Ronaldo's feat puts him at lead of list of giants, football's top goalscorers

By Emre Asikci

ISTANBUL (AA) - Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Robert Lewandowski are the only three active international players in men's football on the list of the top goalscorers, joining the likes of the legendary Pele and Gerd Muller.

Ronaldo, 37, on Saturday overtook the great Austrian-Czech player Josef Bican as the highest-scoring player in world football with a hat-trick against Tottenham Hotspur.

With 807 goals to his name, Ronaldo secured a spot in the record books.

He tops the list of active players, and already has 136 goals for Manchester United from his first spell, as well as bagging 450 for Real Madrid and 101 for Juventus.

The experienced forward produced 115 goals in 184 matches for the Portuguese national team.

During his astonishing career, the five-time-Ballon d'Or winner won five UEFA Champions League titles – in 2008 with Manchester United, and in 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2018 with Real Madrid – and three English Premier League titles with Manchester United in 2007, 2008, and 2009, and two Spanish La Liga trophies with Real Madrid in 2012 and 2017.

Ronaldo also won the 2016 European Championship with Portugal.

- Josef Bican (1931-1955)

Josef Bican, whose career spanned 1931 to 1956, was an Austrian-Czech professional star who played as a forward.

He is currently the second-highest goalscorer of all time with 805 goals in 530 matches.

Bican played for three different national teams: Austria, Czechoslovakia, and, briefly in 1939, the Bohemia and Moravia team.

He died in 2001 at the age of 88.

- Romario (1985-2009)

Romario de Souza Faria, known as Romario, is widely viewed as one of the greatest footballers ever. At the end of his career he clinched a record of 772 goals in just 994 matches.

Romario featured for Vasco da Gama, FC Barcelona, PSV Eindhoven, and Flamengo from 1985 to 2007.

The legendary Brazilian scored five goals in the 1994 FIFA World Cup in USA, winning the Golden Ball as a player in the tournament.

Romario took a career break in 2008 but retired from football in 2009.

The 56-year-old is now a senator for Rio de Janeiro.

- Pele (1956-1977)

There is no doubt that Pele is one of the most prolific goalscorers in football from previous generations, along with deceased Diego Maradona.

The ex-Santos star netted 767 goals in 831 matches in his career and produced 77 goals in 92 matches for the Brazilian national team. He is the second-highest goalscorer from Brazil.

Pele, 81, made his debut at the World Cup with Brazil in 1958, at only 17 years old. He helped Brazil bag the World Cup three times in 1958, 1962, and 1970.

He ended his career in 1977.

- Lionel Messi (2004 -)

Lionel Messi has been prolific for Barcelona, scoring a total of 672 goals during a 17-season stint with the Spanish club.

Messi, now playing for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time as he racked up 759 goals in 960 outings.

The 34-year-old Argentine forward also won the 2021 Ballon d’Or award given to the player of the year.

Claiming the award previously in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, and 2019, Messi broke his own record as the owner of the Golden Ball for the seventh time.

A 10-time Spanish champion and a four-time Champions League winner, Messi led Argentina to the 2021 Copa America title.

- Ferenc Puskas (1943-1966)

The legendary Ferenc Puskas is history’s most famous Hungarian football player.

He was captain of Hungary's Golden Team, which clinched the gold medal at the Helsinki 1952 Olympic Games.

Puskas also gave his name to the award for the most beautiful goal of the year, the FIFA Puskas Award.

A three-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, Puskas’ career came to end with 741 goals in 746 games.

Puskas died in 2006. The Hungary and Real Madrid legend was 79.

- Gerd Muller (1962-1983)

Gerd Muller established himself as a legend at Bayern Munich, remaining the Bavarian team's top goal scorer of all time by netting 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga matches.

Producing 735 goals in 793 matches, Muller took the 1974 World Cup and the 1972 European Championship.

He also captured the Golden Boot at the 1970 World Cup.

Muller passed away in 2021. The German legend was 75.

- Jimmy Jones (1946-1965)

Arguably the greatest Northern Irish footballer of all time, Jimmy Jones is still the record goalscorer in the Irish Football League.

In a career spanning nearly 20 years, Jones spent 11 years for Northern Ireland's Glenavon and scored a total of 647 goals in 614 games.

Jones died in 2014 when he was 85.

- Robert Lewandowski (2006 - )

One of the best goalscorers in the game's history, Robert Lewandowski played a vital role in Bayern Munich's 2021 German Bundesliga title, which was the club's ninth consecutive championship in the local league.

He is the only star to be the top scorer in the German top-tier football league four times in a row.

The 33-year-old Polish striker became the first striker of the year at the Ballon d’Or award ceremony.

Lewandowski, who produced 103 goals for Borussia Dortmund, has netted 337 times for Bayern Munich since 2014 summer.

He first played for Borussia Dortmund in 2010-2014, then Lewandowski arrived at Dortmund's league rivals Bayern Munich on a free transfer.

Lewandowski joined Muller – 365 goals – as the only player to score 300 goals in the Bundesliga.

To date he has scored 576 goals in 797 matches.

Lewandowski won nine Bundesliga titles, seven with Bayern Munich.

Additionally he won the 2020 Champions League.