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For most footballers, playing in a World Cup is the realisation of a lifelong dream.
Scoring a goal on the game’s greatest stage must be an even more special feeling and it is one reserved for a small percentage of players.
Some of those are fortunate enough – or sufficiently talented – to net multiple times at the quadrennial tournament.
From 1930 to 2022, here is a look at the top scorers in the men’s World Cup…
34. Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo made his World Cup debut in 2006 as Portugal reached the semi-finals in Germany and narrowly lost out to France.
In 2022, Ronaldo became the first player in the history of men’s football to score in five different editions of the World Cup. His hat-trick against Spain in 2018 was a real highlight and he has eight goals from 22 games in the tournament overall. The former Real Madrid and Manchester United forward hasn’t ruled out playing in 2026, either…
33. Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona will forever be associated with the World Cup and the Argentina legend led the Albiceleste to two finals, winning the tournament in 1986.
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Maradona scored eight goals in his four tournament appearances and 21 games overall – in 1982, 1986, 1990 and 1994 – and was unfortunate not to be selected as a talented teenager in 1978. He was sent home from USA 94 for failing a drugs test and never played for Argentina again.
32. Rudi Völler
Rudi Völler helped West Germany win the World Cup in 1990 and featured in the tournament three times, also appearing in 1986 and 1994.
Völler came off the bench for the second half of the 1986 final against Argentina and scored a late equaliser, only for Jorge Burruchaga to hit the winner for the South Americans a few minutes later in a 3-2 victory. The former Werder Bremen, Roma and Marseille striker scored eight World Cup goals in 15 appearances overall.
31. Rivaldo
Rivaldo only played in two World Cups, but the brilliant Brazilian forward made a huge impact in his tournament appearances in 1998 and 2002.
The former Barcelona attacker scored eight goals in his 14 World Cup games, helping Brazil to the final against France in 1998 and then to the trophy in Japan and South Korea four years later.
30. Neymar
Neymar was considered for selection for the 2010 World Cup after his impressive form at Santos, but eventually had to wait until 2014 to make his debut in the tournament.
The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward has hit eight goals in 13 World Cup appearances in 2014, 2018 and 2022, but Brazil have not gone beyond the semi-finals in that time.
29. Harry Kane
Harry Kane won the Golden Boot in his first World Cup for England, scoring six times as the Three Lions reached the semi-finals of Russia 2018.
The former Tottenham striker added two more at Qatar 2022, scoring against Senegal and France in the knockout stages but missing a second penalty in the quarter-final loss to Les Bleus. He currently has eight goals in 11 appearances.
28. Óscar Míguez
Óscar Míguez played for Uruguay at the 1950 and 1954 World Cups and scored eight goals in just seven appearances at the tournament.
Five of those came in 1950 as Uruguay shocked hosts Brazil by winning the World Cup. Míguez hit a hat-trick against Bolivia and two more in a late turnaround against Sweden which sealed a place in the decisive match against Brazil. He added another three in 1954, but Uruguay failed to qualify for the 1958 tournament and he retired from international duty that year.
27. Leônidas
Leônidas hit seven goals for Brazil at the 1938 World Cup to finish as top scorer and was also on target once at the 1934 tournament, netting eight times overall in just five matches.
With the World Cup cancelled in 1942 and 1946 due to the Second World War, the legendary centre-forward was denied the chance to add to that tally and he retired from Brazil duty in 1946.
26. Guillermo Stábile
Guillermo Stábile played only four matches for Argentina – all of those at the 1930 World Cup – and scored eight goals as the Albiceleste reached the final in Uruguay.
Stábile scored three against Mexico, put two past Chile and the United States and also netted once in the final as Argentina lost 4-2 to the hosts Uruguay to average two goals per game. After moving to Italy that same year, he never played for Argentina again.
25. Uwe Seeler
Uwe Seeler played in four World Cups for West Germany – in 1958, 1962, 1966 and 1970 – and the legendary striker scored nine goals in 21 tournament appearances.
A finalist in 1966, Seeler never did get his hands on the game’s greatest prize, with West Germany winning it before his debut in 1954 and after his retirement in 1974.
24. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
Karl Heinz-Rummenigge played for West Germany in three World Cups – in 1978, 1982 and 1986 – and was captain for the last two of those tournaments.
A two-time finalist, Rummenigge scored nine goals in 19 appearances overall in the World Cup. The former Bayern Munich and Inter forward retired from international football after the 1986 final, having scored his last goal for West Germany in the 3-2 defeat to Argentina.
