IFFHS World's Best International Goal Scorer
The IFFHS World's Best International Goal Scorer is a football award given annually since 1991 to the world's top goalscorer in the calendar year. The award is given by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS).
Only international goals from 1 January to 31 December in international matches, Olympic tournaments, FIFA Club World Cup, official matches between the topical continental club champions, and the continental club competitions of FIFA, AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC and UEFA, as well as, the continental Super Cup matches of the six confederations are taken into consideration. If the number of goals is equal, the player who scored more goals in international matches is ranked higher.[1][2]
Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record for most wins (5), and most goals in a calendar year (32 in 2017). Dennis Bergkamp won the award with the fewest goals (12 in 1992). Neymar and Gabriel Batistuta are the players with the most runner-up appearances (2). Cristiano Ronaldo and Romário are tied with most third place finishes (2). Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are the only players to have won the award more than once, and the only players to win the award in successive seasons, with the former achieving this twice. Ali Ashfaq scored the most goals without winning (23 goals in 2013). Real Madrid and Barcelona are tied for the clubs with the most wins (5).
Plus, since the institution of the award, the IFFHS has awarded the World's Best Goal Scorer of the Decade twice, considering the years 2001-2010 and 2011-2020.
List of winners
The World's Best Top Goal Scorer of the First Decade (2001–2010)
The awards were part of the IFFHS World Football Gala 2012 which took place in Barcelona in May 2012.[33]
Rank | Player | Nation | Club(s) | Goals for country | Goals for club | Total goals | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ruud van Nistelrooy | Netherlands | Manchester United Real Madrid Hamburger SV |
33 | 53 | 86 | [34] |
2 | Thierry Henry | France | Arsenal Barcelona |
43 | 42 | 85 | |
3 | Didier Drogba | Ivory Coast | Marseille Chelsea |
45 | 38 | 83 | |
4 | Miroslav Klose | Germany | Kaiserslautern Werder Bremen Bayern Munich |
58 | 23 | 81 | |
5 | Samuel Eto'o | Cameroon | Mallorca Barcelona Inter Milan |
44 | 35 | 79 | |
6 | Flávio Amado | Angola | Petro Atlético Al Ahly Al Shabab |
32 | 41 | 73 | |
7 | Dimitar Berbatov | Bulgaria | Bayer Leverkusen Tottenham Hotspur Manchester United |
46 | 25 | 71 | |
8 | Raúl | Spain | Real Madrid Schalke 04 |
26 | 45 | 71 | |
9 | David Villa | Spain | Zaragoza Valencia Barcelona |
44 | 24 | 68 | |
10 | Andriy Shevchenko | Ukraine | Milan Chelsea Dynamo Kyiv |
32 | 36 | 68 |
The World's Best Top Goal Scorer of the Second Decade (2011–2020)
The results have been posted on the IFFHS' official website on January 4, 2021.[35]
The final list includes the 41 players who scored 200 or more goals in top-tier national leagues, national cups, continental and international competitions with both club and national teams in the period of time from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2020.
See also
References
- "The World's Best Top Goal Scorer 2013". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020.
- "The World's Best Goal Scorers of the First Decacde (2001-2010)". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
- "IFFHS Awards 1991". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- "IFFHS Awards 1992". Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- "IFFHS Awards 1993". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- "IFFHS Awards 1994". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020.
- "IFFHS Awards 1995". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020.
- "IFFHS Awards 1996". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- "IFFHS Awards 1997". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020.
- "IFFHS Awards 1998". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020.
- "IFFHS Awards 1999". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020.
- "IFFHS Awards 2000 Awards". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- "IFFHS Awards 2001". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- "IFFHS Awards 2002". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- "IFFHS AWARDS 2003". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020.
- "IFFHS Awards 2004". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- "IFFHS Awards 2005". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- "IFFHS Awards 2006". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- "IFFHS Awards 2007". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- "IFFHS Awards 2008". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020.
- "IFFHS Awards 2009". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- "IFFHS Awards 2010". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020.
- "IFFHS Awards 2011". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- "IFFHS Awards 2012". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020.
- "IFFHS Awards 2013". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020.
"The World's Best Top Goal Scorer 2013". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020. - "IFFHS Awards 2014". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
"The World's Best Top Goal Scorer 2014". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020. - "IFFHS Awards 2015". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020.
"The World's Best Top Goal Scorer 2015". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020. - "IFFHS Awards 2016". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020.
"The World's Best Top Goal Scorer 2016 : Cristiano Ronald". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020. - "IFFHS Awards 2017". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020.
- "The World's Best International Top Goal Scorer 2018: Baghdad Bounedjah is the Winner". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020.
- "The World's Best Top Goal Scorer (International Goals): Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugual / FC Juventus)". IFFHS. 1 January 2020. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020.
- "The World's Best International Goal Scorer 2020 - Romelu Lukaku". IFFHS. 31 December 2020. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020.
- "Van Nistelrooy is named best goal scorer of the last decade by the IFFHS". Malaga. 8 May 2012. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020.
- "The World's Best Goal Scorers of the First Decacde (2001-2010)". IFFHS. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
- "IFFHS (International Federation of Football for History & Statistics". iffhs.de. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
- In regards to Neymar's statistics during his spell at Santos (2011-2013), the IFFHS chose to consider the Campeonato Paulista (the top-flight league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, of which Santos is a municipality) as a national league. As a result, the official stats for Neymar include goals scored in two different Brazilian leagues: the Campeonato Paulista and the Brasileirão.
- As the statistics are calculated starting from January 1, 2011, two goals from Aubameyang's loan spell at Monaco (from AC Milan) in the first half of the 2010-11 season are left out of the total amount. The Gabonese striker joined Saint-Étienne in January 2011 on another loan, and eventually signed for the French team on a permanent deal the following December.
- Lukaku was registered for Chelsea between 2011 and 2014, but he never scored during his first season with the club and was loaned, respectively, to West Bromwich Albion and Everton (which eventually signed him permanently) during the following couple of years.
- 14 goals scored during 2011 and 2013 are not counted, as Kane was playing in lower divisions (for Leyton Orient, Milwall and Leicester City): plus, he never scored during his time in Premier League with Norwich City. For this reason, while his first goal in a continental competition traces back to December 15, 2011 (on a 4-0 away win against Shamrock Rovers in the UEFA Europa League group stage), he scored his first goal with a top-tier club, Tottenham, on October 30, 2013 (in the League Cup) and on April 7, 2014 (in Premier League).
- Saucedo's spell at Independiente Medellín (Colombia) in 2011 wasn't considered, as the Bolivian striker never scored during that time.
- The goals scored by Soriano for Barcelona B throughout 2011 are not counted, as the team was competing in the Spanish second tier. For the same reason, his only goal scored for Girona in the 2019-20 season is left out of the total amount.
- On December 24, 2020, Dost joined Club Brugge on a permanent basis, but his first goal for the Belgian team is not counted, as it was scored on January 10, 2021, ten days after the limit date set for the counting (December 31, 2020).
- In 2016, Gormley played for Scottish Premiership team St Johnstone (on loan from English League One side Peterborough United), but never scored a goal during that spell.