The FIFA World cup is considered to be the most prestigious trophy of all time, Players dream of playing and winning this trophy to make their country proud.
The FIFA World Cup is one of the most anticipated competitions for football fans all around the world. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) held the first tournament for the cup in 1930, which Uruguay won. France won the most recent World Cup in 2018.
The World Cup has given some incredible goal scorers in the past, making it a platform cherished by many football legends. While Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are the first names that come to mind when we think of elite goal scorers of the current generation, they do not appear on the list of the top goal scorers in World Cup history.
With the upcoming FIFA World Cup just around the doorstep, let us take a look at the Top 5 World Cup goal scorers of all time
| NO | PLAYER | GOALS | MATCHES | WORLD CUPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Miroslav Klose | 16 | 24 | 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 |
| 2 |  Ronaldo | 15 | 19 | 1994,1998, 2002, 2006 |
| 3 | Gerd Müller | 14 | 13 | 1970, 1974 |
| 4 |  Just Fontaine | 13 | 6 | 1958 |
| 5 | Pelé | 12 | 14 | 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970 |
#5 Pele (Brazil)
Pele, regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, is fifth on this list. The Brazilian has scored 12 goals in 14 World Cup appearances.
Pele began his professional career with Santos and spent the majority of his time there. For the eight-time Campeonato Brasileiro Série A winners, the Brazilian has 619 goals in 638 games.
He resigned from professional football in 1974, but returned to the game in 1975, signing a deal with the American Club New York Cosmos. He scored 31 goals in 58 outings for the team before calling it quits in 1977.
Pele, a former Santos forward, competed in four World Cups, winning three of them. Notably, he is Brazil’s all-time best goalscorer, having scored 77 goals in 92 appearances.
#4 Just Fontaine (France)
Just Fontaine, a former French striker, is ranked fourth on this list with 13 goals in just six appearances. He holds the record for most goals scored in a single World Cup (13 goals in the 1958 World Cup).
Just Fontaine began his career with the USM Casablanca before moving on to Nice in 1953. He spent three seasons with Nice, scoring 63 goals in 49 appearances. Fontaine went to Rennes in 1956 and won three French Division 1 championships. He led the league in scoring in 1957-58 and 1959-60.
Just Fontaine had 30 goals in 21 caps for the French National Team and was the tournament’s leading scorer in the 1958 FIFA World Cup.
#3 Gerd Muller (Germany)
Gerd Muller, regarded as one of the greatest goal scorers of all time, is ranked third on this list. He had 14 goals in 13 World Cup appearances.
Gerd Muller began his career in 1861 in Nördlingen, when he broke all records by scoring 51 goals in a single season. Such remarkable goal-scoring results won him a transfer to German heavyweights Bayern Munich, where he set a new Bundesliga record with 398 goals in 453 appearances. Notably, he is Bundesliga’s all-time leading scorer.
Gerd Muller, a two-time German Footballer of the Year, appeared in 62 games for Germany and scored 68 goals.
#2 Ronaldo (Brazil)
Ronaldo, a former Brazilian striker, is ranked second on this list. He has played in three World Cups and got 15 goals in 19 appearances.
Ronaldo, a three-time FIFA Player of the Year, began his career with Cruzeiro before coming to Europe with PSV in 1994. His outstanding Eredivisie record won him a transfer to Barcelona, where he scored 34 goals in 37 appearances. However, because of issues with his contract talks with Barcelona, he was forced to depart after only one season.
He later joined Inter Milan, where he won the FIFA Club Footballer of the Year title in 1997-1998.
Ronaldo then joined Real Madrid in 2002, where he played with Zinedine Zidane and Luis Figo. During his career with Real Madrid, he won two La Liga titles.
Ronaldo scored 62 goals in 98 appearances for Brazil and won the World Cup Golden Boot in 2006.
#1 Miroslav Klose (Germany)
Miroslav Klose, former Germany, and Bayern Munich icon is at the top of this list. In the 24 games he participated in the World Cup, he scored 16 goals.
Miroslav Klose was born in Poland and migrated to Germany when he was eight years old. His professional career began at FC 08 Homburg.
He left the club after a year to join Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, where he scored 44 league goals in 120 games. His outstanding performance earned him a transfer to Wender Bremen, where he won the Bundesliga Top Scorer award in 2005-2006.
Such goal-scoring ability attracted Bayern Munich’s interest, and Klose finally joined the Bavarian club during the 2007 summer transfer window. After four seasons with Bayern Munich, he went to Serie A team Lazio, where he retired.
Miroslav Klose is Germany’s all-time leading goal scorer, with 71 goals in 137 appearances.
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