There is no disagreement that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are among the best players in history. Despite their prolific goal-scoring records with their clubs and national teams, their World Cup tally remains modest. Ronaldo has participated in four previous World Cups with Portugal, scoring seven goals, while Messi has also played in four World Cups with Argentina, netting six goals.
Ronaldo, who is considered the all-time leading scorer for national teams and the top scorer in the history of the UEFA Champions League and Real Madrid, ranks 30th on the list of all-time World Cup scorers. Meanwhile, Messi, a seven-time winner of the World Player of the Year award, sits at 37th. The duo is still far behind former German star Miroslav Klose, the all-time World Cup top scorer with 16 goals.
Here are the top ten scorers in World Cup history:
1. Miroslav Klose (Germany) - 16 goals
2. Ronaldo (Brazil) - 15 goals
3. Gerd Müller (Germany) - 14 goals
4. Just Fontaine (French of Moroccan descent) - 13 goals
5. Pelé (Brazil) - 12 goals
6. Sandor Kocsis (Hungary) - 11 goals
7. Jürgen Klinsmann (Germany) - 11 goals
8. Gabriel Omar Batistuta (Argentina) - 10 goals
9. Gary Lineker (England) - 10 goals
10. Thomas Müller (Germany) - 10 goals
- 30. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) - 7 goals
- 37. Lionel Messi (Argentina) - 6 goals.
