Here is the list of all time top goalscorer in the Fifa World Cup history.
When FIFA, the organization that governs men’s football worldwide, decided to launch an international men’s football competition, it was FIFA President Jules Rimet who came up with the idea. This decision led to the creation of one of the greatest tournaments in human history, the FIFA World Cup. Thirteen teams were invited by the organization to compete in the first edition, which was held in 1930. More than 200 teams from across the world competes with each other before the current 48-team final could participate in the tournament and bring home the FIFA world cup trophy.
There have been 2700 goals scored at the Men’s 22 FIFA World Cup competitions to date. Leaving out the penalties shootout goals that occurred on the FIFA world stage. At the 1930 FIFA World Cup, French player Lucien Laurent scored the tournament’s first goal. Since then, around 1,300 players have scored goals at World Cup competitions, with 100 of them scoring five or more.
Miroslav Klose (Germany) - 16 goals in 24 matches
The German striker Miroslav Klose competed for his nation in four FIFA World Cups (2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014). In his 24 appearances throughout the four FIFA world cups, Klose has scored 16 goals. The most well-known figure on this list is Miroslav Klose. What made Klose unique was his astounding consistency at every World Cup of football he played and his longevity in the game, which allowed him to participate in four successive editions. At the time of his final World Cup in Brazil in 2014, he was 36 years old. In the opening match of their group in the Sapporo Dome in Japan in 2002, Germany thrashed Saudi Arabia 8-0 behind a hat-trick from Miroslav Klose, who was making his FIFA World Cup debut. As Germany finished runners-up after losing to Brazil in the final, he concluded his first World Cup with five goals, three fewer than the tournament's leading scorer, Brazilian Ronaldo.Miroslav Klose once again scored five goals while Germany was hosting the 2006 World Cup, but this time it was enough to give him the Golden Boot (awarded to the tournament's top scorer). But Germany came in third place.
Ronaldo (Brazil) - 15 goals in 19 matches
The Brazilian footballer Ronaldo Luis Nazario with 15 goals in 19 games, , better known by his stage name Ronaldo, ranks second on the list of FIFA World Cup top scorers. For the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States and Mexico, Ronaldo was a member of the Brazil team. Throughout his career, Ronaldo has competed in four world championships (1994, 1998, 2002, and 2006). The renowned frontline of Romario and Bebeto, who were captaining Brazil in the tournament, prevented the 17-year-old from playing.
Ronaldo, who is regarded as one of the best strikers to have ever graced the game, had flashes of his brilliance at the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France.Ronaldo's four goals in France were crucial in helping Brazil go to the final, but the striker's fever soon before the top match caused Brazil to lose the match to the host country.
But at the Japan and South Korea-hosted FIFA World Cup in 2002, Ronaldo proved to be unstoppable, scoring eight goals to lead Brazil to victory and win the Golden Boot.
With injuries and conditioning concerns catching up with the star striker, Ronaldo's career was on the decline as the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany got underway. Before Brazil was eliminated by the hosts in the quarterfinals, he still managed to score three goals throughout the competition. The German legend Gerd Muller, who had been in the top spot since 1974, was just edged out by him.
Gerd Muller (Germany) - 14 goals in 13 matches
The legendary German footballer Gerd Muller participated in two editions of the FIFA World Cup (1970 to 1974), scoring 14 goals in just 13 games. Gerd Muller has scored 10 goals in the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, including back-to-back hat-tricks against Hungary and Peru. Muller ultimately won the Golden Boot, although despite scoring twice against Italy to halt their title defence, his squad was unable to advance past the semifinals. Muller won the FIFA World Cup trophy in 1974 in Germany, and despite not taking home the Golden Boot this time, he led his team in goals with four, including the decisive one in a 2-1 victory over the Netherlands in the championship game.
Just Fontaine (France) - 13 goals in 6 matches
French striker Just Fontaine ranks shockingly high on the list. Despite appearing in just one FIFA World Cup, in Sweden in 1958, French striker Fontaine scored in every game France played at the 1958 FIFA World Cup, including a hat-trick against Paraguay in his World Cup debut and four goals against Germany in the third-place playoff, his final World Cup game. Even though he only played in one FIFA World Cup, in Sweden in 1958, Just Fontaine of France holds the record for the most goals scored by a football player in a single season. In addition to a hat-trick against Paraguay in his World Cup debut and four goals against Germany in the third-place playoff, which would be his final World Cup game, Fontaine scored in every game in which France participated.
Lionel Messi(Argentina) - 13 goals in 26 matches
Lionel Messi is an Argentine-born football (soccer) who has played 5 worid cups ( 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022) the only player who has been named the world's best men's player Messi has named it seven times (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, and 2021). At the age of 18, Messi made his FIFA World Cup debut in Serbia and Montenegro vs. Argentina in the second group stage match. After substitute in the 74th minute, the team's sixth goal—and fourth assist—was immediately scored. The score ended up being 6-0. Due to Argentina resting starters after securing a spot in the knockout rounds, he got his first World Cup start in the 0-0 draw against the Netherlands. In the 2006 world Messi scored once in the tournament. Argentine fans have high hopes for Lionel Messi to perform at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in South Africa. Following his achievements with Barcelona and leading Argentina to the Olympic gold medal in Beijing 2008, Leo Messi had, after all, set the bar high. The Argentine maestro's story didn't quite turn out as expected, though. Argentina advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup before Germany eliminated them, however Messi failed to score in any of his five games despite making significant contributions to the team throughout the tournament. His sole goal-related contribution came in the round of 16 against Mexico, when Argentina defeated Mexico 3-1, thanks to an assist from him to Carlos Tevez. By the time the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil began, Lionel Messi still had a lot to prove. This time, the tiny maestro grabbed the competition by the collar. With four goals and one assist in seven games, Lionel Messi nearly single-handedly carried Argentina to the championship game, but Messi and company ultimately lost when Germany defeated them 1-0 in the championship game. The FIFA World Cup final was lost by Agentina. However, Lionel Messi was selected as the 2014 World Cup's Golden Ball winner. The participant chosen as the best in the competition receives the honor. Argentina was eliminated by eventual champions France in the round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia. In an otherwise poor campaign for the South Americans, Lionel Messi was the star performer for Argentina despite missing a possible game-winning penalty against Iceland in Argentina's opening match. Messi's lone goal during the competition came against Nigeria in the last group encounter, setting the tone for a 2-1 victory. For both teams, the match was essentially a playoff game to advance to the knockout rounds. Messi was in preserving Argentina's hopes throughout their 4-3 loss to France in the semifinal match, contributing to two of their three goals. With high expectations, 35-year-old Lionel Messi performed admirably at the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, scoring seven goals in as many games. Although he was one goal short of Kylian Mbappe's total and missed out on the Golden Boot, his performance was still enough to give Argentina its third World Cup victory in 36 years, which is a record. Messi scored in each of the four knockout rounds of the competition, which had never happened before in a FIFA World Cup. Two of his goals came in the championship match against France.