The IFFHS World's Best Top Goal Scorer is a football award given annually since 2020,[1] and retroactively for the years 2011 to 2019,[2] to the world's top goalscorer in the calendar year. The award is given by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS).
All international goals and all competitive goals for clubs playing in their country's top level division scored from 1 January to 31 December are taken into consideration.
Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record for most wins (5) while Lionel Messi holds the record for most goals in a calendar year (91 in 2012). Robert Lewandowski won the award with the fewest goals (47 in 2020).
Ronaldo (5), Messi (2) and Lewandowski (2) are the only players who have won the award more than once.
Ronaldo (Real Madrid & Al Nassr) is the only player to win the award with multiple clubs. Meanwhile, Al Nassr is the only club with multiple winners (Abderrazak Hamdallah in 2019 & Ronaldo in 2023).
In 2021, the IFFHS awarded the World's Best Goal Scorer of the first and second decade of the 21st century, considering the years 2001 to 2010 and 2011 to 2020.[3][4]
Men's winners
List of winners
Statistics
| Player | Wins | Years |
|---|---|---|
 Cristiano Ronaldo
|
5 | 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2023 |
 Lionel Messi
|
2 | 2012, 2016 |
 Robert Lewandowski
|
2020, 2021 | |
 Harry Kane
|
1 | 2017 |
 Baghdad Bounedjah
|
2018 | |
 Abderrazak Hamdallah
|
2019 | |
 Kylian Mbappé
|
2022 | |
 Viktor Gyökeres
|
2024 |
| Rank | Player | Year | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lionel Messi
|
2012 | 91 |
| 2 | Cristiano Ronaldo
|
2013 | 69 |
| Robert Lewandowski
|
2021 | ||
| 4 | Cristiano Ronaldo
|
2012 | 63 |
| 5 | Viktor Gyökeres
|
2024 | 62 |
| 6 | Cristiano Ronaldo
|
2014 | 61 |
| 7 | Cristiano Ronaldo
|
2011 | 60 |
| 8 | Lionel Messi
|
2011 | 59 |
| 9 |  Ali Ashfaq
|
2013 | 58 |
| Lionel Messi
|
2014 | ||
| Lionel Messi
|
2016 | ||
| Baghdad Bounedjah
|
2018 |
| Club | Total | Players |
|---|---|---|
 Real Madrid
|
4 | 1 |
 Al Nassr
|
2 | 2 |
| Barcelona
|
2 | 1 |
 Bayern Munich
|
2 | 1 |
 Al Sadd
|
1 | 1 |
| Paris Saint-Germain
|
1 | 1 |
| Tottenham Hotspur
|
1 | 1 |
| Sporting CP
|
1 | 1 |
| Nationality | Total | Players |
|---|---|---|
| Portugal
|
5 | 1 |
| Argentina
|
2 | 1 |
| Poland
|
2 | 1 |
| Algeria
|
1 | 1 |
| England
|
1 | 1 |
| France
|
1 | 1 |
| Morocco
|
1 | 1 |
| Sweden
|
1 | 1 |
The World's Best Top Goal Scorer of the First Decade (2001–2010)
The final list includes the 32 players who scored 200 or more goals in top-tier national leagues, national cups, continental and international competitions with both club and national teams in the period of time from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2010.
| Rank | Player | Nation | Club(s) | Goals for country | Goals for club(s) | Total goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aleksandar Đurić |  Singapore
|
Geylang United Singapore Armed Forces Tampines Rovers
|
16 | 311 | 327 |
| 2 | Washington |  Brazil
|
Ponte Preta Fenerbahçe Athletico Paranaense Tokyo Verdy Urawa Red Diamonds Fluminense São Paulo
|
2 | 281 | 283 |
| 3 | Thierry Henry | France
|
Arsenal Barcelona New York Red Bulls
|
43 | 238 | 281 |
| 4 | Ruud van Nistelrooy |  Netherlands
|
PSV Eindhoven Manchester United Real Madrid Hamburger SV
|
33 | 242 | 275 |
| 5 | Samuel Eto'o |  Cameroon
|
Mallorca Barcelona Inter Milan
|
44 | 227 | 271 |
| 6 | Marc Lloyd Williams |  Wales
|
Bangor City Southport Aberystwyth Town Total Network Solution Rhyl Newtown Porthmadog Airbus UK Broughton
|
0 | 271 | 271 |
The World's Best Top Goal Scorer of the Second Decade (2011–2020)
The final list includes the 41 players who scored 200 or more goals in top-tier national leagues, national cups, continental and international competitions with both club and national teams in the period of time from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2020.
The results were posted on the IFFHS' official website on 4 January 2021.[3]
The World's Best Top Goal Scorer of the Third Decade (2021–2030)
The provisional results were posted on the IFFHS' official website on 7 January 2025.[9]
| Rank | Player | Nation | Club(s) | Goals for country | Goals for club(s) | Total goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kylian Mbappé | France
|
Paris Saint-Germain Real Madrid
|
32 | 166 | 198 |
| 2 | Erling Haaland |  Norway
|
Borussia Dortmund Manchester City
|
32 | 162 | 194 |
| 3 | Robert Lewandowski | Poland
|
Bayern Munich Barcelona
|
21 | 160 | 181 |
| 4 | Harry Kane | England
|
Tottenham Hotspur Bayern Munich
|
37 | 140 | 177 |
| 5 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal
|
Juventus Manchester United Al Nassr
|
33 | 127 | 160 |
All-time World's Best Goal Scorer ranking
- As of 2 November 2024[10][11]
- Bold indicates players currently active.
