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Ultimately, football is about scoring goals and winning games. That's why it's the goalscorers who steal the limelight even though it's a team sport. Even today, strikers and forwards are more revered than others because they are the ones who usually apply the finishing touches and make the difference.
Over the course of history, we've seen several legendary marksmen in the game. But it's rare to see players keep up their form for almost two decades and keep performing at the highest level for that long of a period of time.
Only those who have shown an incredible amount of commitment to their craft have been able to sustain such levels throughout their careers. Without further ado, let's take a look at the five players who have scored the most career goals in football history.
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#5 Ferenc Puskas - 729 career goals
Ferenc Puskas was so good that he has a goalscoring award named after him. The Puskas Award is awarded by FIFA every year to the player who scores the most aesthetically significant goal. Puskas is widely regarded as football['s first international superstar.
He was an extremely prolific goalscorer, netting 84 times in 85 international games for Hungary. Puskas also featured four times for the Spanish national team in the latter stages of his international career. He was a standout performer for the Hungarian national team that made it to the 1954 FIFA World Cup final.
Puskas was part of the dominant Real Madrid side in the late 1950s and 60s and he formed a deadly striking partnership with the legendary Alfredo di Stefano. Puskas won five La Liga titles and three European Cups with Real Madrid and was the top scorer in the Spanish league in four separate seasons.
He also received the Ballon d'Or Silver Award in 1960 for his exploits.
#4 Romario - 755 career goals
Romario is one of the greatest strikers of all time and it was impossible to take one's eyes off him when he was going about his business on the football field. Renowned for his clinical finishing, Romario showcased his genius inside the penalty area and is credited with revolutionizing the role of a centre-forward. J
The legendary Johan Cruyff, considered to be one of football's GOATs, coached Romario at Barcelona and picked him as the greatest player he has ever coached. The Brazilian marksman was the first player to score at least 100 goals for three different clubs.
He was a standout performer for Brazil in their triumphant run at the 1994 FIFA World Cup and was awarded the Golden Ball for his heroics. Romario was also named 'FIFA World Player of the Year' in 1994.
He has scored a whopping 755 career goals and only retired from club football in 2009.
#3 Pele - 762 career goals
Pele is one of the most recognizable names in the world of football. He is one of the greatest footballers of all time and enjoyed an immensely successful career at both club and international level. In 2000, the International Federation of Football History & Statistics voted Pele as the World Player of the Century.
Pele took the world by storm as a teenager. He made his debut for Santos at the age of 15 and made his first appearance for the Brazilian national team aged 16. He is the only player in the history of football to win three FIFA World Cups.
Pele still holds the record for being the youngest player to ever score in a World Cup. He scored for Brazil against Wales in the 1958 final at just 17 years and 249 days old. Pele also holds the record for being the youngest player to score a hat-trick at a World Cup. He achieved that feat against France on 24 June 1958.
#2 Lionel Messi - 764 career goals
With a record seven Ballon d'Or wins, Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest footballer of all time. The Argentinian legend has dominated the sport for close to two decades and has enthralled us with his elite goalscoring and playmaking abilities.
At the peak of his powers, Messi made goalscoring look like child's play. In 2012, Messi scored a total of 91 goals. the most goals scored by any player for club and country in a calendar year. The 35-year-old has won the European Golden Shoe a record six times.
Messi is La Liga's all-time leading goalscorer with 474 goals to his name. He has also scored a record 36 hat-tricks in La Liga. The Paris Saint-Germain forward has won ten La Liga titles and four Champions League titles in his career.
He also led Argentina to Copa America glory last summer and was named the 'Best Player of the Tournament' for his performances.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo - 813 career goals
Cristiano Ronaldo is inarguably the greatest goalscorer in the history of the beautiful game. The Manchester United forward is considered to be one of the best to ever pull on a pair of cleats and has won a whopping five Ballon d'Or awards.
Ronaldo has won the league title in three different countries and has won the UEFA Champions League title five times. He holds the record for the most appearances (183) and most goals (140) in the Champions League.
Ronaldo is also the player with the most international goals in history with 117 to his name. The 37-year-old has scored an incredible 813 goals in his senior career and is currently a fair way ahead of the rest of his competition.
