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Most Career Goals in Football

Cristiano Ronaldo leads football's career goals list with 985 in top-level competitions, ahead of Lionel Messi (937) and Pelé (762), per IFFHS research.

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What the data shows

  • Cristiano Ronaldo ranks #1 with 985, ahead of Lionel Messi (937) and Pelé (762).

About this chart

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 985 career goals in top-level competitions: 608 in league play, 57 in cups, 174 in continental competitions and 146 for Portugal. Lionel Messi is second with 937 (579 league, 71 cup, 161 continental and 126 international), including 672 for Barcelona, the most for a single club. Both totals are still growing.

The ranking follows IFFHS research as compiled by Wikipedia, which counts league, cup, continental and international goals and excludes most friendlies. That is why Pelé is third here with 762, rather than the widely quoted 1,279, which includes friendlies. Romário has 756, Ferenc Puskás 725, Josef Bican 722 and Robert Lewandowski, still active, 708. Luis Suárez is also active, on 616. The list was updated on Nov 1, 2026.

The data

Source: Wikipedia, 'List of footballers with 500 or more goals' (updated 1 Nov 2026), based on IFFHS research: club league, cup and continental plus national team and other selections. Retrieved November 4, 2026. Reshaped to a static ranking: no reliable year-by-year source. Counts goals in top-level professional competitions (league, cup, continental, internationals) and excludes most friendlies. Pele's widely quoted 1,279 includes friendlies, so he is 3rd here with 762. Northern Ireland players shown with UK flag. Ronaldo and Messi totals still growing.

Most Career Goals in Football, Career goals in top-level competitions (IFFHS list), Career goals (IFFHS)
Date🇵🇹 Cristiano Ronaldo🇦🇷 Lionel Messi🇧🇷 Pelé🇧🇷 Romário🇭🇺 Ferenc Puskás🇦🇹 Josef Bican🇵🇱 Robert Lewandowski🇬🇧 Jimmy Jones🇩🇪 Gerd Müller🇬🇧 Joe Bambrick🇳🇱 Abe Lenstra🇺🇾 Luis Suárez🇵🇹 Eusébio🇬🇧 Glenn Ferguson🇸🇪 Zlatan Ibrahimović
Career goals (IFFHS)985937762756725722708639634626624616578563561

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Suggested caption: “Ronaldo's 985 goals vs Messi's 937. Pelé is third.” Credit the source in your caption; it heads off the 'source?' comments.

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Frequently asked questions

Who has scored the most goals in football history?

Cristiano Ronaldo, with 985 career goals in top-level competitions as of Nov 1, 2026, according to IFFHS research. Lionel Messi has 937.

How many goals did Pelé score?

Pelé scored 762 goals on this counting, which covers league, cup, continental and international matches and excludes most friendlies. The widely quoted 1,279 includes friendlies.

Who scored the most goals for one club?

Lionel Messi scored 672 goals for Barcelona, the most for a single club.

Where does this data come from?

Wikipedia, 'List of footballers with 500 or more goals' (updated 1 Nov 2026), based on IFFHS research: club league, cup and continental plus national team and other selections. Retrieved November 4, 2026. Reshaped to a static ranking: no reliable year-by-year source. Counts goals in top-level professional competitions (league, cup, continental, internationals) and excludes most friendlies. Pele's widely quoted 1,279 includes friendlies, so he is 3rd here with 762. Northern Ireland players shown with UK flag. Ronaldo and Messi totals still growing. You can download the full table as a CSV from this page.

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