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A plethora of prolific goalscorers have graced the game since the turn of the century, scoring goals and winning trophies galore for club and country.
Most of these players are potent goal threats in the attacking third. In other words, when they are not scoring goals, they often conjure goalscoring opportunities aplenty for teammates. Moreover, their versatility upfront makes them indispensable for club and country.
So without further ado, let's have a look at the ten most prolific goalscorers, some of whom are still active, since the turn of the century.
NOTE: All stats are as per transfermarkt.com unless mentioned otherwise.
#10 David Villa - 386
Despite his diminutive stature, David Villa was one of the standout strikers in the game.
In a decorated career with both club and country, the 39-year-old won three league titles, one Champions League, one European Championship and the FIFA World Cup.
Villa, who had a fruitful stint with La Liga giants Barcelona, top scored for Spain in their triumphant campaign at Euro 2008 and is his country's all-time top scorer with 59 goals in nearly 100 appearances.
David Villa enjoyed his most productive spell with Valencia, netting 125 goals before retiring from the game in 2019 while playing for Japan's Vitesse Kobe.
#9 Samuel Eto'o - 408
Samuel Eto'o is arguably the best African player of all time. played for a plethora of clubs but had his most productive spell at Barcelona.
After failing to break into the Real Madrid first team, Eto'o first made his name as a prolific goalscorer at Valencia before hitting dizzying heights at Barcelona. He was the only player to win successive continental trebles. Eto'o achieved the feat with Blaugrana in 2008-09 before repeating the feat a season later with Inter Milan.
In addition to his exploits in club football, Eto'o was also a standout performer in international football, scoring a record 59 goals for Cameroon.
#8 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar - 408
Like Eto'o, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar has also scored 408 goals for club and country since the turn of the century. But the Dutchman is ranked higher on the list because he scored his goals in 67 fewer games than Eto'o (805).
The 37-year-old has played in four different leagues but enjoyed his most prolific stint with Ajax, scoring 158 goals. The three-time Dutch League winner was the top scorer for Schalke 04 in the 2011-12 Bundesliga with 29 goals.
Earlier this year, Huntelaar joined a handful of active players to score 400 goals for club and country.
The Dutchman has also been a prolific scorer for the Netherlands, scoring 42 goals, with arguably his most important strike coming in Oranje's Round-of-16 win over Mexico at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, where Huntelaar struck the winner.
#7 Edinson Cavani - 409
Edinson Cavani has been a prolific scorer in both club and international football. After making his name at Palermo, Cavani excelled for Napoli before becoming the all-time top scorer for French giants PSG.
The Uruguayan arrived in the Premier League last season and registered a decent tally of 17 goals in all competitions to help Manchester United finish second in the league and reach the Europa League final. Cavani recently notched up his 400th goal for club and country.
One of only two Uruguay players to score 50 goals, Cavani (52) has also been a standout performer in international football.
#6 Sergio Aguero - 419
Sergio Aguero has been a goalscorer par excellence. After making his name at Atletico Madrid, Aguero arrived in the Premier League in the summer of 2011 and broke a plethora of scoring records.
During a prolific decade-long stint with Manchester City, the Argentine scored an impressive tally of 260 goals, with 184 of them coming in the Premier League. Aguero's injury-time winner to seal the 2012 league title for City is part of the English club's folklore.
Although injuries towards the latter part of his stint meant Aguero endured diminished goal returns, the Argentine scored a dramatic brace on the final day of the season to move to fourth in the Premier League's all-time goalscoring charts.
The five-time Premier League champion, who joined Barcelona this summer on a free transfer, has also excelled for Argentina. He has scored 41 times for Albiceleste, with his latest strike coming in their triumphant campaign at Copa America 2021, which snapped a near three-decade-long title drought.
#5 Luis Suarez - 503
Although transfermarkt has Luis Suarez's goal tally for club and country as 486, the player's recent Twitter post mentioned that he scored his 500th goal earlier this year in March. That is because there is ambiguity over how many goals he scored for Nacional at the start of his career.
Nevertheless, there is no denying that Suarez has been a prolific goalscorer for club and country. After bursting onto the scene at Ajax, Suarez announced himself as a force to be reckoned with in the Premier League.
Following a successful stint in the English top flight, Suarez arrived at Barcelona, where he soared even higher, scoring close to 200 goals in six seasons and helping Blaugrana win a second continental treble and multiple league titles.
After seeing an abrupt end to his Barcelona stint last summer, Suarez continued his goalscoring exploits with Atletico Madrid, helping the Rojiblancos win their first league title in seven years.
With 62 goals, Suarez is Uruguay's all-time top scorer, but the striker drew a blank at the Copa America 2021.
#4 Robert Lewandowski - 528
Robert Lewandowski is arguably the hottest goalscorer in the game at the moment.
Bayern Munich's prolific Pole is a mean goalscoring machine, scoring a record 41 times to break Gerd Muller's near 50-year-old record for most goals in a Bundesliga campaign. Lewandowski has scored a staggering 294 goals in only 329 appearances in all games for the record Bundesliga champions.
During a record-breaking 2020-21 campaign, Lewandowski netted his 500th goal for club and country.
The former Lech Poznan and Borussia Dortmund striker has also scored goals galore for Poland, netting 69 times in 122 games. He scored thrice at Euro 2020, but couldn't avert a disappointing group-stage exit for his country at the tournament.
#3 Zlatan Ibrahimovic - 546
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is still going strong despite starting his career in the summer of 2001.
After an eventful two-decade-long career that has seen him play in six different countries, winning league titles in four of them, Ibrahimovic has racked up close to 550 goals for club and country. Earlier this year, the 39-year-old Swede notched up the 500th goal of his illustrious club career.
Ibrahimovic has won a stunning tally of 32 titles in five different countries, with his most recent coming for Manchester United four years ago. He came close to winning Serie A with AC Milan last season, but narrowly fell short.
Ibrahimovic, who has scored a record 62 goals for Sweden, came out of retirement this year but missed Euro 2020 because of an injury.
#2 Lionel Messi - 748
One of the last vestiges of a true one-club man, Lionel Messi has been a standout performer for club and country.
Currently a free agent, Messi is likely to sign a contract extension with Barcelona, with whom he has played his entire club career, scoring a record 672 goals in all competitions. The Argentine, the first player to win six Ballon d'Or awards, has won two continental trebles and ten league titles for the Blaugrana.
Messi scored his 700th career goal last year and was one of Barcelona's rare bright sparks in an otherwise dismal campaign, as Blaugrana endured a first trophyless season in more than a decade.
Messi has also shone for Argentina, scoring a record 76 goals, four of them coming at Copa America 2021, where Albiceleste won a record-equalling 15th Copa title to end a 28-year trophy drought.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo - 781
Along with Messi, Ronaldo is arguably one of the best players to have graced the beautiful game.
During a record-breaking career for both club and international football, the 36-year-old has scored goals and won trophies and accolades galore. To name a few, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner is the all-time top-scorer for Real Madrid, Portugal and in the Champions League.
Ronaldo notched up his 750th career goal late last year and has won league titles in three different countries. Currently plying his trade at Juventus, the Portuguese has already notched up a century of goals, becoming the first to do so in just three seasons at the club.
Ronaldo is also the joint-most prolific goalscorer in international football, going level with Iran's Ali Daei (109) at Euro 2020, where holders Portugal endured a disappointing Round-of-16 exit.
