List of men's footballers with 50 or more international goals


The first player to score 50 international goals was Poul Nielsen of Denmark. He achieved this feat on his 36th cap against Sweden in the 1924–28 Nordic Football Championship on 14 June 1925. This is also the fewest matches played by any player to score 50 goals. He scored 52 goals in just 38 matches in his international career.
Ferenc Puskás of Hungary was the second player and the second European after Nielsen to achieve the feat. His 50th goal came on 24 July 1952, when he scored a brace in the semi-final match against Turkey at the 1952 Summer Olympics. Puskás scored 84 goals in his international career. He remained the highest international goalscorer for 47 years following his 84th goal in 1956 against Austria until Ali Daei of Iran broke the record in 2003 after scoring his 85th goal against Lebanon. Daei is the only player to score over 100 goals in international football with 109 goals. He scored his 50th goal in a friendly match against Mexico on 9 January 2000, becoming the first Asian footballer to achieve the feat. His 100th goal came on 17 November 2004, when he scored a hat-trick against Laos in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification. However, the first player from Asia to score at least 50 goals was Japan's Kunishige Kamamoto. He achieved the feat after scoring against Malaysia in 1972 Merdeka Tournament and he went on to score 80 goals for his country in 84 international appearances. Just two years after Puskás' scored his 50th goal, his teammate Sándor Kocsis did the same on 19 September 1954 in a friendly match against Romania. He became the third player and the third European to achieve the feat. He went on to score a total of 75 goals in 65 matches in international football.
Pelé of Brazil was the first player from outside Europe and the first player from South America to score at least 50 goals. He attained this in a friendly match against the Soviet Union on 21 November 1965. He scored 77 international goals in 92 matches. Malawi's Kinnah Phiri was the first player from Africa, and also the youngest player, to score 50 international goals. He scored his 50th goal in a friendly match against Sierra Leone on 6 July 1978 when he was 23 years 8 months and 6 days old. Stern John of Trinidad and Tobago was the first player from North America to score 50 international goals. He scored 70 goals in 115 matches with his 50th goal coming in a friendly match against the Dominican Republic on 13 June 2004.
To date four players each representing Brazil and Hungary have scored 50 or more international goals. Iraq and Japan each have three players who have achieved the feat. The Asian Football Confederation has the highest number of footballers who have scored at least 50 goals in their international career with 23 players achieving the feat to date.
Bader Al-Mutawa of Kuwait has played the most matches so far to score 50 international goals. He scored his 50th goal during his 155th international appearance, while scoring a hat-trick against Myanmar on 3 September 2015 during 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification matches.

By player

Players in bold are still active at international level.
Indicates the FIFA world top scorer.
Indicates the top scorer of the respective confederation.
Indicates the top scorer of the respective nation.

No.NameNationConfederationInternational
goals		CapsGoals
per match		Career spanDate of 50th goal
1AFC1091491993–20069 January 2000
2'UEFA991642003–26 June 2014
3UEFA84851945–195624 July 1952
4CAF791111968–19807 November 1978
5AFC781371977–199017 March 1984
6CONMEBOL77921957–19714 July 1965
7UEFA75681948–195619 September 1954
7AFC75761964–197718 July 1972
7AFC751341996–200725 December 2002
10'AFC721152005–31 December 2015
11CAF711151973–198106 July 1978
11AFC711161977–199415 April 1984
11AFC711341993–200723 January 2001
11UEFA711372001–201427 June 2010
15AFC701001981–199730 January 1989
15CONCACAF701151995–201213 June 2004
15'CONMEBOL701382005–29 March 2016
15CAF701691985–200625 February 1998
19UEFA68621966–197418 June 1972
19CONCACAF681331998–201615 August 2012
19UEFA681461998–20164 June 2011
22CAF651052002–201413 January 2012
23CONMEBOL62981994–201119 November 2003
23UEFA621162001–20164 September 2014
23AFC621211982–199718 August 1992
26'CONMEBOL611012010–10 November 2016
26'UEFA611122008–5 October 2017
28'AFC60832009–31 August 2019
29UEFA59681906–19276 May 1917
29UEFA59982005–201711 October 2011
29'CONMEBOL591132007–23 March 2018
32'UEFA581072007–28 March 2017
32AFC581351972–19865 September 1977
34CONCACAF571011993–201028 March 2009
34CONCACAF571412004–20187 June 2016
34AFC571482002–20165 March 2014
34CONCACAF571572000–20145 July 2013
38CAF561181997–20143 September 2011
38'AFC561782003–3 September 2015
40CONMEBOL55701987–20058 October 2000
40AFC55891990–20007 September 1997
40UEFA55911999–20098 September 2007
40AFC551011979–199716 December 1995
44CONMEBOL54771991–200229 June 2000
45'AFC53802003–29 March 2016
45UEFA53981969–198426 July 1983
45UEFA531202003–20188 September 2015
48UEFA52381910–192514 June 1925
48'UEFA52842010–10 October 2019
48AFC521082006–201922 March 2018
48'CONCACAF521092009–23 June 2018
48UEFA521121997–201021 November 2007
48AFC521611983–199719 November 1996
54UEFA51721955–197125 April 1964
54AFC51832004–201620 November 2016
54'CAF511092003–11 June 2017
54UEFA511121992–200711 October 2006
54UEFA511231997–20109 September 2009
59AFC50871993–20109 January 2009
59UEFA501022005–201713 October 2015
59AFC501031988–20024 June 2002
59AFC / OFC 501082004–201810 October 2017
59'CONMEBOL501162008–18 November 2019
59AFC501192008–28 March 2017

By nationality

CountryConfederation
4CONMEBOL
4UEFA
3AFC
3AFC
2CONMEBOL
2UEFA
2
UEFA
2AFC
2AFC
2AFC
2AFC
2AFC
2CONCACAF
2CONMEBOL
1AFC / OFC
1UEFA
1UEFA
1CAF
1UEFA
1CAF
1UEFA
1UEFA
1UEFA
1CAF
1CONCACAF
1CONCACAF
1AFC
1CAF
1CAF
1AFC
1CONCACAF
1UEFA
1AFC
1UEFA
1UEFA
1UEFA
1AFC
1AFC
1UEFA
1UEFA
1CONCACAF
1UEFA
1AFC
1CAF

By confederation

Confederation
AFC23
UEFA21
CONMEBOL8
CAF6
CONCACAF6
OFC0
Total64

Footnotes