Lionel Messi surpasses Pele as all-time leading goalscorer at World Cup, Kylian Mbappe joins elite list

The 2022 World Cup final was a highly anticipated event that did not disappoint as Argentina and France faced off at the Lusail Iconic Stadium in Qatar. The game was a memorable one, with both Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe putting on impressive performances. Messi scored twice, while Mbappe scored a hat trick, the second ever in a men’s World Cup final. Despite Mbappe’s impressive feat, it was Messi who emerged as the ultimate victor as he helped lead Argentina to a 4-2 victory in a penalty shootout after the game ended in a 3-3 draw after 120 minutes.

Messi’s two goals brought his total up to 13 at World Cups, surpassing Pele and tying him with France’s Just Fontaine as the joint fourth-highest scorers in World Cup history. Mbappe, at the age of 23, has now scored the same number of World Cup goals as Pele and more in World Cup finals than any other player. He is just five goals away from becoming the all-time leading scorer in the competition, having won the Golden Boot for his eight goals in Qatar.

The latest standings for the all-time World Cup goalscoring list can be found below, courtesy of Sports Mole.

1. Miroslav Klose (Germany)
Goals: 16
Appearances: 24
Ratio: 0.67
Tournaments: 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014

2. Ronaldo (Brazil)
Goals: 15
Appearances: 19
Ratio: 0.79
Tournaments: 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006

3. Gerd Muller (West Germany)
Goals: 14
Appearances: 13
Ratio: 1.08
Tournaments: 1970, 1974

4. Just Fontaine (France)
Goals: 13
Appearances: 6
Ratio: 2.17
Tournaments: 1958

5. Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Goals: 13
Appearances: 26
Ratio: 0.50
Tournaments: 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022

6. Pele (Brazil)
Goals: 12
Appearances: 14
Ratio: 0.86
Tournaments: 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970

7. Kylian Mbappe (France)
Goals: 12
Appearances: 14
Ratio: 0.86
Tournaments: 2018, 2022

8. Sandor Kocsis (Hungary)
Goals: 11
Appearances: 5
Ratio: 2.20
Tournaments: 1954

9. Jurgen Klinsmann (West Germany & Germany)
Goals: 11
Appearances: 17
Ratio: 0.65
Tournaments: 1990, 1994, 1998

10. Helmut Rahn (West Germany)
Goals: 10
Appearances: 10
Ratio: 1.00
Tournaments: 1954, 1958

11. Gary Lineker (England)
Goals: 10
Appearances: 12
Ratio: 0.83
Tournaments: 1986, 1990

12. Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina)
Goals: 10
Appearances: 12
Ratio: 0.83
Tournaments: 1994, 1998, 2002

13. Teofilo Cubillas (Peru)
Goals: 10
Appearances: 13
Ratio: 0.77
Tournaments: 1970, 1978, 1982

14. Thomas Muller (Germany)
Goals: 10
Appearances: 19
Ratio: 0.53
Tournaments: 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022

15. Grzegorz Lato (Poland)
Goals: 10
Appearances: 20
Ratio: 0.50
Tournaments: 1974, 1978, 1982