List of top association football goal scorers
Encyclopedia
List according to IFFHS
IFFHS listed The World‘s most successful Top Division Goal Scorers 1888-1996. They updated it in 2008 adding new players and allowing Campeonato PaulistaCampeonato Paulista
The Campeonato Paulista de Futebol Profissional da Primeira Divisão - Série A1, simply known as the Campeonato Paulista, is the top-flight professional football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. The league is contested between 20 clubs and typically lasts from January to April...
and Campeonato Carioca
Campeonato Carioca
The Campeonato Carioca, also known as Campeonato Estadual do Rio de Janeiro, is the football league of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and is one of the most prestigious national football tournaments...
as national championships.
| Rank | Name | Country | Leagues | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Pele Pelé However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time... (Edison Arantes do Nascimento) |
 |
Brazil, USA | 541 |
| 2. | Josef Bican Josef Bican Josef "Pepi" Bican was a Czech-Austrian football forward. It is estimated by respected footballing statistics page RSSSF that Bican scored around 800 goals in all competitive matches, not including friendly games... |
  |
Austria & Czech & Czechoslovakia | 518 |
| 3. | Ferenc Puskas Ferenc Puskás Ferenc Puskás was a Hungarian footballer and manager. He scored 84 goals in 85 international matches for Hungary, and 514 goals in 529 matches in the Hungarian and Spanish leagues. He became Olympic champion in 1952 and was a World Cup finalist in 1954... |
  |
Hungary, Spain | 511 |
| 4. | Romario Romário Romário de Souza Faria , better known simply as Romário , is a former footballer who played striker,manager and current politician where is currently running for a mayor like position in his hometown... (Romario de Souza Faria) |
|
Brazil, Netherlands, Spain, Australia | 489 |
| 5. | Roberto Dinamite (Carlos Roberto de Oliveira) | |
Brazil & Spain | 470 |
Official matches
This ranking is based just by the RSSSF, which does count club and national goals but does not count goals scored in friendly matches, by which definition it includes short tournaments such as the Ramón de Carranza TrophyRamón de Carranza Trophy
The Ramón de Carranza Trophy is a pre-season football tournament organised by Cádiz CF, in memory of its former president, Ramón de Carranza - after whom their stadium is named as well....
. RSSSF also counts matches in lower divisions as well as in club's amateur and reserve teams, junior national teams and in other selection teams like some Pelé's matches in military team.
| Rank | Name | Country | Years | Matches | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Josef Bican Josef Bican Josef "Pepi" Bican was a Czech-Austrian football forward. It is estimated by respected footballing statistics page RSSSF that Bican scored around 800 goals in all competitive matches, not including friendly games... |
|
1931–1956 | 530 | 805 |
| 2. | Romário Romário Romário de Souza Faria , better known simply as Romário , is a former footballer who played striker,manager and current politician where is currently running for a mayor like position in his hometown... (Romário de Souza Faria) |
|
1985–2007 | 994 | 772 |
| 3. | Pelé Pelé However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time... (Edison Arantes do Nascimento) |
|
1956–1990 | 831 | 767 |
| 4. | Ferenc Puskas Ferenc Puskás Ferenc Puskás was a Hungarian footballer and manager. He scored 84 goals in 85 international matches for Hungary, and 514 goals in 529 matches in the Hungarian and Spanish leagues. He became Olympic champion in 1952 and was a World Cup finalist in 1954... |
|
1943–1966 | 754 | 746 |
| 5. | Gerd Müller Gerd Müller Gerhard "Gerd" Müller is a former German football player and one of the most prolific goalscorers of all time.With national records of 68 goals in 62 international appearances, 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga games and the international record of 66 goals in 74 European Club games, he was one of the... (Gerhard Müller) |
 |
1962–1983 | 793 | 735 |
| 6. | Ferenc Deak Ferenc Deák Ferenc Deák de Kehida , , was a Hungarian statesman and Minister of Justice. He was known as "The Wise Man of the Nation".-Early life and law career:... |
|
1944-1954 | 576 | |
| 7. | Uwe Seeler | |
1953-1972 | 575 | |
| 8. | Ernst Willimowski |  |
1933-1959 | 554 | |
| 9. | Eusebio Eusébio Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM , commonly known simply as Eusébio, is a retired Mozambican-born Portuguese football forward. He is considered one of the best footballers of all-time by the IFFHS, experts and fans... (Eusebio da Silva Ferreira) |
 |
1957-1980 | 552 | |
| 10. | Jimmy McGrory Jimmy McGrory James Edward "Jimmy" McGrory was a Scottish football player and manager for Celtic who holds the record for most career goals in British football... (James Edward McGrory) |
 |
1922-1937 | 550 |
Total career goals
This list attempts to include all goals scored by a player at all levels. Because different sources count differently, it cannot be considered definitive.| Rank | Player | Country | Years | Matches | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Josef Bican Josef Bican Josef "Pepi" Bican was a Czech-Austrian football forward. It is estimated by respected footballing statistics page RSSSF that Bican scored around 800 goals in all competitive matches, not including friendly games... |
|
1931–1956 | 918 | 1468 |
| 2. | Gerd Müller Gerd Müller Gerhard "Gerd" Müller is a former German football player and one of the most prolific goalscorers of all time.With national records of 68 goals in 62 international appearances, 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga games and the international record of 66 goals in 74 European Club games, he was one of the... (Gerhard Müller) |
|
1962–1983 | 1216 | 1461 |
| 3. | Pelé Pelé However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time... (Edison Arantes do Nascimento) |
|
1956–1990 | 1375 | 1284 |
| 4. | Romário Romário Romário de Souza Faria , better known simply as Romário , is a former footballer who played striker,manager and current politician where is currently running for a mayor like position in his hometown... (Romário de Souza Faria) |
|
1985–2007 | 1188 | 968 |
| 5. | Ferenc Puskas Ferenc Puskás Ferenc Puskás was a Hungarian footballer and manager. He scored 84 goals in 85 international matches for Hungary, and 514 goals in 529 matches in the Hungarian and Spanish leagues. He became Olympic champion in 1952 and was a World Cup finalist in 1954... |
|
1943-1966 | 754 | 746 |
Notes:
- Includes amateur and/or youth matches, except Pelé's record
- According to Nuke Soccer, Brazilian Arthur FriedenreichArthur FriedenreichArthur Friedenreich was a Brazilian football player. Nicknamed The Tiger, he was arguably the sport's first outstanding black player.-Biography:...
(career 1909–1935) had 1329 goals in 1239 matches as RSSSF states 557 in 562. Also, Nuke Soccer mentions Franz BinderFranz BinderFranz Binder was an Austrian football player and coach.-Club career:Nicknamed Bimbo, Binder was a prolific goalscorer who played for SK Rapid Wien. He won the national Austrian championship four times and was three times top goalscorer in Austrian league...
(career 1930–1949) having 1006 goals in 756 matches. In RSSSF, Binder has 546 goals in official matches.
See also
- List of top association football goal scorers by country
- Biggest club scorers in Brazil