Who has scored the most goals in international football? Lionel Messi third on all-time list in pursuit of Cristiano Ronaldo record

Cristiano Ronaldo might be without a club at the moment, but he wasted little time in making history at the 2022 World Cup.

The 37-year-old, who had his Manchester United contract terminated by mutual consent after an explosive interview in which he criticised the club and manager Erik ten Hag, struck a penalty in Portugal’s opening match with Ghana on November 24. In so doing, he became the first man to score in five different World Cup tournaments.

Long-time rival Lionel Messi has scored seven goals for Argentina at the 2022 World Cup, including in the final against France.

The Paris Saint-Germain star is the only active player who is close to catching Ronaldo at the top of the international men’s goalscoring standings.

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Who has scored the most goals in international football?

Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record for the most goals scored in men’s international football. The Manchester United and Portugal star has 118 goals in 193 senior appearances for his country.

Ronaldo broke the long-standing record held by Iran’s Ali Daei when he scored twice against the Republic of Ireland in September 2021. Those two remain the only men’s players who have reached a century of international goals, although Messi needs only four more to join them in that group.

Most international goals: Men’s all-time top 10

*Denotes active player

Even if Ronaldo and Messi continue to play well into their 40s, it is almost impossible for them to catch the goal tallies of the leading women’s international goalscorers.

The top-scoring player in women’s international football — and, indeed, overall — is Canada’s Christine Sinclair, who has managed a staggering 190 goals in 319 appearances in 22 years.

She is six goals ahead of USWNT great Abby Wambach, who retired back in 2015. The top 10 is dominated by USA stars, who make up half of the list, although all but Alex Morgan have retired.

The other active player closest to Sinclair’s record is Jordan’s Maysa Jbarah, who boasts a remarkable goal-per-game rate of 1.04 having scored 117 times in just 113 international matches.

MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo goal scoring record: List of all-time top scorers though totals are up for debate

Most international goals: Women’s all-time top 10

*Denotes active player

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