In questions of who has scored the most goals in football history, the answer isn’t always straightforward — it depends on what counts.
Different lists include everything from official top-level matches to friendlies, youth games, or even unofficial tournaments.
This guide uses a clear methodology focused on official, top-level matches and presents the current top scorers in the sport, along with a separate section on own goals.
Data tables will make comparisons easy, and because many players are still active, totals can change quickly. Always check the publish date when looking at the most goals in football history.
Methodology First: What Counts As An “Official Goal” In Football History?
There are many lists with different numbers of goals.
If you look more closely, you will see the reason for the difference.
Some lists include friendlies, youth, wartime competitions, lower tiers, or unverified match reports.
In this report, only official, top-level competitive matches (club + senior international) are used, based on the RSSSF’s (Rec. Sport. Soccer Statistics Foundation) “official matches – top level” approach.
Also, some more aspects are included, while others are excluded.
Excluded:
- Friendlies are excluded, whether club or international matches.
- Unofficial tournaments, like testimonial games.
Included:
- Official, top-level competitive matches (club + senior international) as well as official cup competitions
There are also disputed historical eras with limited documentation.
Personal statements often do not match the information from official sources.
For example, Pelé stated he has scored 1,283 goals in 1,363 matches.
On the one hand, this includes friendlies and tour matches.
On the other hand, many football organizations, including FIFA, focus on a number of 757–767 competitive goals.
Another aspect is updating the active player’s score.
The goal leader can be continuously updated within the active players’ score.
The scores can be updated in real time or after a match, as soon as match data is processed.
| Included | Excluded | Notes/verification |
| Official, top-level competitive matches (club + senior international) | Friendlies (club + international) | Use a single consistent dataset/methodology across all players; if a source mixes friendlies, don’t merge totals. |
| League matches in top divisions | Lower-division / regional / reserve leagues (unless explicitly classified as top-level by the dataset) | Verify competition tier for the season/era; document edge cases (league reorganizations, wartime formats). |
| Official cup competitions (domestic cups, official continental cups) | Unofficial tournaments/testimonial games | Confirm the competition is officially sanctioned and competitive (not exhibition). |
| Recognized senior international matches (A-internationals) | Youth internationals (U-21/U-20 etc.) | Cross-check with the national federation / FIFA match classification, where available. |
| Goals scored in matches that have verified match reports | Matches with unverifiable / disputed scorelines | If documentation is weak, either omit or flag as “disputed”; don’t “round up.” |
| Goals credited by official match records (including penalties, free kicks) | Goals from abandoned/unofficially voided matches | Only count goals if the match result is officially recorded as valid. |
| Club goals + senior international goals counted separately, then summed | Mixing club + international without a clear split | Keep a transparent breakdown (club vs international) to avoid double-counting and make auditing easier. |
| Consistent cut-off date (publish date/time) | “Live” totals not updated after publication | Note that active players’ totals can change; state “as of [date]” and update tables if republishing. |
The All-Time Leader Right Now (And Why Totals Change): Current #1 Explained
According to the current RSSSF all-time official matches best goalscorers list, Erwin Helmchen (Germany) is the best goalscorer and the leader in goals scored in football history.
He achieved 989+ goals in 582 matches.
Number 2 is Cristiano Ronaldo with 975 goals.
Number one of the current Top-level official matches is also Cristiano Ronaldo with 959 goals.
Ronaldo was born in 1985 and started his career in 2002. In the 2025-26 season, the Portuguese player scored 17 goals in 18 matches.
His current teams are the Al-Nassr FC and the Portugal national football team.
The numbers and ranking can show different totals due to counting standards and update cadence.
We use the RSSSF list for the all-time best goalscorers.
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Top 10 Most Goals In Football History (Official Top-Level)
- Erwin Helmchen: 989+ goals, 582 matches, ~ 1,71-1,74 goal-per-game ratio.
The German forward Helmchen was an active player from 1924 to 1951, who was declared the Best scorer of Bundespokal 1936 and the Best scorer of the German final 1936 with 10 goals.
- Christiano Ronaldo: 975 goals, 1337 matches, ~ 0,74 goal-per-game ratio.
The Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo started his career in 2002 and is currently playing for Al-Nassr FC as well as for his national team in official competitions.
- Josef Bican: 950+ goals, 624 matches, ~ 1,52 goal-per-game ratio.
Josef Bican was an Austrian and Czech footballer (1930 – 1957) who joined SK Slavia Prague in 1937. He was a prolific pre-/post-war striker.
- Ronnie Rooke: 934+ goals, 1030 matches, ~ 0,74 goal-per-game ratio (within his Arsenal performance).
The British Ronnie Rooker had a long club career (1929-1961), playing for Arsenal and Fulham.
- Lionel Messi*: 925 goals, 1194 matches, ~ 0,86 goal-per-game ratio.
Lionel Messi from Argentina started his career in 2003 and is currently playing for Inter Miami CF and the Argentina national football team.
- Jimmy Jones: 840+ goals, 760 matches, goal-per-game ratio: N/A.
From 1943 to 1965, Jimmy Jones was playing for Northern Ireland as a major domestic scorer.
- Ferenc Puskás: 802 goals, 792 matches, ~ 1,01 goal-per-game ratio.
The Hungarian / Spanish footballer was an active player from 1943 – 1967 and was a member of the great Real Madrid team of the 50s and 60s.
