| IFFHS World's Best Man International Goal Scorer | |
| Mostrecent: | Romelu Lukaku (22 goals in 2023) |
| Mostwins: | Cristiano Ronaldo (5 awards) |
| Firstwinner: | Jean-Pierre Papin |
| Number: | 33 |
| First: | 1991 |
| Presenter: | International Federation of Football History & Statistics |
| Givenfor: | Best international goal scorer of the calendar year |
| Sport: | Association football |
The IFFHS World's Best International Goal Scorer is a football award given annually since 1991 to the world's top international goalscorer in the calendar year. The award is given by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS).
Only international goals from 1 January to 31 December in international matches, Olympic tournaments, FIFA Club World Cup, official matches between the topical continental club champions, and the continental club competitions of FIFA, AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC and UEFA, as well as, the continental Super Cup matches of the six confederations are taken into consideration. If the number of goals is equal, the player who scored more goals in international matches is ranked higher.[1] [2]
Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record for most wins (5), and most goals in a calendar year (32 in 2017). Dennis Bergkamp, Raí and César Obando won the award with the fewest goals (12 in 1992). Neymar and Gabriel Batistuta are the players with the most runner-up appearances (2). Cristiano Ronaldo is the player with most third-place finishes (3). Ali Daei, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski and Romelo Lukaku are the only players who have won the award more than once. Ronaldo and Messi are the only players to win the award in successive seasons, with Ronaldo achieving this twice. Ali Ashfaq scored the most goals without winning (23 goals in 2013). Real Madrid and Barcelona are tied for the clubs with the most wins (5).
In 2012, the IFFHS awarded the World's Best Goal Scorer of the First Decade, considering the years 2001 to 2010.[3]
| Year | Rank | Winner | Club(s) | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Jean-Pierre Papin[4] | Marseille | 16 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Gabriel Batistuta | Boca Juniors Fiorentina | 12 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | Darko Pančev | Red Star Belgrade | 12 | |
| 1992 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Dennis Bergkamp[5] | Ajax | 12 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Raí | São Paulo | 12 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | César Obando | Motagua | 12 | |
| 1993 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Saeed Al-Owairan[6] | Al Shabab | 18 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Kazuyoshi Miura | Tokyo Verdy | 16 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | Luís Roberto Alves | América | 14 | |
| 1994 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Hristo Stoichkov[7] | Barcelona | 17 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Hwang Sun-hong | Pohang Steelers | 16 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | Romário | Barcelona | 15 | |
| 1995 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Jürgen Klinsmann[8] | Bayern Munich | 17 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Mário Jardel | Grêmio | 16 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | Enzo Francescoli | River Plate | 14 | |
| 1996 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Ali Daei[9] | Persepolis Al Sadd | 22 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Natipong Sritong-In Hernán Crespo | Thai Farmers Bank River Plate | 16 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | – | |||
| 1997 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Ronaldo[10] | Barcelona Inter Milan | 22 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Karim Bagheri | Persepolis Arminia Bielefeld | 20 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | Romário Kazuyoshi Miura | Flamengo Valencia Tokyo Verdy | 19 | |
| 1998 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Jasem Al-Huwaidi[11] | Al-Kuwait | 20 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Gabriel Batistuta | Fiorentina | 14 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | Luis Hernández | Necaxa | 13 | |
| 1999 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Raúl[12] | Real Madrid | 14 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Rivaldo Alex | Barcelona Palmeiras | 13 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | – | |||
| 2000 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Rivaldo[13] | Barcelona | 21 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Romário | Vasco da Gama | 21 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | Ali Daei | Hertha BSC | 20 | |
| 2001 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Hani Al-Dhabit[14] | Dhofar | 22 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Archie Thompson Raúl | Warriors FC Marconi Stallions Real Madrid | 16 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | – | |||
| 2002 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Ruud van Nistelrooy[15] | Manchester United | 14 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Miroslav Klose Jon Dahl Tomasson | 1. FC Kaiserslautern Feyenoord Milan | 13 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | – | |||
| 2003 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Thierry Henry[16] | Arsenal | 15 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | David Trezeguet | Juventus | 15 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | Raúl | Real Madrid | 14 | |
| 2004 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Ali Daei[17] | Saba Battery | 17 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Carlos Tevez | Boca Juniors | 16 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | Adriano Didier Drogba | Inter Milan Marseille Chelsea | 15 | |
| 2005 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Adriano[18] | Inter Milan | 18 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Wilmer Velásquez | Olimpia | 15 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | Ronaldinho Emad Moteab | Barcelona Al Ahly | 14 | |
| 2006 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Humberto Suazo[19] | Colo-Colo | 17 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Peter Crouch | Liverpool | 16 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | Mohamed Aboutrika | Al Ahly | 14 | |
