Superstar names 

Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of Messi: Players to score at most World Cups

©TM/IMAGO

Winning the World Cup is widely viewed as the pinnacle for footballers, certainly at international level. The Champions League is unquestionably the biggest competition in club football but the World Cup exceeds UEFA’s premier tournament due to its global scale. The World Cup only comes around every four years and that adds to its allure and prestige. Many players announced themselves as global superstars at the World Cup and many will be aiming to emulate some of the greatest players ever in North America this summer.

Legendary Brazilian Pelé announced himself by becoming the youngest ever player to win the tournament at just 17 years old in Sweden in 1958. Diego Maradona arguably has the most iconic moment in World Cup history after his infamous ‘hand of god’ helped Argentina defeat England in 1986. Meanwhile, at the last World Cup in Qatar, Kylian Mbappé became just the second player to score a hat-trick in a final. Players will never forget scoring at a World Cup but some players have achieved that more than most. Miroslav Klose is the top goalscorer in World Cup history, but which players have scored in the most editions of the famous tournament?

Which player has scored at the most World Cups?

Only one player has scored at five different World Cups, Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese superstar will be aiming to make history again by extending that to six this summer. Ronaldo has scored eight World Cup goals across five tournaments; 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022. Four players have scored at four different World Cups; Klose, Pele, Lionel Messi and Uwe Seeler. Argentina captain Messi will realistically extend that to five this summer as they aim to become just the third nation to win back-to-back World Cups.

In total, 36 different players have scored in three World Cups and we’ve listed the stars with the most goals in the graphic above. Brazilian striker Ronaldo is the second top goalscorer in World Cup history and won it twice in 1994 and 2002. The only players who can extend their records to scoring in four World Cups this summer are Neymar and Ivan Perišić.

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