The Fastest Players to Hit 50 International Goals
➡️ The Fastest Players to Hit 50 International Goals
The October international break is drawing to a close, with nations fighting it out for places at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Erling Haaland’s quest to lead Norway back to a major competition stayed on course as he produced another stellar performance in their 5 – 0 win over Israel.
The towering Norwegian continues to make history, adding yet an additional record to his name with his remarkable goalscoring form.
Cristiano Ronaldo may be the all-time leading scorer in men’s international football, but was he the quickest to hit the 50-goal mark?
ValrySport takes a look at the seven fastest players to achieve this feat. Starting from the least;
7. Cristiano Ronaldo (114 games)
Portuguese great Cristiano Ronaldo is the all-time topscorer in men’s international football with 141 goals, but it took him 114 matches to reach the 50-goal mark.
The 40-year old scored his 50th goal for Portugal in a 2-1 win over Ghana at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and it is more remarkable that he has scored 91 times in his next 110 appearances for his country.
6. Lionel Messi (107 games)
Right ahead of his longtime rival, Lionel Messi reached 50 goals for Argentina in his 107th appearance.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner netted a penalty in the 2-0 win over Bolivia in a qualifying match for the 2018 World Cup and has gone on to score 114 times for his country.
5. Robert Lewandowski (90 games)
Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski stands high as Poland’s all-time record scorer with 87 goals from 161 matches.
The 37-year-old scored a hat-trick in Poland’s 6-1 thrashing of Armenia in October 2017, his 48th, 49th and 50th strike for his country on his 90th cap.
4. Kylian Mbappe (90 games)
Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe is only four goals shy of breaking Olivier Giroud’s all-time goalscoring record for France (57).
The very impressive Frenchman netted his 50th goal for France in June, scoring the opener in a 2-0 win over Germany in the UEFA Nations League third-placed encounter.
3. Neymar (74 games)
Brazil icon Neymar Junior surpassed the late Pele as the country’s record goalscorer in September 2023, bagging a brace in the 5-1 win over Bolivia.
It is very impressive that the 33-year-old, long seen in the shadows of Messi and Ronaldo, surpassed both to reach 50 international goals in just 74 games.
2. Harry Kane (71 games)
The Bayern Munich forward was previously the quickest man to this record, until a new name stormed past him.
England record goalscorer with 74 goals, Harry Kane scored his 50th goal for the Three Lions in a 1-1 draw against Germany in 2022.
1. Erling Haaland (46 games)
Another game, another record for Erling Haaland, as the Norwegian goal-scoring machine left Harry Kane in his wake, becoming the fastest player to reach 50 international goals.
The Manchester City forward bagged a hat-trick in the 5-0 demolition of Israel to take his tally to 51 goals in just 46 appearances for Norway.
🇳🇴 @ErlingHaaland: Fastest to 50 international goals
Games taken to hit 50 senior goals for country (selected players):
• Haaland – 46
• Kane – 71
• Neymar – 74
• Mbappé – 90
• Lewandowski – 90
• Messi – 107
• Ronaldo – 114
A different breed. 🐐⚽️ pic.twitter.com/mcLFDk5Y51
— City Chief (@City_Chief) October 11, 2025