Top 11 highest scorers in FIFA World Cup of all time

The history of the competition has seen some of the most gifted footballers shine on the biggest stage of the sport.

The FIFA World Cup is considered as the biggest tournament in football. Every player dreams of representing their nation on this platform. Some individuals realize this dream, while a chosen few go on to lift the trophy. The history of the competition has seen the best players in the world showcase their talents. Many have scored a lot of goals in the process of helping their national teams win the FIFA World Cup, while becoming the highest scorers in it.

Here are the top 10 all time highest scorers in the FIFA World Cup.

11. Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina) - 10 goals

Argentina’s legendary striker, Gabriel Batistuta starts off the list with 10 goals in the FIFA World Cup. The forward played 12 matches to achieve the feat. He also participated in three different editions of the tournament (1994, 1998 and 2002). 

10. Gary Lineker (England) - 10 goals

Gary Lineker is hailed as one of the best forwards England has ever produced. The incredibly gifted striker played in only two FIFA World Cup tournaments (1986 and 1990) but became one of the highest scorers in it. He made 12 appearances in the tournament, scoring 10 times for the Three Lions.

9. Helmut Rahn (West Germany) - 10 goals

Helmut Rahn played for West Germany at the 1954 and 1958 FIFA World Cups and scored 10 goals. He took 10 matches to achieve the feat and therefore finishes higher than other players who also scored the same amount of goals. He also won the 1954 FIFA World Cup with West Germany.

8. Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany) - 11 goals

Jurgen Klinsmann is next up on the list, who scored 11 goals for Die Mannschaft in the tournament. He represented both West Germany and Germany after the unification. The player scored 11 goals in three editions across 17 games.

7. Sandor Kocsis (Hungary) - 11 goals

Sandor Kocsis is one of Hungary’s all-time greatest players. The striker scored all of his 11 goals in the 1954 World Cup, guiding them to the final. He played five matches to score 11 goals at a rate of 2.20 goals per game. He further has a record of scoring 75 goals in 68 appearances for Hungary. 

8. Lionel Messi (Argentina) - 12 goals

Messi broke Argentina's Gabriel Batistuta's record for most goals for Argentina as he scored against Croatia in the semifinal of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He is now close to levelled Pele's record.

5. Pele (Brazil) - 12 goals

Pele is hailed as one of the greatest players to ever grace the sport. The legendary forward was an exceptional goalscorer all through his career. One of the highest scorers in the FIFA World Cup, He netted 12 times, helping Brazil to clinch the trophy in 1958, 1962 and 1970. 

4. Just Fontaine (France) - 13 goals

France have had several legendary strikers play for them on the international stage. One of them was Just Fontaine and perhaps one of the most clinical strikers of his generation. Fontaine scored 13 goals in merely six games in the 1958 World Cup. 

3. Gerd Muller (West Germany) - 14 goals

Gerd Muller is considered to be one of the best forwards of all time. He played for West Germany at the 1970 and 1974 FIFA World Cup editions, scoring 14 goals in 13 appearances. Gerd Muller is the highest goalscorer ever in the Bundesliga as well. He also guided West Germany to the 1974 FIFA World Cup triumph.

2. Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima (Brazil) - 15 goals

Ronaldo is still considered by many as the best and most complete striker ever. The Brazillian scored 15 goals to be the second-highest scorer in history of the FIFA World Cup. He played in four editions of the tournament (1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006). Brazil lifted the 2002 FIFA World Cup trophy, courtesy of his two goals in the final against Germany.  

1. Miroslav Klose (Germany) - 16 goals

Miroslav Klose holds the top spot among the highest scorers in the FIFA World Cup. The German played in the 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014 editions, winning it once. He scored an overall 16 goals in 24 matches. He has made the second-most number of world cup appearances as well, one behind fellow countryman, Lothar Mathhaus.

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**This article was last updated on 18 December, 2022.