Why they rank here
The only player with three World Cups — and he announced himself at 17 with a semifinal hat-trick against France and two goals in the 1958 final against Sweden, then bookended his international career by orchestrating the 1970 side widely considered the greatest team ever assembled. In between, Santos built a global brand on his shoulders, touring the world and twice winning the Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental Cup (1962, 1963). His 757 goals in 831 official matches stood as the benchmark for decades, and his 643 for Santos was the single-club record until Messi passed it in 2020; counting friendlies — which for touring Santos were often full-strength fixtures — Guinness credits him with 1,279. His 77 goals in 92 Brazil games remained the national record until 2023. Skeptics note the untelevised opposition and the era's chaotic defending; his answer was delivered against the best available, in three World Cups, at a goals-per-game rate no modern great matches.
Career profile
Each bar shows how this athlete compares with the strongest in our all-time list for that metric.