While Pelé is often considered the greatest goal scorer of all time, he does not top the charts on any one league’s all-time scoring list. Lionel Messi hasn’t been able to equal Pelé or Diego Maradona by winning a World Cup, but he does sit on top of the all-time scoring list for one of the best leagues in the world.
We’ve shown you the list of the players with the most career goals in soccer history. Now here’s a list of the players with the most career goals in each major, top-division league around the world.
Note: All stats current as of Nov. 5, 2017.
Alan Shearer (England) — 260 goals in 441 appearances (0.59 per game) from 1992-2006
Note: The Premier League has only been around for 25 years. Before that, Jimmy Greaves scored 357 goals from 1957-71. Wayne Rooney is second in EPL history with 202 goals.
Lionel Messi (Argentina) — 361 goals in 393 appearances (0.92 per game) from 2004-present
Note: Cristiano Ronaldo is second with 287 goals at 1.06 goals per game. Mexico’s Hugo Sanchez is fourth with 234 goals from 1981-94.
Gerd Müller (Germany) — 365 goals in 427 appearances (0.85 per game) from 1965-79
Note: Only two of the Bundesliga’s top 10 goal scorers played after 2000.
Silvio Piola
Silvio Piola (Italy) — 274 goals in 537 appearances (0.51 per game) from 1929-54
Note: Piola helped Italy win the 1938 World Cup. Francesco Totti is second with 250 goals over 619 matches.
Delio Onnis
Delio Onnis (Argentina) — 299 goals in 449 appearances (0.66 per game) from 1971-86
Note: Onnis was born in Italy but raised in Argentina. Neymar has some catching up to do but his 0.92 goals per game rate ranks higher than anyone else in the top 10 in Ligue 1.
Willy van der Kuijlen (Netherlands) — 311 goals in 545 appearances (0.57 per game) from 1964-82
Note: Johan Cruijff is third with 216 goals despite spending much of his career abroad.
Fernando Peyroteo (Portugal) — 332 goals in 197 appearances (1.7 per game) from 1937-49
Note: Peyroteo once scored nine goals in one league match; he retired at the age of 31.
Bert De Cleyn
Albert De Cleyn (Belgium) — 377 goals in 488 appearances (0.77 per game) from 1932-55
Note: “Bert” once scored all seven of his team’s goals in a 7-1 win to clinch the 1943 league title.
Kris Boyd (Scotland) — 204 goals in 432 appearances (0.47 per game) from 2000-present
Note: The SPL was founded in 1998. Prior to that, Jimmy McGrory scored 410 goals from 1922-38. Boyd scored seven goals for the Portland Timbers in 2012.
Evanivaldo Castro “Cabinho” (Brazil) — 312 goals in 427 appearances (0.73 per game) from 1974-87
Note: Mexicans Carlos Hermosillo (294 goals) and Jared Borgetti (252) are second and third, respectively.
Landon Donovan (United States) — 145 goals in 340 appearances (0.43 per game) from 2001-16
Note: Chris Wondolowski has 134 goals and could pass the man who was left off the 2014 World Cup squad while Wondolowski missed the goal-scoring chance of a lifetime against Belgium.
Roberto Dinamite (Brazil) — 190 goals in 328 appearances (0.58 per game) from 1971-93
Note: Pelé is 13th on the list with 100 goals but No. 1 in our hearts.
Arsenio Erico (Paraguay) — 295 goals in 334 appearances (0.88 per game) from 1933-47
Note: There is some debate over Erico’s total with some listing him at 293, which would tie him with Argentinean Angel Labruna, who played 515 matches from 1939-59.
Yoshito Okubo (Japan) — 172 goals in 349 appearances (0.49 per game) from 2001-present
Note: Okubo has also played in La Liga with Mallorca (five goals) and the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg (zero goals).
Li Jinyu (China) — 120 goals in 251 appearances (0.48 per game) from 1998-2010
Note: 46 of Li’s goals were in the Chinese Super League’s predecessor the Jia-A League. Gao Lin has 100 goals and counting all in the CSL, which began play in 2004.
Besart Berisha (Yugoslavia/Kosovo) — 101 goals in 159 appearances (0.64 per game) from 2011-present
Note: Berisha spent his first seven seasons in Europe and is the only non-Australian in the Top 5 all-time goal scorers in the A-League, which was founded in 2005.
Iain Hume
Iain Hume (Canada) — 23 goals in 46 appearances (0.5 per game) from 2013-present
Note: Bet you didn’t expect to see a Canadian anywhere on this list, but Hume, who made his professional debut at the age of 16 with Tranmere Rovers in England, is aided by the fact the league has only been in operation since 2013.
Samantha Kerr (Australia) — 43 goals in 81 appearances (0.53 per game) from 2013-present
Note: Kerr scored 17 goals in 22 games in the 2017 season to set the NWSL single-season mark.
Russia/Ukraine: Oleg Blokhin (Soviet Union, Ukraine) — 211 goals from 1972-87
Czech Republic/Czechoslovakia: Josef Bican (Czechoslovakia/Austria) — 500 goals from 1931–55
Yugoslavia/Croatia/Serbia: Stjepan Bobek (Yugoslavia, Croatia) — 403 goals from 1945–58
Hungary: Ferenc Szusza (Hungary) — 393 goals from 1940–61
Northern Ireland: Jimmy Jones (Northern Ireland) — 332 goals from 1947–64
Wales: Marc Lloyd-Williams (Wales) — 319 goals from 1992–2010
Estonia: Maksim Gruznov (Estonia) — 304 goals from 1992–2012
Austria: Hans Krankl (Austria) — 271 goals from 1974–88
Greece: Thomas Mavros (Greece) — 260 goals 1970–91
Sweden: Sven Jonasson (Sweden) — 254 goals 1927–47
Bulgaria: Petar Zhekov (Bulgaria) — 253 goals from 1962–75
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