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Klose, Ronaldo, Muller & World Cup all-time top scorers

Some iconic figures have recorded nine goals at World Cup finals, including Eusebio, David Villa and Roberto Di Baggio. Rivaldo and Diego Maradona are among those with eight efforts to their name, while Davor Suker, Hristo Stoichkov, Dennis Bergkamp, Bebeto, Arjen Robben, Thierry Henry, Mario Kempes and Lothar Matthaus have six. Modern day icons Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who will be back for more in 2018, have managed five and three goals respectively.

Best of the rest

A Golden Shoe winner in 1974 having inspired Poland to a third place finish. Netted twice against Argentina and Haiti before recording match-winning efforts against Sweden and Yugoslavia. Also grabbed the only goal of the game in a third place play-off win over Brazil. Would go on to find the target twice at the 1978 World Cup and record his last international goal in 1982.

Grzegorz Lato | Poland | 10

The fifth German on the list and another player to have been a model of consistency throughout his World Cup appearances to date. Took the Golden Boot in 2010 courtesy of having added three assists to his five-goal haul, with the Best Young Player award also coming his way. Scored a hat-trick against Portugal in 2014, the only goal in a win over USA and the first in a 7-1 mauling of Brazil as Germany restored global dominance.

Thomas Muller | Germany | 10

Peru’s all-time leading goalscorer and the first man to net at least five times at two World Cups – a feat since matched by Miroslav Klose and Thomas Muller. Found the target in all four of his outings at the 1970 event, including one effort in a quarter-final defeat to Brazil. Repeated his five-goal haul in 1978 by bagging a brace against Scotland and a hat-trick in victory over Iran.

Teofilo Cubillas | Peru | 10

Helped himself to a hat-trick on his first World Cup appearance against Greece at USA ’94. Added one more effort to his tally at that tournament before repeating his treble heroics in 1998 against Jamaica – becoming the first man to score hat-tricks at two finals. Also found the target against Japan and England before bowing out of international football with one goal at the 2002 World Cup.

Gabriel Batistuta | Argentina | 10

Sits alongside 1966 hero Geoff Hurst as one of only two men to have netted a hat-trick for England at a World Cup. Lineker managed his against Poland in 1986, with his six efforts at that tournament securing him the Golden Shoe. Was back in search of more four years later, with four goals carrying the Three Lions to the semi-finals and the start of a penalty shootout nightmare.

Gary Lineker | England | 10

Assured of a place in German football folklore on the back of his efforts in the 1954 World Cup final. Having fallen two goals down to Hungary, Rahn inspired a remarkable comeback as he made one and scored another. Then, with just six minutes remaining, he grabbed the most dramatic of winners and a first global crown. He would record another six efforts in 1958, with only Fontaine bettering that return.

Helmut Rahn | West Germany | 10

Made his World Cup bow in 1990 and helped West Germany to take the crown, with the most notable of his three goals helping to down the Netherlands at the last-16 stage. Klinsmann would go on to net five times for a united Germany at USA ’94 and three times at France ’98. Those efforts saw him become the first man to score at least three times at three successive World Cups.

Jurgen Klinsmann | Germany | 11

Like Fontaine, a man who recorded his entire World Cup haul in just one tournament. A member of the legendary ‘Mighty Magyars’ alongside Ferenc Puskas, Hungary fell agonisingly short at the 1954 World Cup. Kocsis netted a hat-trick in his opening outing, four times on his second appearance and braces at the quarter-final and semi-final stage, but drew a blank in a 3-2 final defeat to West Germany.

Sandor Kocsis | Hungary | 11

One of the greatest players of all-time and a man who scored over 1,000 goals in his career, but never the top marksman at a World Cup. Pele did, however, grace four tournaments and emerged victorious in three of them. Found the target six times in 1958 – including a hat-trick and final brace – before injuries restricted him to one just effort in each of the 1962 and 1966 events. Was back with a bang in 1970, with four goals recorded as part of an iconic Brazil side.

Pele | Brazil | 12

Scored 30 goals in just 21 international appearances, with a debut hat-trick setting the tone for what was to follow. Fontaine did not form part of the France squad in 1954, but he more than made up for that absence four years later as he netted 13 times en route to a third place finish – with that remarkable haul still standing as a finals record.

Just Fontaine | France | 13

Only three men have broken into double figures at a single World Cup, with Muller the last to have achieved that feat in 1970. While he dominated that tournament on a personal level, West Germany came up short in the semi-finals. Four years later they would go all the way on home soil, with the fourth of Muller’s goals downing Johan Cruyff’s Netherlands side in the final.

Gerd Muller | West Germany | 14

Was part of Brazil’s triumphant 1994 squad but did not feature as a 17-year-old. He was the star of the show in France four years later, recording four goals and three assists prior to an infamous pre-final meltdown. Took the Golden Shoe and World Cup crown with eight efforts in 2002, but was a declining force when netting three times in 2006.

Ronaldo | Brazil | 15

Burst onto the scene at the 2002 event with five headed goals, before landing the Golden Shoe four years later after achieving the same haul. Klose then found the target four times in 2010, before setting a new competition record when netting for the 16th time in a 7-1 semi-final demolition of Brazil in 2014 – helping Germany on their way to a fourth triumph.

Miroslav Klose | Germany | 16

World Cup 2018: Miroslav Klose, Ronaldo and the all-time top scorers | Goal.com UK

Over 1,200 players have found the target on the grandest of footballing stages, but only 13 have reached double figures and 16 efforts takes top spot

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