- * indicates player has scored at least 500 goals for a single club.[12]
| Rank | Player | League | Cup | Continental | Country & other | Total | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo
|
556 | 56 | 168 | 135 | 915 | 2002–present |
| 2 | Lionel Messi*
|
517 | 71 | 149 | 112 | 849 | 2004–present |
| 3 | Pelé*
|
604 | 49 | 26 | 83 | 762 | 1957–1977 |
| 4 | Romário
|
545 | 93 | 54 | 64 | 756 | 1985–2007 |
| 5 |  Ferenc Puskás
|
516 | 69 | 56 | 84 | 725 | 1943–1966 |
| 6 |   Josef Bican*
|
515 | 137 | 38 | 32 | 722 | 1931–1955 |
| 7 | Robert Lewandowski
|
400 | 57 | 107 | 84 | 648 | 2008–present |
| 8 |  Jimmy Jones*
|
330 | 286 | 14 | 9 | 648 | 1947–1964 |
| 9 | Gerd Müller*
|
405 | 92 | 69 | 68 | 634 | 1964–1981 |
| 10 |  Joe Bambrick*
|
347 | 253 | 5 | 21 | 626 | 1926–1943 |
| 11 | Abe Lenstra
|
573 | 18 | 0 | 33 | 624 | 1936–1963 |
| 12 |  Luis Suárez
|
409 | 48 | 57 | 69 | 583 | 2005–present |
| 13 | Eusébio
|
381 | 97 | 59 | 41 | 578 | 1960–1978 |
| 14 | Glenn Ferguson
|
313 | 241 | 9 | 0 | 563 | 1987–2011 |
| 15 | Zlatan Ibrahimović
|
394 | 48 | 57 | 62 | 561 | 1999–2023 |
| 16 | Imre Schlosser
|
413 | 68 | 13 | 59 | 553 | 1906–1928 |
| 17 | Fernando Peyroteo*
|
464 | 72 | 3 | 14 | 553 | 1937–1949 |
| 18 | Uwe Seeler*
|
447 | 41 | 21 | 43 | 552 | 1954–1978 |
| 19 |  Jimmy McGrory*
|
407 | 131 | 0 | 12 | 550 | 1923–1937 |
| 20 |  Alfredo Di Stéfano
|
378 | 54 | 76 | 29 | 537 | 1945–1966 |
| 21 | György Sárosi
|
350 | 35 | 103 | 42 | 530 | 1931–1948 |
| 22 | Roberto Dinamite
|
476 | 10 | 5 | 22 | 513 | 1971–1992 |
| 23 |  Hugo Sánchez
|
390 | 49 | 38 | 30 | 507 | 1976–1997 |
| 24 | Franz Binder
|
297 | 93 | 87 | 26 | 503 | 1930–1949 |
| 25 | Zico
|
410 | 27 | 16 | 48 | 501 | 1971–1994 |
Women's winners
List of winners
| Year | Rank | Player | Club(s) | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1st | Jennifer Hermoso[13]
|
Barcelona
|
48 |
| 2nd | Lea Schüller
|
Bayern Munich
|
47 | |
| 3rd | Alexia Putellas
|
Barcelona
|
43 | |
| 2022 | 1st | Fenna Kalma[14]
|
Twente
|
45 |
| 2nd |  Sam Kerr
|
Chelsea
|
38 | |
| 3rd |  Tessa Wullaert
|
Anderlecht Fortuna Sittard
|
38 | |
| 2023 | 1st |  Temwa Chawinga[15]
|
 Wuhan Jiangda
|
63 |
| 2nd | Charlyn Corral
|
Pachuca
|
39 | |
| 3rd | Kiana Palacios
|
América
|
38 | |
| 2024 | 1st | Charlyn Corral[16]
|
Pachuca
|
44 |
| 2nd | Caroline Graham Hansen
|
Barcelona
|
36 | |
| 3rd | Ewa Pajor
|
Wolfsburg Barcelona
|
35 | |
Statistics
| Player | Wins | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Jennifer Hermoso
|
1 | 2021 |
| Fenna Kalma
|
1 | 2022 |
| Temwa Chawinga
|
1 | 2023 |
| Charlyn Corral
|
1 | 2024 |
| Rank | Player | Year | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Temwa Chawinga
|
2023 | 63 |
| 2 | Jennifer Hermoso
|
2021 | 48 |
| 3 | Lea Schüller
|
2021 | 47 |
| 4 | Fenna Kalma
|
2022 | 45 |
| 5 | Charlyn Corral
|
2024 | 44 |
| 6 | Alexia Putellas
|
2021 | 43 |
| 7 | Charlyn Corral
|
2023 | 39 |
| 8 | Sam Kerr
|
2022 | 38 |
| Tessa Wullaert
|
2022 |
| Club | Total | Players |
|---|---|---|
| Barcelona
|
1 | 1 |
| Twente
|
1 | 1 |
| Wuhan Jiangda
|
1 | 1 |
| Pachuca
|
1 | 1 |
| Nationality | Total | Players |
|---|---|---|
| Malawi
|
1 | 1 |
| Netherlands
|
1 | 1 |
| Spain
|
1 | 1 |
| Mexico
|
1 | 1 |
See also
- International Federation of Football History & Statistics
- IFFHS World's Best Club
- IFFHS World's Best Player
- IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper
- IFFHS World's Best International Goal Scorer
- IFFHS World Team
- IFFHS World's Best Club Coach
- IFFHS World's Best National Coach
Notes
- ^ In regards to Neymar's statistics during his spell at Santos (2011–2013), the IFFHS chose to consider the Campeonato Paulista (the top-flight league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, of which Santos is a municipality) as a national league. As a result, the official stats for Neymar include goals scored in two different Brazilian leagues: the Campeonato Paulista and the Brasileirão.
