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World Cup all-time goal scorer: Who is the World Cup’s best target man?
Claudia Kogi
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:14 PM
There is growing anticipation for another edition of the biggest sporting event in the world. The FIFA World Cup is unlike any other sporting event, with its unmatched atmosphere, iconic stadiums, and moments that elevate regular folks into demigods. Who among the strikers are classified as World Cup's all-time goal scorers?
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Men's football's most prestigious tournament has seen 21 editions and eight different countries winning the world championship while amassing more than 2000 goals. The buzz around the 2022 competitions in Qatar has already begun, and it promises to be bigger, bolder, and even better.
World Cup's all-time best African goal scorer
His name is Asamoah Gyan. The African player who holds the record for the most goals scored in the FIFA hails from Ghana. He has played in the competition 3 times and managed to score a total of 6 goals.
FIFA world cup's all-time goal scorers
In every soccer competition, legends are created, stars are born, and heroes retire, but none are more honoured than the tournament's top goal scorers. Here are fascinating details about the World Cup's top goal scorers of all-time.
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8. Thomas Muller - 10
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Thomas Muller is one of six players with ten goals in the FIFA tournaments. However, he is the only one with the potential to add to that tally in Qatar for the November 2022 World Cup.
He has competed in three FIFA competions, 2010, 2014, and 2018. In both the 2010 and 2014 tournaments, he scored five goals. He later received the Golden Boot Award in 2010 and the FIFA World Cup in 2014.
Full name | Thomas Müller |
Date of birth | 13 September 1989 |
Place of birth | Weilheim in Oberbayern, Germany |
Age | 33 years old as of October 2022 |
Height | 185 cm or 1.85 m |
Weight | 76 kg or 168 pounds |
Team | FC Bayern Munich |
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Players with 10 FIFA World Cup goals
Aside from Muller, other top players have also scored ten FIFA World Cup goals. They include,
- Gary Lineker (England) scored ten goals in 12 matches in 1986 and 1990.
- Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina) Scored ten goals in 12 matches in 1994, 1998, and 2002.
- Grzegorz Lato (Poland) scored ten goals in 20 matches in 1974, 1978 and 1982.
- Teofilo Cubillas (Peru) scored ten goals in 13 matches in 1970 and 1978.
- Helmut Rahn (Germany) scored ten goals in 10 matches in 1954 and 1958.
7. Jurgen Klinsmann - 11
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From 1987 until 1998, Klinsmann represented Germany and scored 11 goals in 17 outings. The German striker participated in three FIFA World Cups, scoring three goals in 1990, five in 1994, and three in 1998. In 1990, he won the FIFA world cup.
Full name | Jürgen Klinsmann |
Date of birth | 30 July 1964 |
Place of birth | Göppingen, West Germany |
Age | 58 years old as of October 2022 |
Height | 181 cm or 1.83 m |
Weight | 73 Kg or 161 pounds |
Profession | Footballer, Football Manager |
Team | Germany |
Jersey | 18 |
Position | Striker |
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6. Sandor Kocsis -11
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Jürgen Klinsmann of Germany and Sandor Kocsis, a legendary player from Hungary, both scored 11 goals in the finals matches. Surprisingly, Kocsis managed to score all 11 goals in one edition.
From 1948 through 1956, Sandor Kocsis represented Hungary on the field. In the one FIFA match he participated in in 1954, he scored all 11 goals, including two hat tricks. The legendary Hungarian won the Golden Boot Award at the 1954 FIFA competitions.
Full name | Sandor Péter Kocsis |
Date of birth | 21 September 1929 |
Place of birth | Budapest, Hungary |
Date or death | 22 July 1979 (at 49) |
Height | 177 cm or 1.77 m |
Weight | 71 Kg or 157 pounds |
Profession | Footballer |
Team | Barcelona (1958 – 1965) |
Jersey | 8 |
Position | Striker (retired) |
5. Pele - 12
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With 12 goals throughout four tournaments from 14 matches, Pele is among the best players in the tournament's history. From 1957 through 1971, the Brazilian legend represented Brazil in four FIFA matches, scoring six goals in 1958, one in 1962, one in 1966, and four in 1970. Although he never received the Golden Boot award, he won three FIFA championships in 1958, 1962, and 1970.
