Footballers with most international goals & assists since 2000, ft Ronaldo, Messi & Neymar | OneFootball

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Footballers from every corner of the globe yearn for the chance to play for their national team – it’s considered the pinnacle of someone’s career. And many of those with the privilege to show off the international stage often bring their domestic goal return with them.

Getting on the score sheet for your country must bring immense pride but for some, it’s purely second nature. And the forthcoming list attests to exactly that. While some are more intrigued by breaking goalscoring records, some take great pleasure in delivering countless inch-perfect balls to their marauding forward line.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are quite obviously the duo heads and shoulders above the rest of the crowd thanks to their innate capabilities of shooting on sight and often leaving the goalkeeper hapless, while there are names on the list that you may have forgotten about. Those who, in their time, were scoring left, right and centre for their nation but have now hung up their boots having embedded their name in their respective country’s history.

Using PlanetFootball’s ranking, combined with updates via Transfermarkt data, we’ve compiled a list of the 20 players with the most international contributions (goals and assists) since the turn of the millennium. Strap yourselves as we delve deeper. Let’s get stuck in.

20 Edinson Cavani – 72 (61 goals, 11 assists)

Kicking things off is the ex-Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain centre-forward, Cavani. The mercurial Uruguayan forged a deafening partnership with compatriot Luis Suárez over the years, though the 36-year-old has been recently omitted from his nation’s World Cup qualifiers squad which may highlight the end of his tenure as one of Uruguay’s leading men.

19 Didier Drogba – 72 (66 goals, 6 assists)

Just one of two Africans on the list is Chelsea icon Drogba. The Elephants relied on the marksman’s ability to find the back of the net considering he tops their all-time top goalscorers’ chart by 40 goals. Kudos, Didier.

18 David Villa – 72 (59 goals, 13 assists)

Unlike the Ivory Coast, Spain have been blessed with a plethora of goalscoring talent, not least David Villa. Across his 12-year stint for the national team, Villa narrowly missed out on bagging 60 goals but still boasts Spain’s top goalscorer gong. Looking to catch him is Alvaro Morata, though he still has 26 to notch before he reaches the former Barcelona man.

17 Clint Dempsey – 73 (57 goals, 16 assists)

One of the greatest strikers in United States history, Dempsey notched 57 goals in 141 caps for his country and even took over captain duties as his days in the national team trickled away. The memorable forward enjoyed a fruitful 13-year stint strutting his stuff internationally and has an impressive goal return to show for it.

16 Landon Donovan – 74 (57 goals, 17 assists)

Pipping his compatriot to 16th place is Donovan who has his one extra assist to thank. The duo are synonymous in the States for how well they performed not only domestically but for their country, too. Now, with Folarin Balogun switching allegiances to follow in their footsteps, their records could be in jeopardy. They’re intact for now, at least.

15 Kevin De Bruyne – 75 (26 goals, 49 assists)

Here he is – the assist maestro! Domestically, he now has the imposing Erling Haaland to target when threading balls through a pinhole. But on the international stage, it has usually been Romelu Lukaku relishing in the playmaker’s presence. With a whopping 49 assists to his name as it stands, De Bruyne will go down in Belgian history as one of their greatest ever players.

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14 Harry Kane – 77 (59 goals, 19 assists)

Kane’s first-half penalty against Italy in late March cemented him as England’s record goalscorer and as he continues to become more lethal in the final third, we expect to see this number rise in the foreseeable future. With the likes of Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham feeding him sumptuous balls, the England captain will certainly love the idea of representing his country until his legs fail him.

13 Lukas Podolski – 77 (49 goals, 28 assists)

With a left foot fierce enough to strike fear into any goalkeeper, no matter their expertise, former Arsenal asset Podolski is in the top 10 for now, at least. Sitting just ahead of Muller in Germany’s all-time appearance holders ranks, the now 38-year-old enjoyed a glittering career, internationally, scoring 49 goals. His assist return of 28 assists is impressive, too.

