group stage)
• 1 goal against England (Round of 16)
• 2002 FIFA World Cup (3 matches)
• 1 goal against Nigeria (group stage)

9- Gary Lineker (England)

• 10 goals - 12 matches.

Gary Lineker

Gary Lineker is considered one of England's most prolific strikers and the most famous in the history of the World Cup. He has an excellent record on the global stage.

Lineker, with the Three Lions, reached the semi-finals in the 1990 World Cup, but his peak performance came in the previous edition when he became the top scorer of the 1986 World Cup and received the Golden Boot.

• 1986 FIFA World Cup (5 matches)
• 3 goals against Poland (group stage)
• 2 goals against Paraguay (quarter-finals)
• 1 goal against Argentina (semi-finals)
• 1990 FIFA World Cup (7 matches)
• 1 goal against Ireland (group stage)
• 2 goals against Cameroon (quarter-finals)
• 1 goal against West Germany (semi-finals)

8- Helmut Rahn (Germany)

• 10 goals - 10 matches.

Helmut Rahn 

Helmut Rahn, the German footballer, played for West Germany in the 1954 and 1958 World Cups, scoring 10 goals. He achieved this feat in 10 matches, finishing ahead of other players who scored the same goals.

The former German player won the 1954 World Cup, and his goals were as follows:

• 1954 FIFA World Cup (4 matches)

Won the championship

• 1 goal against Hungary (group stage)
• 1 goal against Yugoslavia (quarter-finals)
• 2 goals against Hungary (final)
• 1958 FIFA World Cup (6 matches)
• 2 goals against Argentina (group stage)
• 1 goal against Czechoslovakia (group stage)
• 1 goal against Northern Ireland (group stage)
• 1 goal against Yugoslavia (quarter-finals)
• 1 goal against France (third-place play-off)

7- Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany)

• 11 goals - 17 matches.

Jurgen Klinsmann

Next on the list of the top 10 goal-scorers in the history of the World Cup is the German legend, Jurgen Klinsmann, one of the most powerful football forwards to don the jerseys of both Germany and West Germany.

Klinsmann managed to score 11 goals across three separate FIFA World Cup tournaments (1990, 1994, and 1998).

• 1990 FIFA World Cup (7 matches)

Won the championship

• 1 goal against Yugoslavia (group stage)
• 1 goal against the United Arab Emirates (group stage)
• 1 goal against the Netherlands (group stage)
• 1994 FIFA World Cup (5 matches)
• 1 goal against Bolivia (group stage)
• 1 goal against Spain (group stage)
• 2 goals against South Korea (group stage)
• 1998 FIFA World Cup (5 matches)
• 1 goal against the United States (group stage)
• 1 goal against Iran (group stage)
• 1 goal against Mexico (Round of 16)

6- Sandor Kocsis (Hungary)

• 11 goals - 5 matches.

Sandor Kocsis

It was impossible to stop the Hungarian national team during the early 1950s with its golden generation, especially under the leadership of Ferenc Puskas and the presence of Sandor Kocsis as a forward.

In contrast to many players on this list, Kocsis scored all of his goals in a single tournament—the 1954 World Cup. Hungary, unfortunately, lost the tournament in a dramatic fashion against West Germany with a score of 2-3.

• 1954 FIFA World Cup (5 matches)
• 3 goals against South Korea (group stage)
• 4 goals against West Germany (group stage)
• 2 goals against Brazil (quarter-finals)
• 2 goals against Uruguay (semi-finals)

5- Pelé (Brazil)

• 12 goals - 14 matches.

Pelé (Brazil)

Pelé consistently shone in almost every tournament he participated in, and it's not surprising that the three-time World Cup winner scored this large number of goals. The Black Pearl is considered one of the greatest players in history, with remarkable statistics that you can explore in the players' statistical corner.