| 2007 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Trésor Mputu[20] | TP Mazembe | 20 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Salvador Cabañas | América | 18 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | Boca Juniors | 17 | ||
| 2008 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Rico[21] | Al-Muharraq | 19 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Ahmad Ajab | Qadsia | 15 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | Miroslav Klose | Bayern Munich | 15 | |
| 2009 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Shinji Okazaki[22] | Shimizu S-Pulse | 15 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Didier Drogba | Chelsea | 15 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | Abdelmalek Ziaya | ES Sétif | 15 | |
| 2010 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Bader Al-Mutawa[23] | Qadsia | 17 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Samuel Eto'o | Inter Milan | 17 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | David Villa | Barcelona | 16 | |
| 2011 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Lionel Messi[24] | Barcelona | 19 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Radamel Falcao | Porto Atlético Madrid | 17 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | Hassan Abdel-Fattah Mario Gómez | Al-Kuwait Bayern Munich | 15 | |
| 2012 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Lionel Messi[25] | Barcelona | 25 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Neymar | Santos | 21 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | 18 | |
| 2013 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Cristiano Ronaldo[26] | Real Madrid | 25 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Ali Ashfaq | New Radiant | 23 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | Issam Jemâa | Al-Kuwait | 20 | |
| 2014 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Cristiano Ronaldo[27] | Real Madrid | 20 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Neymar | Barcelona | 19 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 18 | |
| 2015 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | [28] | Bayern Munich | 22 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Ahmed Khalil | Shabab Al-Ahli | 20 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | 19 | |
| 2016 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Cristiano Ronaldo[29] | Real Madrid | 24 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 21 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | Edinson Cavani | 16 | ||
| 2017 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Cristiano Ronaldo[30] | Real Madrid | 32 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Kim Yu-song | April 25 | 16 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | 15 | |
| 2018 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Baghdad Bounedjah[31] | Al Sadd | 20 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Romelu Lukaku | 15 | ||
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | Ayoub El Kaabi | RS Berkane | 15 | |
| 2019 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Cristiano Ronaldo[32] | Juventus | 21 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Ali Mabkhout | Al Jazira | 19 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | Harry Kane | Tottenham Hotspur | 19 | |
| 2020 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Romelu Lukaku[33] | Inter Milan | 16 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Erling Haaland | Borussia Dortmund | 14 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | Neymar | Paris Saint-Germain | 11 | |
| 2021 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Robert Lewandowski[34] | Bayern Munich | 24 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Harry Kane | Tottenham Hotspur | 22 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | Cristiano Ronaldo | Juventus Manchester United | 19 | |
| 2022 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Lionel Messi[35] | Paris Saint-Germain | 22 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Kylian Mbappé | Paris Saint-Germain | 21 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | Julián Álvarez | River Plate Manchester City | 15 | |
| 2023 | scope=col style="background-color: gold" | 1st | Romelu Lukaku[36] | Inter Milan Roma | 22 |
| scope=col style="background-color: silver" | 2nd | Erling Haaland | Manchester City | 18 | |
| scope=col style="background-color: #cc9966" | 3rd | Mehdi Taremi | Porto | 14 | |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 5 | 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019 |
| Lionel Messi | 3 | 2011, 2012, 2022 |
| Ali Daei | 2 | 1996, 2004 |
| Robert Lewandowski | 2015, 2021 | |
| Romelu Lukaku | 2020, 2023 | |
| Jean-Pierre Papin | 1 | 1991 |
| Dennis Bergkamp | 1992 | |
| Saeed Al-Owairan | 1993 | |
| Hristo Stoichkov | 1994 | |
| Jürgen Klinsmann | 1995 | |
| Ronaldo | 1997 | |
| Jasem Al-Huwaidi | 1998 | |
| Raúl | 1999 | |
| Rivaldo | 2000 | |
| Hani Al-Dhabit | 2001 | |
| Ruud van Nistelrooy | 2002 | |
| Thierry Henry | 2003 | |
| Adriano | 2005 | |
| Humberto Suazo | 2006 | |
| Trésor Mputu | 2007 | |
| Rico | 2008 | |
| Shinji Okazaki | 2009 | |
| Bader Al-Mutawa | 2010 | |
| Baghdad Bounedjah | 2018 |
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 2017 | 32 |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | 2012 | 25 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 2013 | ||
| 4 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 2016 | 24 |
| 2021 |
| Real Madrid | 5 | 2 | |
| Barcelona | 4 | 3 | |
| Inter Milan | 3 | 3 | |
| Bayern Munich | 3 | 2 | |
| Al Sadd | 2 | 2 | |
| Ajax | 1 | 1 | |
| Al-Kuwait | 1 | 1 | |
| Al-Muharraq | 1 | 1 | |
| Al Shabab | 1 | 1 | |
| Arsenal | 1 | 1 | |
| Colo-Colo | 1 | 1 | |
| Dhofar | 1 | 1 | |
| Juventus | 1 | 1 | |
| Qadsia | 1 | 1 | |
| Manchester United | 1 | 1 | |
| Marseille | 1 | 1 | |
| Motagua | 1 | 1 | |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 1 | 1 | |
| Saba Battery | 1 | 1 | |
| São Paulo | 1 | 1 | |
| Shimizu S-Pulse | 1 | 1 | |
| 1 | 1 | ||
| TP Mazembe | 1 | 1 | |
| AS Roma | 1 | 1 |
| 5 | 5 | ||
| 5 | 1 | ||
| 3 | 1 | ||
| 2 | 2 | ||
| 2 | 2 | ||
| 2 | 2 | ||
| 2 | 1 | ||
| 2 | 1 | ||
| 2 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 1 |
The awards were part of the IFFHS World Football Gala 2012 which took place in Barcelona in May 2012.[37]
For the final list of 15 players, international goals scored from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2010 were taken into consideration.
