Cristiano Ronaldo is now 41 and Lionel Messi isn't far off 40, but they are still scoring goals for fun as the GOAT debate rumbles on...
Messi is a World Cup winner after leading Argentina to glory in Qatar in 2022, but former Manchester United star Ronaldo, who is still missing a World Cup success, continues to stake his claim as the best ever in Saudi Arabia.
Ronaldo and Messi are two of the best scorers in football history
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Ronaldo and Messi are two of the best scorers in football history
Both are footballing greats and they are still netting goals at unbelievable rates for Al Nassr and Inter Miami respectively, as well as on the international stage.
But it's Ronaldo who sits well above his rival at the top of the all-time scoring table, as he gets ever closer to reaching the remarkable 1000-goal landmark.
No one has scored more goals recognised by FIFA than Portugal captain Ronaldo, who brought up his 900th strike for club and country against Croatia in the Nations League in September 2024.
Messi has surpassed a host of legendary names throughout his incredible career too, but Ronaldo still remains at the very top.
Both goalscoring greats will be looking for more goals when they star at the 2026 World Cup this summer, while Luis Suarez and Harry Kane are the only players still playing who could currently get near the top ten scorers of all time.
Suarez has reached the landmark of 600 goals, with England's top scorer Kane having 500 career goals to date.
According to the statistics from the IFFHS, here's who makes the list of the top ten highest goalscorers of all time...
10. Joe Bambrick - 626 goals
Northern Irish forward Bambrick will be a name that not many will have heard of these days.
The ex-Chelsea and Walsall striker played between 1926 and 1939, netting his 600+ goals across that period.
Bambrick scored 33 goals for Chelsea in 61 appearances, with them all coming in the old First Division.
He also netted 11 times in 11 games for Northern Ireland on the international stage.
9. Gerd Muller - 63 4 goals
The striker’s most important goal of the 68 he banged in for West Germany was the winner in the 1974 World Cup final against the Netherlands in Munich.
During a historic 15 years at Bayern, Muller netted a record 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga games and 66 goals in 74 European matches.
His record of 40 goals scored in a single Bundesliga season stood for 49 years, and was broken by Robert Lewandowski in May 2021.
Kane is now playing his football in Germany and he came very close to join Lewandowski in breaking Muller's record.
Gerd Muller in action for West Germany against East Germany
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Müller won the Ballon d'Or in 1970 and is a German legendCredit: AFP
8. Jimmy Jones - 639 goals
Similar to No.10 in this list, Bambrick, Jones is another Northern Irish former striker who loved to score goals.
He played from 1943 until 1965, playing for 10 different teams and netting over 600 times in his career.
The forward, who passed away in 2014, spent some time at Fulham and scored most of his goals for Glenavon.
Jones also made three caps for the Northern Ireland national team.
7. Robert Lewandowski - 696 goals
If Lewandowski played in a different generation than Messi and Ronaldo, he would be much more appreciated than he is.
The Polish international is his country's most-capped player and top goalscorer and is a legend back home.
He is also Bayern Munich's second-top goalscorer behind only the great Muller, not bad for a free transfer from Borussia Dortmund.
The 37-year-old left Bayern in the summer of 2023 for a switch to Barcelona, where he continued to score goals despite ageing.
Lewandowski scored 120 times for Barca in four seasons, while the Pole is also the third-top goalscorer in Champions League history.
Perhaps when he retires, we will all appreciate just how good Lewandowski was.
Robert Lewandowski celebrates scoring
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Lewandowski is one of the greatest goalscorers of the modern eraCredit: Getty
6. Josef Bican - 722 goals
The legendary striker scored an incredible 395 in 217 games for Slavia Prague from 1937 to 1948.
He also starred for multiple clubs in Czechia, racking up an unbelievable amount of goals.
This means that Bican was football’s leading goalscorer of all time for decades.
Although it's said he scored close to 1,500 goals in total during his playing days, only around half of those were recognised by FIFA.
5. Ferenc Puskas - 725 goals
A Hungarian icon, Puskas now lends his name to the award for the most beautiful goal of each year.
The striker made his name in Budapest before cementing his legend at Real Madrid.
He scored over 150 goals for Los Blancos, averaging almost a goal a game.
Two of Puskas' most famous goals came in Hungary's famous 6-3 win over England, with the 1953 match at Wembley later being coined the 'Match of the Century'.
Puskas celebrates his first goal in the Match of the Century
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Puskas celebrates his first goal in the Match of the CenturyCredit: Getty Images - Getty
4. Romario - 756 goals
Romario led Brazil to World Cup glory in 1994, scoring five goals in the tournament.
He also enjoyed a stellar career at a number of top clubs around the world.
The forward played for 10 teams in total, making over 700 appearances.
His time at PSV gave him the most success in front of goal as he scored 98 goals in just 110 matches.
Romario also netted 55 times in 70 caps for his country.
3. Pele - 762 goals
One of the greatest ever and a three-time World Cup winner.
Pele only played for two clubs while leading Brazil to glory throughout his career.
He scored nearly a goal per game during his 656 competitive games for Santos, though he claims to have scored more than 1,000 times.
However, it is widely accepted that hundreds of those goals came during tour or friendly matches. Pele would have told you otherwise!
The icon passed away in 2022, but his legacy lives on in the footballing world.
Pele made his debut for Brazil when he was just 16, winning his first World Cup at 17
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Pele made his debut for Brazil when he was just 16, winning his first World Cup at 17Credit: Getty
2. Lionel Messi - 910 goals
A true legend, Messi has won countless trophies to go along with his goals, including a record eight Ballon d'Or awards.
Now with Inter Miami in the United States, the Argentine has a few years left to add to his remarkable tally and is closing in on 900 career goals.
Messi scored seven times at the World Cup in Qatar, with two in the dramatic penalty shootout win over France in the final surely proving to be the most special in his entire career.
He netted over 650 times for Barcelona before moving on to PSG where he scored 32 more.
The icon now plays in the MLS and continues to score goals and win trophies, while also still starring for Argentina on the international stage, helping them win the 2024 Copa America.
Lionel Messi poses with the MLS Cup trophy
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Messi is loving life in the MLS and keeps finding the back of the netCredit: AFP
1. Cristiano Ronaldo - 973 goals
A modern great for Portugal, Manchester United and Real Madrid, Ronaldo has won everything in the game and is still going strong today.
Ronaldo is the only player to score at five separate World Cups - and he is not done yet with talk of retirement being premature, according to the man himself.
In fact, Ronaldo has broken more boundaries, securing the most expensive contract in sports' history with Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr.
He has reached the incredible milestone of 500 career league goals while at the club and hit 100 goal contributions for them in January.
On the international stage, he has also moved on to 226 international caps - a world record - and he hasn't stopped scoring, netting 143 times for his country.
Ronaldo has become the first player ever to score 900 career goals and he is eyeing 1000 before he retires after turning 41.
Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr.
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Ronaldo continues to move closer to the 1000-goal mark at Al NassrCredit: Getty