Who are the all-time top goalscorers at the World Cup? Full list
Discover who are the most prolific goalscorers in FIFA World Cup history, how many goals they scored, and which national teams they represented.
Miroslav Klose, Germany - 16 goals
Miroslav Josef Klose is the top scorer in the history of the FIFA World Cup, with 16 goals in 24 appearances across four editions from 2002 to 2014.
The polish-born German football player is also the national team’s top scorer, with 71 goals in 137 games between 2001 and 2014. He started his incredible World Cup tally by scoring a triple header hat-trick in his debut against UAE during the 2002 South Korea and Japan tournament.
During the 2006 World Cup, in his home country Germany, Klose again managed five goals - a haul that saw him win the Golden Boot (award for tournament top scorer).
His last two goals came in the semi-final of the 2014 World Cup against the host nation Brazil, his double coming as part of an emphatic 7-1 win for Germany. He would end his World Cup career by winning the trophy and making the perfect ending.
Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima, Brazil - 15 goals
Ronaldo is a retired Brazilian football player who went to four World Cups (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006) and won the tournament twice, scoring 15 goals in 19 appearances. Winner of three World Player of the Year awards (1996–97 and 2002). Undeniably his most memorable World Cup performance came in 2002 in Korea and Japan, where he scored eight goals - including a match-winning double in the final against Germany.
At the 2006 World Cup in Germany, he scored three goals to bring his career total to a record-setting 15 (later broken in 2014 by Germany’s Miroslav Klose).
Gerd Muller, Germany - 14 goals
The legendary striker is third on the list of the highest scorers with 14 goals in 13 matches. Muller won the Golden Boot award in his first World Cup in Mexico in 1970 and helped his national team lift the trophy four years later in 1974.
Known by fans as ‘Der Bomber,’ Muller hit 68 goals in 62 appearances for Germany, including the winner in the 1974 World Cup final.
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Just Fontaine, France - 13 goals
The former French professional player is famous for his performance in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, scoring 13 goals in six games. This remains the highest number of goals ever scored by one player at a single World Cup tournament.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento Pele, Brazil - 12 goals
Pele debuted at the 1958 World Cup at age 17, and his exceptional exhibitions outweighed Fontaine’s remarkable goal-scoring run at that tournament. Pele scored six goals at his first World Cup and helped his nation win the 1958, 1962, and 1970 tournaments, with the South American giants only failing to clinch the trophy in England in 1966.
The legendary striker, also known as one of the best goalscorers ever, bagged 12 goals in 14 World Cup matches.