Messi tops the ranking by a long, long way. The Inter Miami star could still break a handful of individual goal-scoring records in 2024.
Juan David Beetar PeñuelajdbeetarAndy HallUpdate: Jan 26th, 2024 15:37 EST
JUAN MABROMATAAFP
The International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) has published a list of South American goal scorers of the 21st century so far. Unsurprisingly Lionel Messi sits in pole position, way ahead of the rest. The Inter Miami forward has registered a total of 821 goals during the period from 1 January 2001 to the most recent date, 31 December 31 2023.
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— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) January 20, 2024
Behind Leo are two Uruguayan legends. In second place is his club team mate Luis Suárez with 557 goals, while third place is occupied by Edinson Cavani with 440 goals. Neymar and Sergio Kun Agüero complete the Top 5. As expected, Brazilian and Argentinean players dominate the top 20 positions. Surprisingly, just two Colombians are present in the ranking – Radamel Falcao and Dayro Moreno.
Falcao, who has been on the books at Spanish LaLiga side Rayo Vallecano since 2021, is the top-scoring Colombian player of all-time with 343 goals – 225 in domestic leagues, 23 in cup competitions and 59 in international tournaments. He also holds the national team record with 36 goals for La Tri. Moreno meanwhile is close to becoming the player with the most goals in the FPC (he is seven goals away from surpassing Sergio Galván Rey).
Radamel𝗙𝗮𝗹𝗰𝗮𝗼 ❤️ pic.twitter.com/28fbB4ZM59
— Rayo Vallecano (@RayoVallecano) January 24, 2024
South American scorers of the 21st century
Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 821Luis Suárez (Uruguay) – 557Edinson Cavani (Uruguay) – 440Neymar (Brazil) – 439Sergio Agüero (Argentina) – 426Fred (Brazil) – 404Ricardo Oliveira (Brazil) – 390Óscar Cardozo (Paraguay) – 376Gonzalo Higuaín (Argentina)- 366+Luis Fabiano (Brazil) – 355Hulk (Brazil) – 349Radamel Falcao (Colombia) – 343Vágner Love (Brazil) – 333Magno Alves (Brazil) – 238Dayro Moreno (Colombia) – 326
What records can Messi break in 2024?
A breakdown of Messi’s career goals shows that he will soon reach a few milestones. The Inter Miami ace is just three goals away from his 500th goal in domestic league competition (LaLiga and MLS) and three away from reaching the 150-goal mark in international club competitions. He has notched 71 goals in cup competitions and 106 at full international level with Argentina – a national team record, almost double the tally of Gabriel Batistuta in second place.
