List of men's footballers with 50 or more international goals

The first player to score 50 international goals was Imre Schlosser of Hungary.[1] He achieved the feat when he scored a brace (two goals) in a 6–2 victory against Austria on 3 June 1917. He scored 57 international goals in 68 matches, played his last match on 10 April 1927.[lower-alpha 1][2] He remained highest international goalscorer for 26 years until his fellow countryman Ferenc Puskás broke the record. Puskás was the third player and the third European after Poul Nielsen of Denmark to achieve 50 international goals in international career.[3][4] Neilsen achieved this feat on his 36th cap against Sweden in the 1924–28 Nordic Football Championship on 14 June 1925. This is also the fewest matches played by any player to score 50 goals. He scored 52 goals in just 38 matches in his international career.[5][6][7] His 50th goal came on 24 July 1952, when he scored a brace in the semi-final match against Turkey at the 1952 Summer Olympics.[8]

Imre Schlosser of Hungary is the first player ever to score 50 international goals.

Ali Daei of Iran is the first player ever to score over 100 goals in international football having scored 109 goals in his career.

Puskás scored 84 goals in his international career.[3] He remained the highest international goalscorer for 47 years following his 84th goal in 1956 against Austria until Ali Daei of Iran broke the record in 2003 after scoring his 85th goal against Lebanon.[9] Daei is the first player ever to score over 100 goals in international football with 109 goals.[10][11] He scored his 50th goal in a friendly match against Mexico on 9 January 2000. His 100th goal came on 17 November 2004, when he scored a hat-trick (eventually improving to a four-goal haul) against Laos in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification.[12] However, the first player from Asia to score at least 50 goals was Japan's Kunishige Kamamoto. He achieved the feat after scoring against Malaysia in 1972 Merdeka Tournament and he went on to score 80 goals for his country in 84 international appearances.[13][14] Just two years after Puskás' scored his 50th goal, his teammate Sándor Kocsis did the same on 19 September 1954 in a friendly match against Romania.[15] He became the third player and the third European to achieve the feat. He went on to score a total of 75 goals in 65 matches in international football.[16] Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal is the only other player to score 100 international goals other than Daei and the first European to achieve the feat. He has achieved the feat while scoring a brace against Sweden in the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League on 8 September 2020.[17]

Pelé of Brazil was the first player from outside Europe and the first player from South America to score at least 50 goals. He attained this in a friendly match against the Soviet Union on 21 November 1965. He scored 77 international goals in 92 matches.[18] Malawi's Kinnah Phiri was the first player from Africa, and also the youngest player, to score 50 international goals. He scored his 50th goal in a friendly match against Sierra Leone on 6 July 1978 when he was 23 years 8 months and 6 days old.[19] Stern John of Trinidad and Tobago was the first player from North America to score 50 international goals. He scored 70 goals in 115 matches with his 50th goal coming in a friendly match against the Dominican Republic on 13 June 2004.[20]

To date four players each representing Brazil and Hungary have scored 50 or more international goals. Iraq and Japan each have three players who have achieved the feat. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has the highest number of footballers who have scored at least 50 goals in their international career with 23 players achieving the feat to date.[21]

Bader Al-Mutawa of Kuwait has played the most matches so far to score 50 international goals.[22] He scored his 50th goal during his 155th international appearance, while scoring a hat-trick against Myanmar on 3 September 2015 during 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification matches.[23]