Top 5 most legendary goal scorers in football history

People who love football often wonder, who has scored the most real goals in history? We are talking about official goals here. These are the ones scored in club matches and for national teams.

No practice goals. No friendly games. Just the ones that count. From old-time stars like Josef Bican to big names like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the list has a mix of legends. Some of these players have retired. Some are still playing and scoring. Let’s see how many goals each player has.

Romario – 756 goals in a long career

Romario is a legend from Brazil. He scored 756 goals in matches that count. He played for clubs like PSV, Barcelona, and Flamengo.

He also played for Brazil. He retired in 2007 after a career full of goals.

Pele – 762 goals by the King of Football

Official goals of Pele totaled 762. He played for Brazil, New York Cosmos and Santos FC. Many people consider him the greatest football player of all time. Though December 2022 saw Pelé pass away, admirers still recall his amazing goals.

Lionel Messi – 866 goals and still going strong

Lionel Messi has scored a total of 866 goals so far. He now plays for Inter Miami CF in the United States. He scored for Barcelona, proceeded to score at Paris Saint-Germain, and scored at the international level for Argentina.

In June 2025, he scored a brace in the Copa América in New Jersey.

Cristiano Ronaldo – 938 goals and the top scorer ever

The most goals a player in football history, 938 total goals, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored. He now represents Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr FC. His objectives come from his years at Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, and Portugal. Cristiano said,“1080 goals is great, but if it doesn’t come, I’m already the player in history with the most goals.”

Josef Bican – 722 goals in the early years

With 722 goals in all formal tournaments, Josef Bican gets credit. For Slavia Prague, Austria, and Czechoslovakia, he played back in the 1930s to 1950s—more long ago. FIFA afterward confirmed his goals; he remains among the top goal scorers ever.

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