Continuing our article on the top 10 goalscorers in the history of the European Championship. Pelé 5é, Messi 2é… the top 10 goalscorers in soccer history
All the greatest goalscorers of all time scored over 500 goals in their careers. They were all absolute legends for their country and their club. They left their mark on the history of soccer.
The aim of soccer is simple. It’s about scoring goals. These players cemented their place in history by scoring numerous goals from a variety of angles and situations.
Let’s take a look at the top 10 goalscorers of all time.
Pelé 5é, Messi 2é… the top 10 goalscorers in soccer history
- Ferenc Deák – 576 goals
Although Ferenc Deák’s performances were inferior to those of his compatriot Ferenc Puskas, the Hungarian striker remained an outstanding goalscorer.
With 576 goals for his club and national team, this legendary Hungarian footballer ranks 9th on this list of top scorers.
Dark was an outstanding goalscorer throughout his career, boasting an impressive strike rate of 1.15 per game.
During his playing career, he played for a number of clubs, including Saint Lynch SE, Ferencvaros and Budapest Doza. He also made 20 appearances for the Hungarian national team, scoring 29 goals.
Ferenc Deák was named Hungarian Player of the Year in 1946. World War II prevented Deák from playing more for the Hungarian national team, but otherwise the legendary striker would have ranked higher in this ranking of top scorers.
- Eusébio – 631 goals
Soccer statistics are often overrated, but with 631 goals in 650 games, Portugal’s Black Panther Eusebio is one of the greatest goalscorers of all time. For many people, including the great Pele, Eusebio was the undisputed king of soccer, a gift from God.
He is considered a legend in his homeland and is one of the greatest Portuguese players of all time.
Endowed with an athletic physique and an incredible eye for goal, Eusebio is best known for his time with Benfica, where he won a European Cup and 11 league titles.
He played 440 matches and scored 473 goals for the Portuguese giants. Eusebio has won several individual awards over the years.
He won the Ballon d’Or in 1965, but finished runner-up the following year, losing by one vote to Bobby Charlton. In 1968, he won the Soulier d’Or for scoring the most goals in Europe. He would achieve this feat five years later.
Black Panther is certainly one of the finest strikers in the history of soccer.
- Robert Lewandowski – 642 goals
Lewandowski, the legendary Polish player who played for Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, is considered one of the nine best players of recent years.
Quite simply, he is one of the greatest goalscorers in the history of soccer. The Polish striker has an exceptional goalscoring efficiency and has recorded a number of outstanding performances and records throughout his career.
After making his Polish debut with Pruszków, Lewandowski signed for Lech Poznań, where he won his first title.
But it wasn’t until Dortmund that he showed the whole of Europe the limits of his talent. He scored 103 goals in 187 games for the club, including a quadruple in the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid.
After winning the German championship twice and the Champions League final, he joined FC Bayern Munich.
He won an impressive number of titles with the Munich club, including the 2020 Champions League and eight Bundesliga titles.
With 344 goals in 375 games, he is the second-highest scorer in Bayern’s history, behind the legendary Gerd Müller. Since joining Barcelona, he has already scored 35 goals in 49 games. Lewandowski has also played 144 games for the national team, scoring 81 goals.
- Gerd Müller – 735 goals
Gerd Muller is one of the best finishers in soccer history. The German player wasn’t the type to do flashy footwork or waste time with flashy steps.
What he did was score a goal every time he played. Muller is also one of the top scorers in World Cup history.
Gerd Muller’s statistics are truly astonishing. He scored 735 goals for club and country. He also held the record for most goals in a single year until it was overtaken by Lionel Messi.
Müller played 427 Bundesliga games for FC Bayern Munich and scored 365 goals, almost 100 ahead of Klaus Fischer, the Bundesliga’s second-highest scorer.
Renowned soccer writer David Winner described Muller’s game as follows:
“He didn’t quite have the conventional idea of a great footballer, but he had lightning acceleration over short distances, incredible aerial play and an extraordinary instinct for goal.”
His legs gave him a strangely low center of gravity, allowing him to move quickly and with perfect balance, enabling him to clear and turn at such speed that other players fell off their feet. He also had the ability to score in unlikely situations.”
- Ferenc Puskás – 746 goals
With his powerful left foot and excellent positioning, Ferenc Puskas is undoubtedly one of the greatest players of all time.
As a stalwart of the Magic Magyars, he led the Hungarian team to unprecedented success.
Throughout his career, Puskas teamed up with the great Alfredo Di Stéfano at Real Madrid, destroying defenses and leading Los Blancos to five consecutive league titles and three European Cups.
