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#4 Romario (753 goals)
Romario is part of the quartet who have scored over 750 official goals. The Brazilian marksman seldom features in the conversation of Brazil’s greatest footballers. However, his goal tally speaks for himself. Romario is one of just three players on the list who have played or are playing in the 21st century.
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He was the main protagonist in Brazil’s 1994 FIFA World Cup triumph and was awarded the FIFA World Player of the Year for his contributions. The footballer-turned-politician scored 55 goals in 70 appearances for Brazil, including a whopping 19 goals in 1997.
#3 Lionel Messi (756 goals)
Lionel Messi is arguably the best player of all time. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner is a brilliant passer, slick dribbler, and, most importantly, a great finisher. Messi has scored 756 goals so far and should at least end up in second place by the time he calls it a day in his playing career.
Messi recently went past Romario’s 753 goals and shows no signs of slowing down, despite being in his mid-30s. Messi holds several impressive goalscoring records, the most significant being “most goals in a calendar year (91)”.
The Argentine magician is the top scorer for Barcelona, La Liga, and Argentina. Messi stands out among his peers because he scores beautiful goals, which involve beating players and/or scoring long-range finesse goals. No player has scored more goals for a single club than Messi has scored for Barcelona.
#2 Pele (765 goals)
A few sources state that Pele has broken the four-digit barrier when it comes to scoring goals. However, the three-time World Cup winner has scored 765 goals according to IFFHS, which is why he ranks second on this list. Pele is highly regarded as one of the best players of all time, and along with Maradona, is the best player of the 20th century.
Pele was a serial goal scorer for both club and country. The Santos stalwart scored 643 goals during a nearly two-decade-long stay at the Brazilian club. He is also Brazil's top scorer with 77 goals in 92 matches. That record, however, could soon be broken by Neymar. Pele’s goal tally for Santos can only be trumped by Messi's numbers for Barcelona when it comes to scoring for a single club.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo (801 goals)
Cristiano Ronaldo is the top scorer in football history when it comes to official top-level goals. Ronaldo overtook Pele a while ago and could easily reach the 900-goal mark given his fitness levels and poaching ability.
Ronaldo scored his 800th career goal against Arsenal a few days ago and added another goal under his belt when he scored the winner. The Manchester United forward is the highest goal scorer in UEFA Champions League, in international football, for Portugal and Real Madrid.
The charismatic Portuguese is an all-round striker who can score with both his feet and with his head. He has won five Ballon d’Ors and four European Golden Boot awards. Although Messi is two years younger than him, it is unlikely Ronaldo will let his long-standing rival overtake him.