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Full name | Edson Arantes Do Nascimento AKA Pele |
Date of birth | 23 October 1940 |
Place of birth | Tres Coracoes, Brazil |
Age | 82 years as of October 2022 |
Height | 173 cm or 1.73 m |
Weight | 75 kg or 165 pounds |
Profession | Professional footballer (Retired), Humanitarian |
Team | Santos |
Jersey | 10 |
4. Just Fontaine - 13 goals
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Even though Just Fontaine played in one FIFA competition, he managed to find his name on the illustrious list. He played from 1953 to 1960 for France. Notably, the 1958 World Cup saw Fontaine score 13 goals in six games, setting the record for most goals in a single tournament.
The French striker scored in every game France participated in, including a hat-trick on his World Cup debut against Paraguay. He took home the 1958 FIFA World Cup's Golden Boot.
Full name | Just Louis Fontaine |
Date of birth | 18 August 1933 |
Age | 89 years old as of October 2022 |
Place of birth | Marrakech, French Morocco |
Height | 174 cm or 1.74 m |
Weight | 70 kg or 154 pounds |
Profession | Professional footballer, Association football manager |
Team | Reims |
Jersey | 8 |
Position | Striker (retired) |
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3. Gerd Muller -14
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Gerd Muller played for Germany from 1966 to 1974. The German football star participated in the 1970 and 1974 FIFA World Cups and scored four goals in 1974. That was an addition to his ten goals in 1970, which included back-to-back hat tricks against Hungary and Peru.
Despite Muller's brace in the game, his squad could not advance past the semifinals in 1970, and Italy terminated their playoff hopes. Nevertheless, Muller earned the Golden Boot Award and won the FIFA World Cup trophy in Germany in 1974.
Full name | Gerhard Müller |
Date of birth | 3 November 1945 |
Place of birth | Nordlingen, Germany |
Date of death | 15 August 2021 (aged 75) |
Height | 1.76 m or 176 cm |
Weight | 75 kg or 165 pounds |
Profession | Former soccer player and coach |
Team | Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1979–1981) |
Position | Forward striker |
2. Ronaldo Nazario - 15
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Ronaldo Luis Nazario, more popularly known as Ronaldo, is second on the FIFA World Cup's all-time goal scorers list. From 1994 to 2011, he was a player for Brazil, where he competed in four FIFA World Cups, scoring none in 1994, four in 1998, eight in 2002, and three in 2006. The Brazilian sensation was the winner of two FIFA World Cups, in 1994 and 2002, and the Golden Shoe Award in the latter year.
Full name | Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima |
Date of birth | 18 September 1976 |
Age | 46 years old as of October 2022 |
Place of birth | Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
Height | 183 cm or 1.83 m |
Weight | 112 kg or 247 pounds |
Profession | Footballer, Entrepeneur |
Team | Brazil |
Jersey | 9 |
Position | Striker |
1. Miroslav Klose - 16
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With 16 goals in 24 games throughout four FIFA World Cups, German striker Miroslav Klose holds the record for most goals ever scored: in 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014. Miroslav participated in four FIFA World Cup tournaments while playing for Germany from 2001 to 2014.
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The German legend scored five goals in the tournaments held in 2002 and 2006, 4 in 2010, and 2 in 2014. Additionally, Klose won the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2006 Golden Shoe Award at the FIFA World Cup.
Full name | Miroslav Josef Klose |
Date of birth | 9 June 1978 |
Age | 44 years old as of October 2022 |
Place of birth | Opole, Poland |
Height | 184 cm or 1.84 m |
Weight | 81 kg or 179 pounds |
Profession | Football manager |
Team | Lazio |
Jersey | 11 |
Position | Striker |
Along with Thomas Muller, the World Cup of 2022 in Qatar could be a chance for Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Luis Suarez, and Lionel Messi to join the exclusive double-figure club of World Cup all-time goal scorers. The stakes are high. Who will shine the brightest, and will Miroslav's record be broken?
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