The 2022 Qatar World Cup is getting ever closer but who are the top goalscorers in the tournament’s history? Pele? One of the Ronaldos? What about a Muller?
Who knows, perhaps Miroslav Klose, Ronaldo and co will tumble down the pecking order come December. Thomas Muller is just one fantastic tournament away from securing his place in the record books after all…
Who are the top World Cup goalscorers in history?
Miroslav Klose, Germany – 16 goals
Good for club, great for country. Formerly of Bayern Munich, Lazio and Werder Bremen, Klose is certainly best remembered for his penalty-box poachery in the iconic white-and-black kit of Germany.
A World Cup runner-up in 2002 and Golden Boot winner in 2006, Klose finally got his mitts on the biggest prize of all in 2014. He lifted football’s most famous and least aesthetically pleasing trophy into the Brazilian night sky after succeeding Ronaldo as the most prolific goalscorer in the tournament’s history.
Ronaldo, Brazil – 15 goals
Fenômeno by name, phenomenon by nature. The original Ronaldo took the world by storm in 1998 but, after a mysterious incident ruined his preparations for Brazil’s final defeat to France in Paris, he more than made up for lost time in South Korea and Japan four years later.
The less said about that haircut, however, the better.
Gerd Muller, West Germany – 14 goals
Scorer of a remarkable 68 goals in 61 caps, Muller can certainly lay claim to being the most feared international centre-forward ever seen in European football.
The Bayern Munich legend fired West Germany to glory in 1974 but sadly passed away in August 2021 at the age of 75.
Just Fontaine, France – 13 goals
Fontaine might not be the most prolific player in World Cup history but he does hold the record for the most goals scored in a single World Cup – 13, yes, thirteen, in 1958.
Remarkably, that was only good enough for France to finish third.
Pele, Brazil – 12 goals
You knew his name would appear in this list somewhere, didn’t you? Still the all-time top scorer in the history of the Brazilian national team – although Neymar is closing in – Pele scored twice as Brazil beat Sweden in the 1958 final when he was just 17 years old.
More recently the legend has been seen acting as a part-time sandwich maker, among other activities.
Sandor Kocsis, Hungary – 11 goals
Once upon a time, Hungary were the most revolutionary side in European football. And Kocsis was the spearhead of a truly legendary crop of players.
He fired Hungary to the World Cup final in 1954. They’ve not been past the quarter-finals since.
Jurgen Klinsmann, West Germany/Germany – 11 goals
A star for Germany both pre and post Berlin Wall, the Tottenham Hotspur legend became a world champion in 1990 and then conquered the continent six years later as Die Nationalmannschaft broke English hearts at Wembley.
10 goals
Helmut Rahn – West Germany
Gary Lineker – England
Gabriel Batistuta – Argentina
Teofilo Cubillas – Peru
Thomas Muller – Germany
Grzegorz Lato – Poland
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