12 Mohamed Salah – 80 (52 goals, 28 assists)

The highest-ranked African export on the list with a grand total of 80 goal contributions over just 90 international outings, showing it’s not only the Premier League which the Egyptian King uses as his playground. It’s not unfair to say the Liverpool hero has been flying the Egypt flag very high and proudly over the years and his record for goals and assists attest to that. He’s called the Egyptian King for a reason, right?

11 Thomas Müller – 85 (45 goals, 40 assists)

Muller, you unselfish man. While many on this list will be praised for their tendency to smash one goal-bound, the German is more known for sharing the load and offering his pinpoint passing and creative poise to set up teammates instead. However, he has still managed to add 44 goals of his own to his international CV over the years and that could still increase given he has plenty more years in the tank.

10 Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 85 (62 goals, 23 assists)

Every England fan will remember his inspiring hat-trick he scored in Stockholm. Watching on, the Three Lions support felt helpless as Ibrahimovic ran riot. This was just a glimmer of what the Swede was able to produce while donning the yellow of his country and his goal involvement record warrants him 10th place in the rankings.

9 Romelu Lukaku – 90 (75 goals, 15 assists)

It seems as if Lukaku has been plying his trade and scoring goals for fun for years, though the Belgian striker is only 30 years old. In turn, there is ample time to boost this number for him to become one of the most recognised goal threats to have ever graced the pitch, internationally anyway.

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8 Alexis Sanchez – 92 (51 goals, 41 assists)

While much can be discussed about his performances at club level (particularly Manchester United), there’s always been little doubt over his capabilities. Sanchez often shines on the international stage where, in fairness, all of Chile’s ideas revolve around the minute forward.

7 Edin Dzeko – 92 (65 goals, 27 assists)

A truly underrated figure in the domestic scene, the same statement can be made for his international exploits. Contributing to 92 goals, whether that be in the form of an assist or putting the ball in the back of the net himself, is a tall order, especially in a team of lesser-known talent. The former Manchester City marksman has been Bosnia and Herzegovina’s bright spark since arriving on the scene in 2007 and has become their all-time leading goal threat with 65 goals.

6 Miroslav Klose – 101 (71 goals, 30 assists)

German striker Klose holds the record for most FIFA World Cup goals with 16 in 24 appearances. Granted he was present at a time when Germany were a more dominant force, but ensured to take his chances when they presented themselves. A clinical striker, just what fans love to see.

5 Luis Suárez – 107 (68 goals, 39 assists)

Goalscoring comes easy to some. Included in that batch of players is Suarez, who shone expertly for both Barcelona and Liverpool while at the peak of his powers. Now earning his corn for Gremio, the once-perennial net-buster can consider himself Uruguay’s most prolific player ever.

4 Robert Lewandowski – 112 (81 goals, 31 assists)

Yet to reach a century of goals, the enigmatic Pole is still a potent figure in front of goal for his nation, highlighted by his 112 goal contributions. There’s still time for the Barcelona talisman to reach the 100-goal milestone, though it’ll take some doing to knock third-placed Neymar off his perch, especially as the Brazilian is four years his junior.

3 Neymar – 137 (79 goals, 58 assists)

Often overshadowed by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s decade-and-a-half period of dominance, Neymar’s talent has not received the plaudits it so rightfully deserves. Scoring 79 goals and notching a further 57 assists for Brazil since the start of the new decade is very impressive and, in that sequence, has been Selecao’s figurehead.

2 Lionel Messi – 160 (104 goals, 56 assists)

Having recently won the latest instalment of the World Cup, Messi has etched his name into international lore, but perhaps his name was already set in stone prior to the well-documented victory. Contributing 160 G/A is no easy feat but time after time, Messi is the catalyst in his nation’s success and will want to continue being that focal point at the next competitive tournament.

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1 Cristiano Ronaldo – 166 (123 goals, 43 assists)

Little surprise there really. It was always going to be a toss-up between Ronaldo and the pint-sized Argentinian that bagged second place. The world-famous forward was a key figure in Portugal’s Euro 2016 triumph, whether that was on the pitch making things happen or on the side lines instructing his teammates.