The legendary Hungarian striker was La Liga’s top scorer for four consecutive seasons.
He scored 746 goals in 754 games, which speaks volumes for his scoring ability. Ferenc Puskas is also one of the 10 best strikers in history.
He is the Hungarian team’s top scorer, with 84 goals in 85 games. With 746 goals, Puskas ranks fourth on the all-time goalscorers list.
- Pelé – 757 goals
At the 1958 World Cup, the 17-year-old Brazilian striker established himself as the greatest genius of all time.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, affectionately known as Pelé, is one of the greatest footballers of all time, with his speed, agility, balance, impressive strength and, above all, his intelligence.
Pelé, winner of three World Cups in 1958, 1962 and 1970, is the only player in the world to achieve such a feat.
He scored a total of 757 goals during his career. He is also one of the greatest Brazilian players of all time. Pelé never played in Europe and spent most of his career with Santos. He spent several seasons with New York Cosmos before retiring.
- Romario – 772 goals
In a long and successful career spanning almost 24 years, Romario has cemented his legend as one of the greatest goalscorers in soccer history.
The Brazilian is best known for his stints with PSV Eindhoven and Barcelona, one of the greatest clubs in European history.
With exceptional dribbling and finishing skills, Romario is one of the most dangerous strikers of all time, thanks to his relaxed attitude and absolute confidence.
He scored 165 goals in 167 games for PSV and 39 goals in two seasons for Barcelona.
Romario has scored 772 goals in 994 games, including 55 for Brazil, in a globe-trotting career that has seen him play for clubs such as Flamengo, Vasco da Gama, PSV, Barcelona and Valencia. Romario is currently the second-highest scorer of all time.
- Josef Bican – 805 goals
Josef Bican was Europe’s top scorer five times, averaging 1.52 goals per game. Bican had the ability to play with both feet.
He also had considerable speed, capable of running 100 meters in 10.8 seconds, which was as fast as many sprinters of the time.
The International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) awarded Bican the Ballon d’Or as the top goalscorer of the last century.
Bican is best known for his work with Rapid Vienna and Slavia Prague. He is the only person in soccer history to have scored seven goals in three different matches in a single game.
His record in Vienna and Prague is incredible.
In Vienna, he played 49 games and scored 52 goals, while in Prague, he played 217 games and scored 395 goals.
With 805 career goals, the Austrian is the second-highest scorer in soccer history.
- Lionel Messi – 819 goals
The first footballer to win the Ballon d’Or five times, Lionel Messi is an absolute phenomenon.
Since 2008, the Argentine has been a key player for FC Barcelona, turning in outstanding performances for both Barcelona and Argentina.
He’s a fast, agile player, an excellent dribbler, but above all he’s one of the greatest goalscorers of all time.
The Argentinian maestro, now 35, scored 672 goals in 778 matches for the Catalan giants.
He has now overtaken Pele as the player with the most goals for a single club. Messi is without doubt one of the greatest footballers of all time. He is also one of the 10 best dribblers in history.
Messi is also an Argentina legend. As well as winning the Copa America 2021, he also won the World Cup 2022, scoring twice in the final.
He is the national team’s top scorer with 104 goals in 176 matches. As one of only three active players on this list, Messi could yet climb the rankings before the end of his illustrious career.
- Cristiano Ronaldo – 850 goals
One of the two best players of this generation. Cristiano Ronaldo is clearly one of the greatest players of all time.
He joined Real Madrid for a record 94 million euros, then Juventus. During his years at Real Madrid, his goal-scoring exploits were breathtaking.
Ronaldo scored 450 goals in 438 matches and led Real Madrid to three Champions League titles in the last four years.
He also enjoyed success at Manchester United, scoring 145 goals in 346 games. Ronaldo scored 727 goals for the club, making him the top scorer in current soccer history.
CR7 has scored 141 goals and is also the top scorer in the Champions League.
With 123 goals for Portugal, he is the national team’s all-time top scorer.
He has scored a total of 850 goals in his career. Thanks to his scoring success, Ronaldo currently occupies first place in the ranking. CR7 is also one of the 10 richest athletes in the world.
| Pos | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Cristiano Ronaldo | 850 |
| 2. | Lionel Messi | 819 |
| 3. | Josef Bican | 805 |
| 4. | Romario | 772 |
| 5. | Pelé | 757 |
| 6. | Ferenc Puskás | 746 |
| 7. | Gerd Müller | 735 |
| 8. | Robert Lewandowski | 642 |
| 9. | Eusébio | 631 |
| 10. | Ferenc Deák | 576 |
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