Who Has Scored The Most Goals In The History of The World Cup?
After scoring four goals against San Marino, Harry Kane will be looking at North America 2026 and hoping that he can etch his name in the history books when the tournament comes around.
He already has six World Cup goals, which he claimed in Russia in 2018. That number is good, but it a long way off the most any player has scored in the tournament.
Here are a list of the players who have scored the most goals in World Cup history.
5. Pelé
Brazilian legend, Pelé, has the fifth most goals in the history of the tournament, putting away 12 at four different World Cups, ranging from 1958 to 1970. He wasn’t just a goalscorer either, providing 10 assists in the four World Cups he appeared at. Pele also won four world cup final with Brazil.
He is also just one of four players to score at four different World Cups. He shares that accolade with Uwe Seeler, Miroslav Klose and Cristiano Ronaldo.
4. Just Fontaine
Fontaine is the only player on this list whose goals only come from just one World Cup. Amazingly, in just six games at the 1958 tournament, Fontaine scored 13 goals for France.
That tally includes four goals against defending champions, West Germany. Unfortunately, the player had to retire at 28 after a recurring injury.
3. Gerd Müller
Gerd Müller was an outstanding player, which was reflected in the fourteen goals he scored for West Germany over two World Cups in 1970 and 1974. It wasn’t just that tournament where he excelled, scoring 68 goals in just 62 games for his national side.
Müller passed away earlier this year and he will always be remembered as one of the greatest players to ever kick a football.
2. Ronaldo
Ronaldo went to four World Cups, but he only played at three. During those three tournaments, he scored 19 goals. During Brazil’s successful 2002 World Cup campaign, Ronaldo scored against every opponent in the tournament except in the quarter-finals against England.
He will go down as one of Brazil’s greatest ever goalscorers. Considering the players that that country produced, that is a serious feat.
1. Miroslav Klose
Klose isn’t the best player on this list, but he is far and away the top goalscorer at World Cups. The German managed to put away an astonishing 16 goals over four World Cups.
In 2002, he scored five headed goals at the tournament. In 2006, he collected the Golden Boot with five goals. In 2010, he added four more goals. He put away two more in 2014, as Germany went all the way.
It is truly an outstanding record and one which will be hard to beat. He also holds the record of the only player to play in four consecutive World Cup semi-finals.
