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Cristiano Ronaldo might be playing in Saudi Arabia these days, but he’s still racking up records.
The 40-year-old set the record for most international appearances in men’s football history with 219 appearances.
Not only does he hold the record for most appearances by a male player, but he also has the most goals of all time, with one more during the March 2025 international window.
Argentina and Inter Miami star Lionel Messi, who is three years younger, can potentially still catch Ronaldo for both records if he continues to play at the 2026 World Cup.
Sporting News regularly updates the list of most international goals in men’s soccer history below.
Who has scored the most goals in men’s international football?
Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record for the most goals scored in men’s international football. The Manchester United and Portugal star has 136 goals in 219 senior appearances for his country.
Ronaldo broke the long-standing goal record held by Iran’s Ali Daei when he scored twice against the Republic of Ireland in September 2021.
Those two were later joined by Lionel Messi as the only three men’s players who have reached a century of international goals, with Messi reaching the mark after a hat-trick against Curacao on March 28, 2023.
Most international goals: Men’s all-time top 10
Table below is updated as of March 28, 2025.
*Denotes active playerPlayer Country Goals Caps Years active 1. Cristiano Ronaldo* Portugal 136* 219 2003 — 2. Lionel Messi* Argentina 112* 191 2005 — 3. Ali Daei Iran 109 148 1993-2006 4. Sunil Chhetri* India 95* 153 2005 — 5. Mokhtar Dahari Malaysia 89 142 1972-1985 6. Romelu Lukaku Belgium 88 122 2010 — 7. Ali Mabkhout UAE 85 115 2009 — 8. Robert Lewandowski Poland 85 158 2008– 9. Ferenc Puskas Hungary 84 89 1945-1956 10. Godfrey Chitalu Zambia 79 111 1968-1980
