With days to go for the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, the potency of participating nations in front of the goal is seen as one of the important component in winning the ‘Cup of life’. The competition is in fact all about goals and 2548 goals scored over 21 editions of the World Cup pay homage to that.
Likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappe, Robert Lewandowski among plenty others are expected to burst the net as many times as possible and will quantify their success at the tournament in Qatar. The current stars of football have a spate of yesteryear stars to look forward to and if possible surpass their goal tally. We take a look at 10 such names, who rule the all-time list of FIFA World Cup goal scorers.
8. Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina), Teofilo Cubillas (Peru), Gary Lineker (England), Thomas Muller (Germany), Grezgorz Lato (Poland), Helmut Rahn (Germany): 10 goals each
Argentina star Gabriel Batistuta scored 10 goals over three World Cups. AFP
As many as six players hold the eighth spot in the FIFA World Cup all-time goal-scorer list and are greats of their international side in their own rights as not many can boast they have scored 10 goals in the biggest football event in the World Cup. Something that even Diego Maradona can’t claim with eight goals to his name ovet three editions.
While Argentina’s Gabriel Batistuta and England’s Gary Lineker are two recognisable names in the list, Germany’s Thomas Muller is the only footballer who is still incumbent in international football at the age of 33 and is the most reliable goal scorer for the Germans in Qatar. The German is also the only active player in the all-time top goalscorer list.
6. Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany), Sandor Kocsis (Hungary): 11 goals each
Jurgen Klinsmann scored three of his 11 goals for Germany at the 1990 World Cup when West Germany lifted the world title. AFP
Jurgen Klinsmann requires no introduction as the German sniper, who scored goals in galore for West Germany and then Germany over a career spanning from 1987 to 1998, scoring 40 goals. 11 of those came at the World Cups over three editions, becoming World Champion with West Germany in 1990. His winning goal against Netherlands in the round of 16 was highly praised as the Germans were down to 10 men with Klinsmann’s strike partner Rudi Voller sent off. In total, he scored 3 goals in the winning campaign.
1994 World Cup was more successful for Klinsman with five goals as Germany bowed out in the quarters to Bulgaria. In his final World Cup in 1008, the German scored three goals.
Sandor Kocsis scored all his 11 goals in the 1954 World Cup. He scored in all the games except for the final. AFP
Hungarian great Sandor Kocsis, on the other hand, scored all his 11 goals in the 1954 World Cup, which included two hat-tricks. His first hat-trick came against South Korea as Hungary won 9-0 while he scored a whopping four goals against Germany in an 8-3 rout. Kocsis then memorably scored two goals in 4-2 win over Brazil in the quarterfinal match regarded as ‘Battle of Berne’. Kocsis’s brace came in the extra time after the score was tied 2-2 at full-time.
In a rematch with Germany in the final, Hungary went down 3-2 as Kocsis failed to score for the first time.
5. Pele (Brazil)
Pele won three World Cup for Brazil, scoring 12 goals in 14 games. AFP
Matches: 14Goals: 12
Pele scored six goals in his debut World Cup in 1958 in Sweden, two of those came in the World Cup final against the host nation as Brazil won the final 5-2. Pele was expected lead Brazil to another World Cup success in 1962 as he entered the tournament as the most famous footballer on the planet. However, the player was injured early on after scoring and assisting a goal in the first game against Mexico. Pele went out of the rest of the tournament but Brazil defeated Czechoslovakia 3-1 in the final to lift the trophy.
1966 was a disaster for Pele and Brazil as the two-time defending champions went out in the group stages in England while Pele found the net just once. Pele, however, returned to the tournament in 1970, this time in Mexico, to score four times in Brazil’s third World Cup title. The all-time football great also scored in the final as Brazil thrashed Italy 4-1.
4. Just Fontaine (France)
Just Fontaine scored all his 13 World Cup goals at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. AFP
Matches: 6Goals: 13
Just Fontaine made himself one of the greatest strikers France ever produced despite participating in just one World Cup as the Frenchman overtook Kocsis’s most goals record in a single tournament by scoring as many as 13 times in 1958 edition.
Fontaine scored in all the games he participated in, including a hat-trick against Paraguay and a quartet of goals against West Germany in the third-match play off as France finished third in the tournament winning 6-3.
Fontaine’s dream of winning the World Cup, however, was never achieved as injuries ended his career at just 28.
3. Gerd Muller (Germany)
Gerd Muller scored 68 goals for West Germany in 62 games; 14 of those came in the World Cups. AFP
Matches: 13Goals: 14
Gerd Muller is regarded as one of the most prolific goal scorers ever produced as he scored 14 goals over just two World Cups. Ten of them came in 1970 in Mexico when Gerd scored two hat-tricks in the group stages. Muller comfortably won the Golden Boot but West Germany went out in the semifinals to Italy despite the striker scoring a brace.
The dream of winning the World Cup was achieved in the next edition in front of the home fans as Gerd scored four goals at the tournament, including a goal against the Netherlands in the final which the West Germans won 2-1 in Munich.
Ronaldo (Brazil) – 15 goals in 19 matchesRonaldo Luis Nazario de Lima, more popularly known as Ronaldo, is second on the list of the highest goalscorers in the FIFA World Cup with 15 goals in 19 outings.
2. Ronaldo (Brazil)
Ronaldo was star attraction at two World Cups in 1998 and 2002 when Brazil reached final twice and won one of them. AFP
Matches: 19Goals: 15
Regarded as a phenomenon and as the best striker of all time among modern-day greats, Ronaldo reached the epitome of his success when he led Brazil to their fifth World Cup triumph in 2002 by defeating Germany in the final. Ronaldo scored both goals in the 2-0 win in the Japanese city Yokohama. Ronaldo also won the Golden Boot with eight goals as his duel with Germany’s Thomas Muller, who scored five goals, was the highlight of the tournament.
Ronaldo scored four times in the 1998 World Cup when his brilliant form took Brazil to the final. However, the showdown against France turned into a bitter memory with the Brazilian struggling to play with a fever against the hosts, who won 3-0 to lift the title. 2006
In 2006 in Germany, Ronaldo was far from his best but still managed to score thrice before Brazil went out in the quarterfinals. His three-goal tally, however, was enough to surpass Gerd Muller’s on the all-time list.
1. Miroslav Klose (Germany)
Miroslav Klose scored 16 goals across four World Cups and surpassed Ronaldo to the top at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. AFP
Matches: 24Goals: 16
Playing in four editions of the World Cup (2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014), Miroslav Klose sits atop the FIFA World Cup all-time top goal-scorer list with 16 goals. Known to be a dependable goal poacher, the German scored his last goal in the World Cup at the age of 36 as Klose didn’t just surpass Ronaldo on the all-time list but Germany also went on to lift the World Cup with Germany memorably defeating Brazil 7-1 in the semifinal followed by 1-0 win over Argentina.
Klose’s first goal at the World Cup dates back to 2002, when he scored a hat-trick in Germany’s 8-0 rout of Saudi Arabia. Germany eventually finished runners-up at the event with the striker finishing second in the Golden Boot race.
Klose returned to the World Cup in 2006 in front of the home fans and scored further five times as the side finished third. 2010 in South Africa was a further success for the striker individually as he scored four goals to finish as the joint-top scorer.
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