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At the end of the day, football is about scoring goals and winning games and that's why most of the biggest stars in the history of the sport are forwards.
With the 2022 FIFA World Cup right around the corner, this winter is going to be quite an exciting one for football fans. They will wait patiently for football's showpiece event to commence and see which stars and teams will make a major impact at the World Cup.
To predict what might happen at the World Cup, it's important to look at the recent record of players on the international stage. Some players who are not big stars on the domestic stage could be huge for their respective national teams.
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Without further ado, let's take a look at five players with the most international goals since 2020.
#5 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) - 18 goals
Cristiano Ronaldo is the leading goalscorer in men's international football, with 117 goals from 191 appearances. Having lost a yard of pace in recent years, the 37-year-old plays as a centre-forward for both club and country.
His elite marksmanship has seen him become arguably the greatest goalscorer in the history of the game. Ronaldo is expected to lead the attack for Portugal at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The Manchester United forward's predatory instincts coupled with his aerial ability will make him a huge threat inside the box.
Ronaldo has scored 18 goals in 26 appearances for Portugal since 2020. He was the joint-top scorer at Euro 2020 with five goals to his name.
#4 Harry Kane (England) - 19 goals
Harry Kane has been one of England's most important players in recent years. The Tottenham Hotspur striker played a starring role in England's run to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup as well as their run to the final of Euro 2020.
Kane has 51 international goals to his name from 75 appearances and is just two goals short of England's all-time leading goalscorer Wayne Rooney. Kane is in good form heading into the 2022 FIFA World Cup and Gareth Southgate will be counting on him to put away most of the chances that come his way.
The Englishman has scored 19 international goals in 30 appearances for the Three Lions since 2020.
#3 Lionel Messi (Argentina) - 20 goals
Lionel Messi has been in excellent form for club and country of late. He is once again Argentina's main source of hope as they dream of winning the World Cup for the third time in history. The 35-year-old led Argentina to Copa America triumph last year and was named the 'Player of the Tournament.'
Messi's ability to orchestrate play inside the final third and find the back of the net will be crucial to La Albiceleste's chances at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In his last three matches for Argentina, Messi has scored nine goals.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward has scored 20 international goals in 26 appearances for Argentina since 2020.
#2 Erling Haaland (Norway) - 21 goals
Erling Haaland often makes goalscoring look as easy as falling off a log. The 22-year-old has taken the Premier League by storm since joining Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund this summer. Haaland will be sorely missed at the 2022 FIFA World Cup as Norway failed to qualify for the tournament.
The Norwegian striker's finishing, movement and composure inside the final third belies his age. He is also extremely athletic and strong and is the archetypal Premier League centre-forward. Haaland is the only striker on this list who has scored at more than a goal per game since 2020.
He has scored 21 goals for Norway in 20 appearances since 2020.
#1 Memphis Depay (Netherlands) - 23 goals
Memphis Depay might no longer be an undroppable member of Barcelona's starting lineup, but he is one of the most important players for his national team. Depay has burgeoned into one of the most dynamic forwards in Europe over the past few years and is expected to have a solid outing at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
He has scored plenty of goals for both club and country in recent times and is currently the leader of Louis van Gaal's side's attack. Depay has scored 23 goals in 29 appearances for the Dutch national team since 2020.
