Argentina’s unbeaten run in all competitions reached 35 matches, with Lionel Messi reaching another personal milestone.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward scored twice in the final minutes of a 3-0 friendly victory over Jamaica, giving him 100 Albiceleste victories in 164 matches.
READ ALSO: Argentina’s winning streak continues with a victory over Jamaica, thanks to Messi’s double.
Messi is also only the third male player in history to have scored 90 or more international goals, and if he continues to play beyond the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, it’s not out of the question that he will surpass long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo as the all-time leading goalscorer.
Who has scored the most goals in international football?
Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record for the most goals scored in men’s international football. The Manchester United and Portugal star has 117 goals in 191 senior appearances for his country.
Ronaldo broke the long-standing record held by Iran’s Ali Daei when he scored twice against the Republic of Ireland in September 2021. Those two remain the only men’s players who have reached a century of international goals, although Messi needs only 10 more to join them in that group.
Most international goals: Men’s all-time top 10
*Denotes active player
| Player | Country | Goals | Caps | Years active | |
| 1. | Cristiano Ronaldo* | Portugal | 117 | 191 | 2003 — |
| 2. | Ali Daei | Iran | 109 | 148 | 1993-2006 |
| 3. | Lionel Messi* | Argentina | 90 | 164 | 2005 — |
| 4. | Mokhtar Dahari | Malaysia | 89 | 142 | 1972-1985 |
| 5. | Ferenc Puskas | Hungary | 84 | 89 | 1945-1956 |
| = | Sunil Chhetri* | India | 84 | 131 | 2005 — |
| 7. | Ali Mabkhout* | United Arab Emirates | 80 | 108 | 2009 — |
| 8. | Godfrey Chitalu | Zambia | 79 | 111 | 1968-1980 |
| 9. | Hussein Saeed | Iraq | 78 | 137 | 1976-1990 |
| 10. | Pele | Brazil | 77 | 92 | 1957-1971 |
Even if Ronaldo and Messi continue to play well into their 40s, it is almost impossible for them to catch the goal tallies of the leading women’s international goalscorers.
The top-scoring player in women’s international football — and, indeed, overall — is Canada’s Christine Sinclair, who has managed a staggering 190 goals in 317 appearances in 22 years.
She is six goals ahead of USWNT great Abby Wambach, who retired back in 2015. The top 10 is dominated by USA stars, who make up half of the list, although all but Alex Morgan have retired.
The other active player closest to Sinclair’s record is Jordan’s Maysa Jbarah, who boasts a remarkable goal-per-game rate of 1.04 having scored 117 times in just 113 international matches.
Most international goals: Women’s all-time top 10
*Denotes active player
| Player | Country | Goals | Caps | Years active | |
| 1. | Christine Sinclair* | Canada | 190 | 317 | 2000 — |
| 2. | Abby Wambach | USA | 184 | 256 | 2001-2015 |
| 3. | Mia Hamm | USA | 158 | 275 | 1987-2004 |
| 4. | Carli Lloyd | USA | 134 | 316 | 2005-2021 |
| 5. | Kristine Lilly | USA | 130 | 352 | 1987-2010 |
| 6. | Birgit Prinz | Germany | 128 | 214 | 1994-2011 |
| 7. | Alex Morgan* | USA | 119 | 198 | 2010 — |
| 8. | Maysa Jbarah* | Jordan | 117 | 113 | 2005 — |
| 9. | Julie Fleeting | Scotland | 116 | 121 | 1996-2011 |
| 10. | Marta* | Brazil | 115 | 172 | 2002 — |
SOURCE: Xtratsports.com