• 1958 FIFA World Cup (4 matches)

Won the championship

• 1 goal against Wales (quarter-finals)
• 3 goals against France (semi-finals)
• 2 goals against Sweden (final)
• 1962 FIFA World Cup (2 matches)

Won the championship

• 1 goal against Mexico (group stage)
• 1966 FIFA World Cup (2 matches)
• 1 goal against Bulgaria
• 1970 FIFA World Cup (6 matches)

Won the championship

• 1 goal against Czechoslovakia (group stage)
• 2 goals against Romania (group stage)
• 1 goal against Italy (final)

4- Just Fontaine (France)

• 13 goals - 6 matches.

Just Fontaine

Many legendary forwards have worn the French national team jersey, and one of them is Just Fontaine, who achieved an incredible record by scoring 13 goals in 6 matches in the 1958 World Cup edition.

Although the French team secured the third-place position in that competition, Fontaine's remarkable feat remains etched in football history.

• 1958 FIFA World Cup (6 matches)
• 3 goals against Paraguay (group stage)
• 2 goals against Yugoslavia (group stage)
• 1 goal against Scotland (group stage)
• 2 goals against Northern Ireland (quarter-finals)
• 1 goal against Brazil (semi-finals)
• 4 goals against West Germany (third-place play-off)

3- Gerd Müller (Germany)

• 14 goals - 13 matches.

Gerd Müller

One of the highest goal-scorers in World Cup history and the greatest German striker of all time, Gerd Müller, scored 68 goals in 62 matches—a striking goal record at the highest level.

Müller led West Germany to win the 1974 World Cup and earned the Golden Boot in the 1970 World Cup, scoring 10 goals for his country.

• 1970 FIFA World Cup (6 matches)
• 1 goal against Morocco (group stage)
• 3 goals against Bulgaria (group stage)
• 3 goals against Peru (group stage)
• 1 goal against England (semi-finals)
• 2 goals against Italy (third-place play-off)
• 1974 FIFA World Cup (7 matches)

Won the championship

• 1 goal against Australia (group stage)
• 1 goal against Yugoslavia (group stage)
• 1 goal against Poland (second round)
• 1 goal against the Netherlands (final)

2- Ronaldo (Brazil)

• 15 goals - 19 matches.

Ronaldo

Many consider Ronaldo as the greatest and most complete striker of all time. The Brazilian scored 15 goals, making him the second-highest scorer in the history of the World Cup.

The phenomenon played in four editions of the tournament (1994, 1998, 2002, and 2006). Brazil won the 2002 championship, and Ronaldo's 8 goals, including two in the final against Germany, played a crucial role in securing the title.

• 1998 FIFA World Cup (7 matches)
• 1 goal against Morocco (group stage)
• 2 goals against Chile (Round of 16)
• 1 goal against Netherlands (semi-finals)
• 2002 FIFA World Cup (7 matches)

Won the championship

• 1 goal against Turkey (group stage)
• 1 goal against China (group stage)
• 2 goals against Costa Rica (group stage)
• 1 goal against Belgium (Round of 16)
• 1 goal against Turkey (semi-finals)
• 2 goals against Germany (final)
• 2006 FIFA World Cup (5 matches)
• 2 goals against Japan (group stage)
• 1 goal against Ghana (Round of 16)

1- Miroslav Klose - All-Time World Cup Top Scorer (Germany)

• 16 goals - 24 matches.

Miroslav Klose

Miroslav Klose is considered the greatest goal-scorer in the history of the World Cup after scoring two goals in the tournament where Die Mannschaft was crowned champions.

Klose, an outstanding international striker, is also the all-time leading scorer for Germany with 71 goals. His goals in the world's premier football competition are as follows:

• 2002 FIFA World Cup (7 matches)
• 3 goals against Saudi Arabia (group stage)
• 1 goal against Ireland (group stage)
• 1 goal against Cameroon (group stage)

• 2006 FIFA World Cup (7 matches)
• 2 goals against Costa Rica (group stage)
• 2 goals against Ecuador (group stage)
• 1 goal against Argentina (quarter-finals)

• 2010 FIFA World Cup (5 matches)
• 1 goal against Australia (group stage)
• 1 goal against England (Round of 16)
• 2 goals against Argentina (quarter-finals)
• 2014 FIFA World Cup (5 matches)

Won the championship

• 1 goal against Ghana (group stage)
• 1 goal against Brazil (semi-finals)