Top 10 active goalscorers in international football

Name a better feeling than representing your country on the international football stage.

#10 Romelu Lukaku (Belgium) – 52 goals

The current crop of Belgium players is widely regarded to be the nation’s ‘golden generation’ as the squad is packed to the rafters with top-drawer talents, spearheaded by Romelu Lukaku.

He made his debut just weeks before his 17th birthday, but the strapping center-forward had a slow start with the Red Devils. However, once he transcended his imperious club form on to the international stage, there was no stopping him.

Lukaku’s blistering exploits saw him become the top scorer for Belgium at the age of 24 and later pick up the Bronze Boot at the 2018 World Cup.  At 27, he’s currently in peak form so expect the Inter Milan targetman to be much higher up the list by the time he hangs up his boots.

#9 Ali Ashfaq (Maldives) – 53 goals

Not a household name, but Ali Ashfaq enjoys legendary status in South Asia. A peerless striker with almost 400 goals in his club career, the Maldives international has replicated those heroics for his country too, netting 53 times from 80 games.

His finest achievement with the Red Snappers has been to guide them to the SAFF Championship glory on home soil in 2008, winning the tournament’s best player award too. Since then, Ashfaq has gone on to lift plenty of honors, making him one of the most decorated Asian players of this century.

The 34-year old is renowned for netting six times in a match, a feat he accomplished against Sri Lanka in 2013, while he’s also struck a quadruple on three occasions.

#8 Luis Suarez (Uruguay) – 59 goals

Whenever the discussion circles around the best scorers in football, the name Luis Suarez comes up almost every time, even if it’s on the international stage as he’s the leading marksman for his nation with 59 goals.

El Pistolero was an integral part of the Celeste squad which lifted the 2011 Copa America on home soil, his best result with the national team so far, during which he scored four times, including once in the finals.

His partnership with Edinson Cavani is often raved about for being one of the most ferocious on the international stage, though most of the Barcelona striker’s goals have come in friendly games, with 22, compared to only 13 in six international tournaments.

#7 Edin Dzeko (Bosnia and Herzegovina) – 59 goals

Edin Dzeko is widely rated to be one of the best strikers in Europe. He’s netted 351 times in his career overall, 59 of which have come in Bosnian colors, the most in the nation’s history.

His prolific run also helped the Dragons qualify for the World Cup for the very first time in 2014, with the AS Roma star firing eight goals during the qualifiers. Now, he’s put them on course for their maiden appearance at the Euros too, as Bosnia is through to the playoffs.

In March 2019, Dzeko also became the first player from his country to surpass 100 caps for the national side. He ranks ahead of Suarez despite amassing the same number of goals since he managed them in five fewer games.