Who has scored the most goals in international football? Lionel Messi chasing Cristiano Ronaldo's all-time record

Cristiano Ronaldo might be playing in Saudi Arabia these days, but he’s still racking up records in Portuguese colours.

The 38-year-old holds the record for most international appearances in the history of men’s football after playing his 200th game for Portugal in June 2023. He doesn’t only hold the record for the most games played for a male player, but he also has the most international goals of all-time, as part of his enduring pursuit of titles and records.

Argentina and Inter Miami star Lionel Messi – who is three years younger – can still catch Ronaldo for both records, if he plays on through to the 2026 World Cup.

The Sporting News is regularly updating the rankings for most international goals in the history of men’s football below.

MORE: Where is FIFA World Cup 2026? Host countries, cities for next men’s tournament

Who has scored the most goals in men’s international football?

Ronaldo holds the record for the most goals scored in men’s international football. The Al Nassr and Portugal striker has 127 goals in 203 senior appearances for his country.

Ronaldo broke the long-standing goal record held by Iran’s Ali Daei when he scored twice against the Republic of Ireland back in September 2021.

Those two were later joined by Messi, as the only three men’s players to reach a century of international goals, with Messi hitting the mark after a hat-trick against Curacao on March 28, with his current tally at 104 after his goal for Argentina against Ecuador on September 8.

Most international goals: Men’s all-time top 10

Table below is updated as of October 17, 2023.

*Denotes active player

Player
Country
Goals
Caps
Years active
1.
Cristiano Ronaldo*
Portugal
127
203
2003 —
2.
Ali Daei
Iran
109
148
1993-2006
3.
Lionel Messi*
Argentina
104
177
2005 —
4.
Sunil Chhetri*
India
93
143
2005 —
5.
Mokhtar Dahari
Malaysia
89
142
1972-1985
6.
Ferenc Puskas
Hungary
84
89
1945-1956
7.
Ali Mabkhout*
UAE
81
109
2009 —
8.
Godfrey Chitalu
Zambia
79
111
1968-1980
=
Robert Lewandowski
Poland
79
142
2008 —
10.
Hussein Saeed
Iraq
78
137
1976-1990

Who has scored the most goals in women’s international football?

Even if Ronaldo and Messi continue to play well into their 40s, it is almost impossible for them to catch the goal tallies of the leading women’s international goalscorers.

The top-scoring player in women’s international football — and, indeed, overall — is Canada’s Christine Sinclair, who has managed a staggering 190 goals in 326 appearances in 23 years.

She is six goals ahead of USWNT great Abby Wambach, who retired in 2015. The top 10 is dominated by USA stars, who make up half of the list, although all but Alex Morgan have retired.

MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo goal scoring record: List of all-time top scorers

Most international goals: Women’s all-time top 10

Table below is updated as of October 17, 2023.

*Denotes active player

Player
Country
Goals
Caps
Years active
1.
Christine Sinclair
Canada
190
322
2000-2023
2.
Abby Wambach
USA
184
256
2001-2015
3.
Maysa Jbarah
Jordan
133
129
2005-2023
4.
Mia Hamm
USA
158
275
1987-2004
4.
Carli Lloyd
USA
134
316
2005-2021
5.
Kristine Lilly
USA
130
352
1987-2010
6.
Birgit Prinz
Germany
128
214
1994-2011
7.
Alex Morgan*
USA
121
213
2010 —
8.
Julie Fleeting
Scotland
116
121
1996-2011
9.
Marta
Brazil
115
175
2002-2023
10.
Patricia Panico
Italy
110
196
1996-2014