The list of the highest goalscorers in the history of FIFA World Cups is led by former German national team striker Miroslav Klose.
elchi reports that Klose scored 16 goals in 24 matches during his World Cup career. He played for the German national team in the 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014 World Cups.
In second place on the list is the legendary Brazilian striker Ronaldo. The former forward, nicknamed “The Phenomenon,” scored 15 goals in 19 World Cup matches.
Third place is held by another legend of German football, Gerd Müller. He is remembered for his high efficiency, scoring 14 goals in just 13 matches.
France’s Just Fontaine and Argentina captain Lionel Messi share the next spots with 13 goals each. Fontaine scored all of these goals in the 1958 World Cup. This figure remains the record for the most goals scored in a single World Cup tournament.
Messi reached a total of 13 goals after winning the championship with Argentina at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He has played 26 matches in World Cup tournaments.
Brazilian football icon Pele and French national team striker Kylian Mbappe have each scored 12 goals. Mbappe is in one of the highest positions on this list among active players and could join the record race in the 2026 World Cup.
The high number of German players on the list is notable. Klose, Gerd Müller, Jürgen Klinsmann, Helmut Rahn, and Thomas Müller are among the players who have scored at least 10 goals in World Cup history.
The players who have scored 10 or more goals in the history of the World Cups are as follows:
Miroslav Klose – Germany – 16 goals
Ronaldo – Brazil – 15 goals
Gerd Müller – Germany – 14 goals
Just Fontaine – France – 13 goals
Lionel Messi – Argentina – 13 goals
Pele – Brazil – 12 goals
Kylian Mbappe – France – 12 goals
Sándor Kocsis – Hungary – 11 goals
Jürgen Klinsmann – Germany – 11 goals
Helmut Rahn – Germany – 10 goals
Gary Lineker – England – 10 goals
Gabriel Batistuta – Argentina – 10 goals
Teófilo Cubillas – Peru – 10 goals
Thomas Müller – Germany – 10 goals
Grzegorz Lato – Poland – 10 goals.