Time after time, the FIFA World Cup has brought great memories of fantastic matches and superb goals scored by great players scattered across the continents. However, there are always a few great players who excel over the others through the goals scored since the inception of the World Cup in 1930 to the present.
Starting from the highest, below is a list of the five greatest top goal scorers who have showcased their craftmanship to the world:
Lionel Messi (Argentina Forward):
The Argentine leads the scoring charts of top goal scorers in World Cup history with 18 goals. Before the 2026 FIFA World Cup began, Messi was sitting in fifth position on the scoring charts. His hat-trick against Algeria and brace against Austria have shot him to the top of the highest marksman chart.
Messi has played in 28 matches in six World Cups for his home country, Argentina. His first match was in 2026, where he scored only one goal. In the Next World Cup, which was in 2010, he didn’t score but went on to net four goals for the team in the 2014 World Cup. He scored one goal in 2018, seven goals in 2022, and now currently holds five goals to date in 2026.
Kylian Mbappe (France Forward):
The French star player seems to be in a hot, blazing form at the 2026 World Cup tournament. He currently holds 16 goals, just two behind football legend Lionel Messi on the top goal scorers’ chart. He has scored a brace against Senegal and against Iraq.
Mbappe has 16 goals in 16 matches for France at the World Cup. He scored three goals at the 2018 World Cup tournament, which was his first ever outing with the team on the big stage. He then went on a scoring spree at the 2022 tournament with eight goals and has now scored four goals to date in 2026.
Miroslav Klose (Germany Forward):
The German international who was holding the top spot of the goalscorers chart now occupies the third position with 16 goals in 24 World Cup games. Klose was known for his sterling positioning and clinical finishing to score on the opposition’s defense.
Klose’s last tournament with Germany was in 2014, where he scored two goals. Prior to that, he scored five goals in 2002, another five in 2006, and four in 2010. He is now the head coach of 2. Bundesliga club 1. FC Nürnberg. He recently hailed Lionel Messi as the best player of all time as the Argentine surpassed his scoring record.
Ronaldo Nazario (Brazil Forward):
Popularly known as Ronaldo or nicknamed O Fenômeno and R9, he is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. He sits in the fourth position of the greatest top scorers with 15 goals in 19 World Cup matches.
Ronaldo’s last tournament with Brazil at the World Cup was in 2006, where he scored three goals. His first appearance was in 1994, in which he didn’t score a goal but proceeded to register his name among the greats with four goals scored in 1998 and eight goals scored in 2002, in which he lifted the World Cup with Brazil. He is the owner and president of La Liga 2 club Real Valladolid.
Gerd Muller (Germany Forward):
The German striker was known for his effectiveness in the 18-yard box. He is also widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. He sits in the fifth position with 14 goals in 13 World Cup appearances.
Muller had just two World Cup tournaments with Germany, in 1970 and 1974, where he scored ten goals and four goals, respectively. Sadly, he died in 2021 at 75 years of age.
Things to note…
All the top five listed players have won the FIFA World Cup as well as clinching the Golden Boot.
