From legendary hat-trick artists to all-time record holders, this lineup spans eight decades of World Cup glory across five continents. Which striker gets your vote?
1Kylian MbappéFrench superstar who holds the all-time World Cup scoring record with 22 goals and is the only player to win the Golden Boot twice, in 2022 and 2026.1000pts
2Miroslav KloseGerman striker who scored 16 World Cup goals across four tournaments and held the all-time scoring record from 2014 until 2026.986pts
3Jude BellinghamEngland midfielder who has scored eight World Cup goals, seven of them at the 2026 tournament, where England finished third.711pts
4EusébioPortuguese maestro who scored nine World Cup goals in 1966, winning the Golden Boot and finishing as the tournament's top scorer.711pts
5Lionel MessiArgentine captain who scored 21 World Cup goals across six tournaments, lifting the trophy in 2022 and reaching the 2026 final.575pts
6Roberto BaggioItalian playmaker who scored nine World Cup goals across 1990, 1994 and 1998, carrying Italy to the 1994 final almost single-handedly.562pts
7Oldřich NejedlýCzechoslovak forward who top-scored at the 1934 World Cup as his side reached the final, finishing with seven goals across two tournaments.562pts
8Teófilo CubillasPeruvian legend who scored 10 World Cup goals across two tournaments and is considered one of South America's greatest.514pts
9Hristo StoichkovBulgaria forward who shared the 1994 Golden Boot with six goals as his country reached a historic World Cup semi-final.514pts
10Thomas MüllerGerman forward who scored 10 World Cup goals in three tournaments, winning the 2014 Golden Boot with five goals.514pts
11Uwe SeelerHamburg legend who scored nine goals across four World Cups from 1958 to 1970, one of the first two men to score at four tournaments.514pts
12Oleg SalenkoRussian striker who scored a record five goals in one World Cup match, against Cameroon in 1994, and shared that year's Golden Boot.514pts
13Just FontaineFrench striker who scored a record 13 goals in a single World Cup tournament in 1958, a record that still stands.514pts
14Helmut RahnWest German forward who scored 10 World Cup goals, including the decisive 1954 World Cup final winner.514pts
15Sándor KocsisHungarian forward nicknamed 'Golden Head' who scored 11 goals at the 1954 World Cup, including two hat-tricks.460pts
16Diego MaradonaArgentina captain who scored eight World Cup goals, five of them in Mexico 1986, including the Hand of God and the Goal of the Century.460pts
17Mario KempesArgentine striker who won the 1978 Golden Boot with six goals, including two in the final against the Netherlands.460pts
18Harry KaneEngland captain who has scored 14 World Cup goals across 2018, 2022 and 2026, winning the Golden Boot in Russia with six goals.460pts
19VaváBrazilian striker who scored in both the 1958 and 1962 World Cup finals, finishing with nine goals and two winner's medals.460pts
20David VillaSpain forward who scored nine World Cup goals, five of them during the 2010 run to his country's first world title.460pts
21Paolo RossiItalian striker who won the 1982 Golden Boot and Golden Ball, scoring a hat-trick against Brazil and six goals in Italy's title run.399pts
22Christian VieriItalian centre-forward who scored nine World Cup goals across 1998 and 2002, sharing Italy's tournament record with Paolo Rossi and Roberto Baggio.399pts
23Erling HaalandNorway striker who scored seven goals on his World Cup debut in 2026, sharing third place in the Golden Boot race.399pts
24Romelu LukakuBelgium's record goalscorer who has scored eight World Cup goals, four of them at the 2018 tournament where Belgium finished third.399pts
25RivaldoBrazilian playmaker who scored eight World Cup goals, including five in consecutive matches on the way to the 2002 title.399pts
26Karl-Heinz RummeniggeWest German forward who scored nine World Cup goals across three tournaments and reached two finals, in 1982 and 1986.399pts
27Gerd MüllerWest Germany's 'Der Bomber' who scored 14 World Cup goals including the 1974 winning goal in the final.399pts
28AdemirBrazilian forward who top-scored at the 1950 World Cup on home soil with nine goals, including four in a 7-1 win over Sweden.329pts
29Gary LinekerEngland striker who scored 10 World Cup goals and won the Golden Boot at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.329pts
30Guillermo StábileArgentine striker who top-scored at the inaugural 1930 World Cup with eight goals in just four matches.329pts
31PeléBrazilian legend who scored 12 World Cup goals and won three FIFA World Cup titles across four tournaments.329pts
32Gabriel BatistutaArgentina's all-time top scorer who netted 10 World Cup goals, renowned for his powerful shooting and aerial ability.329pts
33NeymarBrazil forward who has scored nine World Cup goals across four tournaments from 2014 to 2026.248pts
34Óscar MíguezUruguay's leading World Cup scorer with eight goals, five of them during the 1950 triumph that ended with the Maracanazo.248pts
35Grzegorz LatoPoland winger who won the 1974 Golden Boot with seven goals and finished with 10 World Cup goals as Poland twice placed third.248pts
36LeônidasBrazil's 'Black Diamond' who won the 1938 Golden Boot and scored eight World Cup goals across the 1934 and 1938 tournaments.248pts
37Ronaldo R9Brazilian phenomenon who scored 15 World Cup goals and won the trophy twice, including the 2002 Golden Boot.248pts
38James RodríguezColombian playmaker who won the 2014 Golden Boot with six goals, including a celebrated volley against Uruguay.248pts
39Rudi VöllerGerman striker who won the 1990 World Cup and scored eight goals across three tournaments from 1986 to 1994.153pts
40Davor ŠukerCroatia striker who won the 1998 Golden Boot with six goals as World Cup debutants Croatia finished third.153pts
41Jürgen KlinsmannGerman forward who scored 11 World Cup goals across three tournaments, known for his acrobatic technique.0pts
42Cristiano RonaldoPortugal's record-breaking captain who scored 11 World Cup goals and is the only player to score at six different tournaments, from 2006 to 2026.0pts
43JairzinhoBrazilian winger who scored in every match of the 1970 World Cup, seven goals in six games, on the way to nine career World Cup goals.0pts
Comments 1
Messi finished on 21 and Klose's record had been 16; the number at the top of this list is now 22: https://youpick.best/articles/kylian-mbappe-ranked-every-way
YP
ypb-teamAug 21