- Ferenc Deák: 795+ goals, 515 matches, ~ 1,45 goal-per-game ratio (between 1946–1949).
The Hungarian Deák was an elite domestic-era scorer who holds the international record of 29 goals in 20 matches.
- Abe Lenstra: 790+ goals, 850 matches, ~ 0,7 goal-per-game ratio.
Lenstra was a Dutch player from 1936 to 1964 who played as a forward.
- Romario: 785 goals, 1003 matches, ~ 0,78 goal-per-game ratio.
The Brazilian Romario was an active player from 1984 to 2007, who achieved 55 goals in 70 matches for the Brazilian National Team.
*Active players, total may change
Club Vs. International Goals: Where The Biggest Scorers Did Their Damage
It is important to differentiate between international and club matches.
The club match volume varies by league and era.
International goals are often considered harder to get than club goals.
The reasons are obvious: players spend more time and play more matches with their club.
The squad is familiar.
Ronaldo and Messi are the top scorers in both.
End of 2025, Ronaldo holds the all-time record for top-level club goals (818+) and international goals (143).
The gap between club and international goals can vary.
Romário, for example, only has 55 international goals, but 730 club goals.
| Player | Club goals | International goals | Total | Notes on data source |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 832 | 143 | 975 | Total (975, as of 31 Dec 2025) from RSSSF stats list; international goals (143) from the compiled Portugal international-goals record. Club = Total − International. |
| Lionel Messi | 810 | 115 | 925 | Total (925, as of 31 Dec 2025) from RSSSF stats list; international goals (115) from the compiled Argentina international-goals record. Club = Total − International. |
| Ferenc Puskás | 718 | 84 | 802 | Total (802) from RSSSF stats list; international goals (84 overall) from the compiled Puskás international-goals record. Club = Total − International. |
| Romário | 730 | 55 | 785 | Total (785) from RSSSF stats list; international goals (55) from RSSSF international-goals file. Club = Total − International. |
Why Historical Records Get Messy?
Looking back in time, it’s not always that easy to answer the question of who has scored the most goals in football history.
The early era of football (pre-1950s) is often called the pen and paper era.
Records and stats were kept in handwritten ledgers.
So the figures for older players can vary widely due to lost documents, simple human errors in documentation, and conflicting reports between different newspapers.
Especially during the war time, many documents were lost.
Also, there was no official database for all matches.
The first official database was set up in the mid-20th century.
For example, FIFA’s historical feature coverage of Josef Bican highlights him as a “legendary striker“ and “master of marksmen” who held the record for the most goals in football for over 60 years.
There have been some debates about the exact number of goals, but FIFA emphasizes that Bican was one of the greatest scorers of the 20th century.
For this report, the ranking is based on the same consistent ruleset for everyone.
Who Has Scored The Most Own Goals In Football History? What We Can Say Reliably
According to reliable, official records from a major league, the record holder for the most own goals in football history is Richard Dunne.
He scored10 own goals in the Premier League in 2004 / 05 and 2014 and 15.
The former Irish professional footballer was playing as a defender and center back.
Number two is Riccardo Ferri with 8 own goals, followed by Manfred Kaltz with 6.
A definitive global all-time leader is hard to prove due to differences in data coverage.
We present a “best-documented” shortlist made up of official sources, including the league records page and the stats database.
| Competition | Record holder | Own goals | Timeframe | Source type |
| Premier League (England) | Richard Dunne | 10 | 2004/05–2014/15 | Official league records page |
| Serie A (Italy) | Riccardo Ferri (tied with Franco Baresi) | 8 | All-time (career totals) | Stats database/records compilation |
| Bundesliga (Germany) | Manfred Kaltz (tied with Nikolče Noveski) | 6 | All-time (career totals) | Stats database/records compilation |
What Changed Modern Scoring Rates?
Modern scoring rates changed.
There are more matches, better sports science, and a longer stoppage time.
For example, stoppages often add 10+ extra minutes to the end of the game.
The schedule density is very high. Some of the elite players have over 60 to 80 matches per season.
Better tactics and a specialization in free-kicks lead to a high volume of chance creation.
All these facts affect the scoring rate compared to the earlier era of football.
Football’s Business Context
During and after the lockdowns, leisure behavior has changed.
Many people have become interested in online activities.
Online sports betting, as well as the casino online market, grew fast.
It was possible to watch matches online and from home.
No matter if international matches or regional football – the possibilities are huge.
Even after the lockdowns, there is still a strong interest in online activities.
FAQ:
- Who has scored the most goals in football history (official top-level)?
The official top 3 in terms of goals scored in football history are Erwin Helmchen (989+), Ronaldo (975), and Bican (950+), according to RSSSF.
- Why do different sources show different totals?
Different sources show different totals because some lists include friendlies, youth competitions, wartime competitions, lower-tier matches, or unverified match reports.
- Does the record include friendlies?
Our report is based on the best goalscorers all-time list provided by RSSSF.
Friendlies are not included in this list.
- Who has scored the most own goals in football history (what’s confirmed)?
The Irish defender Richard Dunne scored the most own goals.
He holds the Premier League record for most own goals, scoring 10.
- Are women’s records tracked separately?
Yes, women’s records are tracked separately.
There are separate lists and datasets for women.
- Can totals change after publication?
Yes, totals can change after publication due to counting standards and update cadence.
- What’s the cleanest way to verify a player’s total?
The cleanest way to verify a player’s total is to look it up in an official database, such as the RSSSF database.
