Who has scored the most goals in international football?

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 player