Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have both celebrated hitting the 1000-goal milestone in their careers when taking into account all matches played. The latest figures from RSSSF reveal that 25 footballers have achieved this remarkable feat, but it’s Lajos Tichy who tops the list with an impressive 1917 goals.
It’s essential to highlight that this isn’t based on the traditional stats of official goals. RSSSF’s ‘All Matches’ ranking includes friendly matches and exhibitions, along with other unofficial games, resulting in higher numbers than typically reported. The organisation also publishes separate rankings for official goals and a more comprehensive tally.
At the summit, Tichy, who spent his entire club career in Hungary, boasts 1917 goals from 1307 appearances. He is followed closely by Josef Bican, with 1813+ goals, and Erwin Helmchen with 1611+.
The legendary Ferenc Puskas ranks fourth with 1569+ goals, while a host of household names including Gerd Muller and Pele also feature prominently within the top ten.
Here’s the complete list of players who have broken the 1000-goal barrier according to RSSSF:
- Lajos Tichy — 1917 goals
- Josef Bican — 1813+
- Erwin Helmchen — 1611+
- Ferenc Puskas — 1569+
- Gerd Muller — 1483
- Ferenc Bene — 1424+
- Ferenc Deak — 1374+
- Pele — 1324
- Jozsef Takacs — 1218+
- Franz Binder — 1202+
- Sandor Kocsis — 1187+
- Ferenc Szusza — 1156+
- Djiula Silaidi — 1112+
- Gyorgy Sarosi — 1098+
- Djula Jengeller — 1080+
- Ernst Wilimovski — 1079+
- Cristiano Ronaldo — 1057
- Nandor Hidegkuti — 1043+
- Ronnie Ruk — 1037+
- Abe Lenstra — 1031+
- Lionel Messi — 1026
- Florian Albert — 1018+
- Imre Schlosser — 1016+
- Istvan Avar — 1007+
- Romario — 1002
These figures are taken from the RSSSF section ‘Best Goalscorers All-Time (All Matches)’. The plus sign indicates that the reported number is a confirmed minimum and the actual figure may be higher.
When it comes to official goals alone, however, the rankings change dramatically. In this official category, Cristiano Ronaldo holds the number one spot, while Lionel Messi is at four. This method is more expansive than in many other databases, as it includes a range of official matches across different levels and competitions. Therefore, numbers from varying sources cannot be mixed directly.
