Who is Argentina's leading all-time top goal scorer? Messi, Batistuta, Crespo and the Albiceleste's most lethal strikers

One of the greatest footballers Argentina has produced, Lionel Messi is their highest-ever goalscorer on the international stage.

Messi made his international debut against Hungary back in 2005 and since then, he has gone on to score over 100 goals.

His debut, however, was oddly memorable as he was shown a red card by the referee just a minute after he entered the field as a substitute.

After chasing an international trophy with Argentina at senior level throughout his career, Messi finally won one in the form of the Copa America in July 2021.

He then fulfilled his dream by lifting the World Cup in 2022 after a string of fine performances.

In many fans' books, Gabriel Batistuta was one of the best footballer on the planet in the 1990s.

The prolific striker's incredible ability to score the most stylish of goals made him an immortal name in the country's rich footballing history.

Batistuta made his Argentina debut in 1991 and instantly led his team to Copa America glory, finishing as the tournament's top scorer. He would then go on to lift the Copa America a second time in 1993.

The Fiorentina legend scored 55 goals in 78 matches for Argentina, a 0.71 goals-per-game ratio, the greatest ever by an Argentine.

One of the greatest strikers ever produced by Argentina, Sergio Aguero was destined for greatness at club and national level.

The centre-forward made his debut for Argentina at just 18 years of age in a friendly game against arch-rivals Brazil in 2006.

Since then, he scored a total of 41 goals in 101 international games across all competitions for his country.

Unfortunately, Aguero's career was cut short due to the discovery of his unstable heart condition and he announced his retirement in December 2021.

One of Argentina's most accomplished centre-forwards, Hernan Crespo made his national team debut in 1995 in a 24-minute cameo against Bulgaria.

His second appearance for his country came in June 1996, featuring for 15 minutes against Ecuador and from 1997 on, Crespo became a mainstay in Argentina's national team.

The prolific forward netted 35 times in 64 games for the Albiceleste on his road to footballing greatness.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest players to grace the beautiful game, Diego Maradona mesmerised fans with his unique ability to dribble past defenders and score incredible goals.

He made his senior team debut for Argentina in 1977 at the age of just 16 years, three months and 28 days. Fast forward to 1986, Maradona captained his country to World Cup glory, winning the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player.

The 'FIFA's Player of the 20th century' awardee scored 34 goals in 91 international games for Argentina, eight of which came in the four World Cup tournaments he played in.

A striker with immense goal-scoring appetite, Gonzalo Higuain, came to prominence in the Argentinean national team setup in October 2009 when then coach Diego Maradona handed him his debut at just 21 years old.

Higuain, who was playing for Real Madrid at that time, featured for 67 minutes, marking his debut with a goal in Argentina's 2-1 win against Peru.

El Pipita scored 31 goals in 75 international games for his country, with 12 of them coming at the World Cup and Copa America respectively.

Seventh on the list of Argentina's all time top goalscorers in history, Angel Di Maria made his debut against Paraguay back in September 2008.

The winger scored his first goal in a 5-0 win for Argentina in May 2010 against Canada and over the years, Di Maria has gone on to accumulate 27 goals in 123 games for the Albiceleste.

Arguably the most important goal of his international career came against arch-rivals Brazil in the Copa America final of 2021 in Rio de Janeiro, leading to Argentina becoming continental champions again after 28 long years.

Next on the list of top international goal scorers for Argentina is Luis Artime.

The former River Plate and Independiente ace scored 24 goals in 25 games for the national team, featuring at the 1966 World Cup as well as the 1967 Copa America.

Jorge Sampaoli handed Lautaro Martinez his Argentina debut at the age of 20 in March 2018.

Since scoring his first goal for the senior team in October that year, Martinez has not looked back, netting over 20 goals in just over 40 appearances for his country.

The rate at which the centre-forward has been scoring for Argentina, and with age on his side, there is no doubt he has the potential to go on and become one of their greatest-ever international goal scorers in history.

It's not natural for a centre-back to feature in a top goal-scorers list, but Argentine legend Daniel Passarella is quite an exception.

The legendary defender is the ninth highest goalscorer in his country's history.

The captain of the Argentine contingent that won the World Cup in 1978 scored 20 goals in 60 games in his international career.