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The FIFA World Cup is by far the most celebrated and prestigious competition in football. Featuring the biggest teams and the best players, it is an extravaganza like no other, and every footballer wishes to be the belle of this particular ball.
Scoring a goal is considered to be the toughest task in football, and doing it against the biggest teams on the greatest stage takes the difficulty to a whole new level. Luckily for us fans, not everyone is intimidated by the occasion; a few have indeed managed to score for fun, even against the most daunting opponents.
Today, we will take a look at seven spectacular forwards who have grabbed numerous headlines with their work in front of the goal. Here are the top seven players who have scored the most goals in FIFA World Cup history:
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Stats via: Transfermarkt
#7 Kylian Mbappe (France) — 12 goals
France superstar Kylian Mbappe has netted 12 times in 14 World Cup matches. Considering he’s only 24 years old, Mbappe has a real shot at rising to the top of this list over the course of his promising career.
Mbappe scored four times in his debut FIFA World Cup campaign in 2018. He scored his first World Cup goal in a 1-0 win over Group C rivals Peru. Then, in the Round of 16, Mbappe netted a brace and claimed an assist to inflict a 4-3 defeat upon Argentina. He struck again in the final, scoring once to take France to a 4-2 victory over Croatia.
At the 2022 FIFA World Cup, he scored a whopping eight goals as France made it to their second consecutive World Cup final. He scored a hat-trick against Argentina to keep Les Bleus alive (3-3 at the end of extra time) until the penalty shoot-out, where they fell to a 4-2 defeat.
Mbappe became the first player since England hero Geoff Hurst (1966) to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final. But unlike Hurst, the 2022 World Cup Golden Boot winner ended up on the losing side.
#6 Pele (Brazil) — 12 goals
Three-time world champion Pele scored 12 goals in only 14 matches for Brazil at the FIFA World Cup. Only 17 years old, Pele scored a staggering six goals in four matches at the 1958 World Cup. He scored a hat-trick in the semi-finals against France (5-2 win) before netting a brace against Sweden in the final (5-2 win).
Pele scored one goal in two group-stage matches at the 1962 World Cup, but an injury kept him from participating in the knockout rounds. Thanks to Garrincha and Co. Pele bagged his second World Cup medal.
Pele returned to action in 1970 and cemented his legacy as the greatest player in World Cup history, scoring four goals and claiming six assists in six matches. Buoyed by a goal and two assists from their greatest-ever player, Brazil beat Italy 4-1 in the final.
#5 Lionel Messi (Argentina) — 13 goals
Newly-crowned world champion, Argentina’s Lionel Messi has scored 13 goals and claimed eight assists in 26 FIFA World Cup appearances. He currently holds the record for most direct goal involvements and most games played in World Cup history.
Lionel Messi scored once and claimed an assist in his World Cup debut, in a 6-0 win over Serbia-Montenegro in 2006. He failed to score at the 2010 World Cup but claimed an assist as Argentina crashed out of the quarter-finals following a 4-0 defeat against Germany.
Messi played remarkably better in 2014, scoring four goals and claiming an assist to take Argentina to the final. Mario Gotze’s extra-time goal allowed Germany to snag a 1-0 win in the final, but Messi won the Golden Ball for his heroics. The 2018 World Cup was disappointing for Argentina as they were knocked out by eventual winners France in the Round of 16. Messi only scored once in four games.
Messi finally had his redemption in 2022, scoring seven goals and claiming three assists in seven matches to take Argentina to their third World Cup. Two of his seven goals came in the final against France. The Paris Saint-Germain ace was awarded his second Golden Ball at the end of the tournament, making him the first player to be crowned Player of the Tournament twice.
#4 Just Fontaine (France) — 13 goals
Just Fontaine is the only player on this list to play in only one edition of the FIFA World Cup. But that did not keep the Frenchman from going down in history as one of its most-cherished forwards. Fontaine scored a staggering 13 goals in six games at the 1958 World Cup, setting the record for scoring the most goals during a World Cup campaign.
Fontaine scored a hat-trick on his World Cup debut against Paraguay, helping France to a 7-3 victory over the South Americans. He scored five goals in the next three games to take France to the semi-finals. He scored a goal in the semi-final against Brazil, but the eventual winners overpowered France to secure a 5-2 victory.
Fontaine produced his best-ever performance in the third-place clash against Germany. He scored four goals to propel Les Bleus to a 6-3 win.
#3 Gerd Muller (Germany) — 14 goals
Arguably the most efficient striker Germany has ever produced, Gerd Muller scored a stunning 14 goals in a mere 13 FIFA World Cup matches. At the 1970 World Cup, Muller scored a staggering 10 goals in six games as Germany finished third behind Brazil and Italy. He won the Golden Boot for his stellar display and was awarded the Ballon d’Or later that year.
Muller tasted World Cup glory four years later, at the 1974 World Cup. His three goals helped Die Mannschaft set up a mouth-watering final with the Netherlands. In the final, he found the back of the net to propel Germany to a 2-1 victory over the Dutch.
#2 Ronaldo Nazario (Brazil) — 15 goals
A phenomenon in full flight, Ronaldo Nazario played scorching football at the FIFA World Cup, scoring 15 goals in only 19 games. The Brazilian ace was in blistering form at the 1998 World Cup, scoring five goals in six matches to help Selecao to the final. In the ultimate game, however, he failed to live up to the billing, cutting a frustrating figure as Brazil succumbed to a 3-0 defeat against Zinedine Zidane’s France.
Ronaldo returned with a vengeance in 2002 and scored eight goals in seven matches to fire Brazil to World Cup glory. He scored both of Brazil’s goals in the 2-0 win over Germany in the final. In his last World Cup in 2006, Ronaldo scored thrice in five matches, as Brazil were knocked out of the quarter-finals by Zidane’s France.
#1 Miroslav Klose (Germany) — 16 goals
Sitting pretty at the top of the list is German legend Miroslav Klose, who scored a staggering 16 goals in 24 FIFA World Cup games. Klose scored a stunning hat-trick in his World Cup debut against Saudi Arabia in 2002. His treble propelled Die Mannschaft to an 8-0 victory. He scored two more goals in the group stages but could not score in the latter rounds as Germany succumbed to a 2-0 defeat to Brazil in the final.
Four years later, Klose netted five times in seven matches as Germany finished third behind Italy and France. Germany finished third once again in 2010, and Klose pitched in with four goals in five matches.
Klose finally won the FIFA World Cup in 2014, as Germany beat Argentina 1-0 in the final. He played five matches in Brazil, scoring twice and dethroning Ronaldo as World Cup’s highest scorer.