23. Roberto Baggio
Roberto Baggio is one of Italy’s greatest-ever players, if not the best of them all, and the former Juventus and Fiorentina forward should have won more than 56 caps for the Azzurri.
Baggio did play in three World Cups for Italy, though. After bursting onto the scene at international level with a stunning strike against Czechoslovakia at Italia 90, he dragged the Azzurri all the way to the final in 1994 with five goals, only to be remembered for his penalty miss in the shootout loss to Brazil. He returned to score twice in 1998, including a penalty against Chile, and netted nine World Cup goals in 16 games overall.
22. Jairzinho
Jairzinho made his Brazil debut in 1964 but played out of position on the left wing at the 1966 World Cup due to the return of Garrincha on the right.
Struggling to adapt on the opposite flank, he did not score and made mininal impact as Brazil went out in the group stages. But with Garrincha a fading force after that, Jairzinho soon became first choice on the right and scored in every round of the 1970 World Cup – including one in the final against Italy – to finish the tournament with seven goals. He added two more in the 1974 tournament, including a winner against Argentina as Brazil reached the last four without the now-retired Pelé.
21. Paolo Rossi
Paolo Rossi was banned for three years, later reduced to two, for his alleged involvement in the Totonero betting scandal. He has always maintained his innocence.
Rossi return in style at the 1982 World Cup, scoring six goals overall after a slow start – including a hat-trick against Brazil and one in the final as Italy beat West Germany – to win the Golden Boot. He also netted three in the 1978 tournament, but was unable to add to his tally in 1986, when an injury kept him out. Overall, he hit nine World Cup goals in 14 appearances.
20. David Villa
David Villa played 98 times for Spain between 2005 and 2017 and retired as La Roja’s all-time top scorer with 59 international goals, nine of which were scored at World Cups.
Five of those came in Spain’s winning campaign in 2010. The former Valencia, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid striker also netted three in 2006 and one in 2014 for nine goals in 12 World Cup appearances overall.
19. Vavá
Vavá played in two World Cups for Brazil and the Vasco da Gama legend was a winner on both occasions – in 1958 and 1962.
The Recife-born forward scored nine goals in nine World Cup appearances and was on target in two finals – twice in a 5-2 victory over Sweden in 1958 and once in a 3-1 win against Czechoslovakia in 1962. His four goals in Chile also earned him a share of the Golden Boot.
18. Christian Vieri
Christian Vieri scored nine goals for Italy in nine World Cup appearances in 1998 and 2002 and was unfortunate to miss the Azzurri’s triumph at the 2006 tournament.
The former Inter striker scored five goals in as many games in 1998 and four in four in 2002. He suffered an injury in the lead-up to the 2006 World Cup, missed Italy’s win in Germany and never played for his country again.
17. Eusébio
Eusébio was born in Mozambique, which was Portuguese territory at the time, and represented Portugal for 12 years between 1961 and 1973.
The legendary Benfica forward only played in one World Cup, but made his mark with nine goals in six matches – including four in an amazing comeback win against North Korea from 3-0 down – as Portugal finished third at the 1966 tournament in England.
16. Ademir
Ademir scored nine goals for Brazil at the 1950 World Cup and finished as the tournament’s top scorer, but could not prevent the nation’s shock defeat to Uruguay on home soil in the decisive final match.
Scorer of the first competitive goal at the Maracanã, Ademir led Brazil to the South American Championship in 1949 and hit his nine World Cup goals in just six matches. He never played in the tournament again, winning his final cap in 1953.
15. Grzegorz Lato
Grzegorz Lato led Poland to Olympic gold in 1972 and was instrumental in third-place finishes for the White-Reds in both the 1974 and 1982 World Cups.
Lato scored the winner against Brazil in the third-place match in 1974 and the winger netted 10 goals in 20 World Cup appearances overall across three tournaments.
14. Thomas Müller
Thomas Müller racked up 10 World Cup goals for Germany in two tournaments – in 2010 and 2014 – and was a winner in the second of those.
Müller also played in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, but was not able to add to his tally as Germany went out in the group stages on both occasions.
13. Teófilo Cubillas
Peru’s Teófilo Cubillas played in three World Cups and scored all of his 10 goals in two of those – in 1970 and 1978.