- ^ As the statistics are calculated starting from 1 January 2011, two goals from Aubameyang's loan spell at Monaco (from Milan) in the first half of the 2010–11 season are left out of the total amount. The Gabonese striker joined Saint-Étienne in January 2011 on another loan, and eventually signed for the French team on a permanent deal the following December.
- ^ Lukaku was registered for Chelsea between 2011 and 2014, but he never scored during his first season with the club and was loaned, respectively, to West Bromwich Albion and Everton (which eventually signed him permanently) during the following couple of years.
- ^ 14 goals scored during 2011 and 2013 are not counted, as Kane was playing in lower divisions (for Leyton Orient, Millwall and Leicester City); he additionally never scored during his time in the Premier League with Norwich City. For this reason, while his first goal in a continental competition traces back to 15 December 2011 (in a 4–0 away win against Shamrock Rovers in the UEFA Europa League group stage), he scored his first goals with a top-tier club, Tottenham Hotspur, on 30 October 2013 (in the League Cup) and on 7 April 2014 (in the Premier League).
- ^ Saucedo's spell at Colombian club Independiente Medellín in 2011 wasn't considered, as the Bolivian striker never scored during that time.
- ^ The goals scored by Soriano for Barcelona B in 2011 are not counted, as the team was competing in the Spanish second tier. For the same reason, his one goal scored for Girona in the 2019–20 season is left out of the total amount.
- ^ On 24 December 2020, Dost joined Club Brugge on a permanent basis, but his first goal for the Belgian team is not counted, as it was scored on 10 January 2021, ten days after the limit date set for the counting (31 December 2020).
- ^ In 2016, Gormley played for Scottish Premiership team St Johnstone (on loan from English League One side Peterborough United), but never scored a goal during that spell.
References
- ^ "IFFHS AWARDS 2020 - ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE WINNERS ON DECEMBER 5, 2020". IFFHS. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "IFFHS WORLD'S BEST TOP GOAL SCORERS 2011 TO 2020". IFFHS. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ^ a b "IFFHS WORLD'S BEST TOP GOAL SCORER OF THE DECADE 2011-2020 - CRISTIANO RONALDO". IFFHS. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ^ "IFFHS ranking for goal-scorers of 1st Decade XXI". IFFHS. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
- ^ "IFFHS MEN'S WORLD BEST TOP GOALSCORER 2021". IFFHS. 1 January 2022. Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ "IFFHS AWARDS 2022 - MEN'S WORLD BEST GOAL SCORER". IFFHS. 3 January 2023. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
- ^ "IFFHS MEN'S WORLD BEST GOAL SCORER 2023". IFFHS. 1 January 2024. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- ^ "IFFHS AWARDS 2024 - VIKTOR GYOKERES, MEN'S WORLD BEST GOALSCORER 2024". IFFHS. 4 January 2025. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
- ^ "THE GOALSCORER RANKING OF 3RD DECADE XXI CENTURY". IFFHS. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
- ^ "IFFHS Statistics - All time goal scorer ranking". International Federation of Football History & Statistics. 20 October 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
- ^ "THE WORLD'S BEST GOALSCORER OF XXI CENTURY". International Federation of Football History & Statistics. 7 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
- ^ "Dollars, droughts and a half-millennium". FIFA. 28 April 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
- ^ "IFFHS WOMEN'S WORLD BEST TOP GOALSCORER 2021". IFFHS. 31 December 2021. Archived from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ "IFFHS AWARDS 2022 - WOMEN'S WORLD BEST GOAL SCORER". IFFHS. 3 January 2023. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
- ^ "IFFHS WOMEN'S WORLD BEST GOAL SCORER 2023". IFFHS. 1 January 2024. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- ^ "IFFHS AWARDS 2024 - CHARLYN CORRAL, WOMEN'S WORLD BEST GOAL SCORER 2024". IFFHS. 4 January 2025. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
Men's winners
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