The ultimate goal for any team in football is to score goals- as many as possible. Over the years, some players have gone on to become prolific scorers, showing their excellent technique and skills.
Here are the top 8 players to reach fastest 50 international goals.
1. Erling Haaland – 46 matches
Already Norway’s record goal-scorer, his latest treble means he reached the 50 goal-mark (he has 51 in total).The star striker managed to score his 50th goal for Norway in his 46th international appearance, meaning it took him 25 fewer matches than Kane to reach the same tally.
It’s especially impressive when you consider the fact that Haaland doesn’t play for a major nation, like the majority of other players on this list. With the pace he’s currently scoring, he has the potential to become the quickest player to score 100 international goals in a few years time.
2. Harry Kane – 71 matches
In June 2022, Kane managed to break Neymar’s record by scoring his 50th goal for England in his 71st match. The 32-year-old made his international debut in 2015 and hasn’t stopped scoring since then, averaging 0.68 goals per game.
Kane held the record as the fastest player to score 50 international goals for just over three years, until Haaland surpassed him.
3. Neymar – 74 matches
Neymar scored his 50th goal for Brazil back in November 2016 at the age of 24. At the time, he became the fastest player to reach 50 international goals.
While the Brazilian has been bereft of major titles on the international stage, his importance to Brazilian football cannot be overlooked. He’s the country’s record goalscorer with 79 goals in 128 appearances.
=4. Kylian Mbappe – 90 games
French foreward Mbappe took 90 matches to reach 50 international goals. His 50th strike came against Germany during the summer in a Nations League clash, which France won 2-0.
The Frenchman is already the joint-sixth highest-scoring player in World Cup history and has always lived up to expectations while playing for his nation.
=4. Robert Lewandowski – 90 games
One of the most prolific goal scorers, Lewandowski usually finds himself towards the top of the list. He only needed 90 games to reach 50 goals for Poland, meaning he reached that tally quicker than both Messi and Ronaldo.
As of now, he’s scored 86 goals on the international stage, making him the seventh-highest scoring player of all time in international matches.
6. Lionel Messi – 107 games
Messi scored his 50th international goal in March 2016 during a World Cup qualifier against Bolivia. It originally took him six matches until he scored his first goal for Argentina, but since then, he’s not slowed down.
He’s now the county’s highest-ever scoring player and the second top scorer in international football, only behind Ronaldo.
Also Read: Which Countries Have CONCACAF Gold Cup Title: List Of Winners
7. Cristiano Ronaldo – 114 games
Ronaldo is now the highest-scoring player in the history of international football with 141 goals, but it did take him a while to get going.
Spending his formative years as a winger, CR7 didn’t become a prolific scorer at international level until around 2013.