Widely considered Peru’s best-ever player, Cubillas led the South Americans to the quarter-finals in both editions. In 1982, he did not score as Peru went out in the group stages. And in 1974, the Bicolor did not qualify.
12. Gabriel Batistuta
Gabriel Batistuta was Argentina’s top scorer at World Cups with 10 goals until he was overtaken by the great Lionel Messi in 2022.
Batistuta’s 10 World Cup goals came in three tournaments – 1994, 1998 and 2002 – but the former Fiorentina forward never made it beyond the quarter-finals with Argentina.
11. Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker only played in two World Cups for England, but the former Leicester City, Tottenham and Barcelona striker scored 10 goals in the tournament.
Lineker hit six, including a hat-trick against Poland, to win the Golden Boot in 1986 and added four more as England reached the semi-finals in 1990. His 10 World Cup goals came in just 12 appearances.
10. Helmut Rahn
Helmut Rahn played for West Germany between 1951 and 1960 and scored 21 international goals in 40 appearances.
Rahn scored two goals in the 1954 World Cup final against Hungary, including the winner, in a match often referred to as the Miracle of Bern. He helped West Germany reach the semi-finals in 1958 and finished his career with 10 World Cup goals in as many appearances.
9. Jürgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann played in three World Cups and was a winner for West Germany in 1990, helping Franz Beckenbauer’s side to the trophy with victory over Argentina in the final.
Klinsmann went on to play for Germany in the 1994 and 1998 tournaments, with the former Bayern Munich and Tottenham striker on target 11 times in total in 17 World Cup appearances.
8. Sándor Kocsis
Sándor Kocsis scored 11 World Cup goals for Hungary and all of those came in the 1954 tournament as the Mighty Magyars reached the final.
Kocsis hit a hat-trick against South Korea, four in an 8-3 thrashing of West Germany, two versus Brazil and two more in a semi-final victory over Uruguay. Hungary went on to lose the final 3-2 to West Germany, with Kocsis unable to convert in the biggest game of them all.
7. Kylian Mbappé
Kylian Mbappé has scored 12 goals in his 14 World Cup appearances and has already played in two finals, leading Les Bleus to victory against Croatia as a 19-year-old in 2018 and narrowly losing out to Argentina on penalties in 2022 – despite hitting a hat-trick in that match.
WIth a minimum of two World Cups still likely to be ahead of him, Paris Saint-Germain’s all-time top scorer has plenty of time left to obliterate the tournament’s goals records in the years to come.
6. Pelé
Pelé played in four World Cups for Brazil and won the tournament three times in a record which may never be broken.
The legendary Santos forward starred as a 17-year-old in 1958 and went on to win it again in 1962 and 1970. Overall, he netted 12 goals in 14 World Cup appearances.
5. Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi played in five World Cups for Argentina and won the tournament at the fifth time of asking as he led the Albiceleste to glory at Qatar 2022.
Also a finalist in 2014, Messi has won the Golden Ball for the tournament’s best player on two occasions and finished his World Cup career with 13 goals in 26 appearances. Unless, that is, he changes his mind about playing in 2026…
4. Just Fontaine
Just Fontaine netted all of his 13 World Cup goals in just one edition of the tournament, winning the Golden Boot in 1958.
The legendary France forward scored in every match, averaging over two goals per game as Les Bleus finished third in Sweden. No player has come close to matching that tally since.
3. Gerd Müller
Gerd Müller scored 14 goals for West Germany at the World Cup, but what makes that number even more impressive is the fact that he did it in just 13 appearances.
Müller played in just two editions of the tournament, in 1970 and 1974, scoring 10 goals in the first of those and four in the second – including the winner against the Netherlands in the 1974 final. His 14 goals at the tournament stood as a World Cup record for over 30 years.
2. Ronaldo
Ronaldo went to four World Cups with Brazil, played in three of those tournaments and won it twice. He scored 15 goals overall.
The brilliant Brazilian was an unused player in 1994 as a 17-year-old, but was one of the team’s star players in each of the next three editions and went on to net 15 goals in the tournament, top scoring with eight as the South Americans won the trophy for a fifth time in 2002.
1. Miroslav Klose
Miroslav Klose played for Germany in four World Cups and signed off by helping his nation win the trophy at Brazil 2014.
Klose won the Silver Boot in 2002 and the Golden Boot in 2006. He went on to score a record 16 World Cup goals in 24 appearances, overtaking compatriot Gerd Müller and Brazil legend Ronaldo to finish his career as the tournament’s all-time top scorer.