| Rank | Player | Nation | Club(s) | Goals for country | Goals for club(s) | Total goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester United Real Madrid Hamburger SV | 33 | 53 | 86 | |||
| 2 | Thierry Henry | Arsenal Barcelona | 43 | 42 | 85 | ||
| 3 | Didier Drogba | Marseille Chelsea | 45 | 38 | 83 | ||
| 4 | Miroslav Klose | Werder Bremen | 58 | 23 | 81 | ||
| 5 | Samuel Eto'o | Mallorca Barcelona Inter Milan | 44 | 35 | 79 | ||
| 6 | Flávio Amado | Petro Atlético Al Ahly Al Shabab | 32 | 41 | 73 | ||
| 7 | Dimitar Berbatov | Bayer Leverkusen Manchester United | 46 | 25 | 71 | ||
| 8 | Raúl | Real Madrid Schalke 04 | 26 | 45 | 71 | ||
| 9 | David Villa | Zaragoza Valencia Barcelona | 44 | 24 | 68 | ||
| 10 | Andriy Shevchenko | Milan Chelsea Dynamo Kyiv | 32 | 36 | 68 | ||
| 11 | Alexander Frei | Servette Rennes Basel | 42 | 21 | 63 | ||
| 12 | Henrik Larsson | Celtic Barcelona Manchester United Helsingborgs IF | 25 | 36 | 61 | ||
| 13 | Jon Dahl Tomasson | Feyenoord Milan VfB Stuttgart Villarreal | 43 | 16 | 59 | ||
| 14 | Jared Borgetti | Santos Laguna Pachuca Bolton Wanderers Al-Ittihad Morelia | 41 | 17 | 58 | ||
| 15 | Adriano | Parma Inter Milan São Paulo Flamengo | 27 | 31 | 58 |
| IFFHS World's Best Woman International Goal Scorer | |
| Mostrecent: | Barbra Banda (1st award) |
| Mostwins: | Sam Kerr Ellen White Barbra Banda (1 award each) |
| Firstwinner: | Ellen White |
| Number: | 3 |
| First: | 2021 |
| Presenter: | International Federation of Football History & Statistics |
| Givenfor: | Best international goal scorer of the calendar year |
| Sport: | Association football |
| Year | Rank | Winner | Club(s) | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1st | Ellen White[38] | Manchester City | 21 |
| 2nd | Vivianne Miedema | Arsenal | 17 | |
| 3rd | Lea Schüller | 17 | ||
| 2022 | 1st | Sam Kerr[39] | Chelsea | 17 |
| 2nd | Beth Mead | Arsenal | 15 | |
| 3rd | Ewa Pajor | 15 | ||
| 2023 | 1st | Barbra Banda[40] | Shanghai Shengli | 15 |
| 2nd | Salma Paralluelo | Barcelona | 14 | |
| 3rd | Sam Kerr | Chelsea | 13 | |
| Ellen White | 1 | 2021 | |
| Sam Kerr | 1 | 2022 | |
| Barbra Banda | 1 | 2023 |
| 1 | Ellen White | 2021 | 21 |
| 2 | Sam Kerr | 2022 | 17 |
| Vivianne Miedema | 2021 | ||
| Lea Schüller | 2021 | ||
| 5 | Beth Mead | 2022 | 15 |
| Ewa Pajor | 2022 | ||
| Barbra Banda | 2022 |
| Chelsea | 1 | 1 | |
| Manchester City | 1 | 1 | |
| Shanghai Shengli | 1 | 1 |
| 1 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 1 |