International football can be a strange beast, depending on who a player is representing on the world stage. However, some players’ true quality shines through on the international stage, and they are prolific in front of goal.
Eighty-two players have achieved half a century of international goals for their national side. However, who are the highest-scoring men’s players of all time?
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, scored 135 goals in 217 appearances)
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United star is undoubtedly one of the best players to have graced a football field. Famed for his hard work and quest for perfectionism, no international player has scored more goals than the veteran forward.
His record of 135 international goals in 217 appearances for Portugal is a highly impressive one. He started his international career in 2003 and, at the time of writing, is still representing his country on the world stage.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner helped Portugal to the European Championship crown in 2016. Four years later, Ronaldo won the European Championship Golden Boot.
Since opening his goalscoring account for the Selecao in 2004, he has scored at least one goal for his national team in 20 of the last 21 calendar years.
Lionel Messi (Argentina, scored 112 goals in 191 appearances)
The diminutive Argentinian international is regarded by many as the best player ever to grace a football pitch. Only his long-term rival Ronaldo has scored more goals on the international stage than the former Barcelona legend.
Since making his international debut in 2005, Messi has scored 112 goals in 191 appearances for the Albiceleste. He scored his first goal for the South American giants in 2006, and like Ronaldo, he has only failed to score for his national team in one year since scoring his first goal.
Messi’s goals have helped Argentina to win the World Cup in 2022 and the Copa America in 2021 and 2024. The forward’s efforts have also seen him pick up the World Cup Golden Boot on two occasions, in 2014 and 2024. He also won the Copa America Golden Ball in 2015 and 2021, as well as the Golden Boot in the latter.
Ali Daei (Iran, scored 108 goals in 148 appearances)
While the former Bayern Munich player may not be as high-profile as some of his contemporaries on our list, Daei was the first player ever to hit a century of goals in international football.
His goalscoring record of 108 goals in 148 appearances for the Persian Gulf nation from 1993 until 2006 was a highly impressive one.
The forward’s medal collection was not massive from his playing days with the Iranian national team. However, his goals did help his national team to gold in the 1998 Asian Games.
On an individual basis, Daei won the AFC Asian Cup top goalscorer award in 1996, and his goalscoring exploits also earned him a place in the team of the tournament. The forward was also inducted into the Asian Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
Sunil Chhetri (India, scored 94 goals in 151 appearances)
The Indian forward is another player who doesn’t have the highest profile in the European game. However, his goalscoring record of 94 goals in 151 appearances for his national team was a hugely creditable one.
Chhetri, who is regarded as his nation’s greatest-ever player, is also India’s record appearance-maker at international level.
He has helped India win a number of international tournaments in his playing career, including winning the SAFF Championship on four occasions in 2011, 2015, 2021 and 2023, as well as the AFC Challenge Cup in 2018 and the Intercontinental Cup in 2018 and 2023.
On an individual basis, Chhetri was named SAFF Championship Player of the Tournament in all four of India’s successful campaigns in the competition. He also won the top goalscorer award in three of the four triumphant tournaments in 2011, 2021 and 2023.
Incredibly, Chhetri only announced his retirement from international football in May 2024, having made his international bow in 2005. At the time of his retirement, the forward was 40.
Mokhtar Dahari (Malaysia, scored 89 goals in 142 appearances)
The former Selangor forward was a legend in his home country, both for his club and country, having scored an impressive 89 goals in 142 appearances for his national team. His goalscoring record is even more respectable due to the fact that his international career only ran from 1972 until 1981.
During his international career, Dahari helped his nation to win the Kings Cup twice in 1972 and 1978, as well as the SEA Games in 1977 and 1979.
In a 2014 article by the respected football publication Four Four Two, the forward was named the best Malaysian footballer of all time.
Sadly, Dahari passed away in June 1991 from illness at the age of just 37. He had been suffering from motor neurone disease, which he fought for three years before passing away.
Ali Mabkhout (United Arab Emirates, scored 85 goals in 114 appearances)
The veteran forward started his international career back in 2009 and, as of writing, still represents his national team. Mabkhout is the UAE’s record goalscorer and will be keen to add to his tally of 85 international goals.
During his international career, Mabkhout won the Arabian Gulf Cup in 2023 and also helped his team to a runners-up spot in the AFC Asian Cup in 2015.
On an individual basis, he finished as the Arabian Gulf Cup top scorer on two occasions in 2014 and 2019, and also the AFC Asian Cup top scorer in 2015.
Romelu Lukaku (Belgium, scored 85 goals in 120 appearances)
Since making his international debut for the Red Devils in 2010, Lukaku has been lethal in front of goal for his national team. While he has sometimes struggled for form in the club game in recent years, his for Belgium has always been strong.
The biggest achievement of his international career with Belgium was finishing third place in the 2018 World Cup. The striker also won the FIFA World Cup Bronze Boot in the same tournament. He also won the IFFHS World’s Best International Goal Scorer award in 2020 and 2023.
