Representing your nation at the FIFA World Cup is a dream for many Footballers. Scoring at a World Cup game is even better but finding the back of the net during Knockout matches isn’t for everyone. Perhaps that is why there are very few players that find themselves on this “elite list”.
After Lionel Messi scored against Australia, the 34-year-old registered his first ever goal in the knockout rounds since making his WC debut in 2006. Another player of his size or the only competitor of Messi’s level, Cristiano Ronaldo is yet to score a goal in the do or die phase. Finding out the highest goalscorer in knockout rounds is not as easy as it sounds.
The fact that FIFA World Cup did not function the way it does today makes it even more challenging. In 1934 and 1938 there were knockout games featuring only 16 games. In 1950 and from 1974 to 1982 some of the knock out games were replaced by a Second group stage. In easy words with an example, Italy’s Paolo Rossi scored a hat-trick to beat Brazil by 3-2 in what was regarded as a Quarter-final without the losing team getting knocked out.
Thus, sportzcraazy have compiled the list of players who have scored in actual knockout games.
| Player | Goals | Span |
| Ronaldo Nazario (Brazil) | 8 | 1998-2006 |
| Oldrich Nejedly (Czechoslovakia)
Pele (Brazil) Vava (Brazil) |
7 | 1934-1938
1958-1972 1958-1962 |
| Leônidas (Brazil)
Gary Lineker (England) Gyorgy Sarosi (Hungary) |
6 | 1934-1938
1986-1990 1934-1938 |
| Roberto Baggio (Italy)
Eusébio (Portugal) Miroslav Klose (Germany) Kylian Mbappe (France) Silvio Piola (Italy) Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands) Zinedine Zidane (France) Gyula Zsengeller (Hungary) |
5 | 1990-1998
1966 2002-2014 2018-2022 1938 2006-2014 1998-2006 1938 |
| Garrincha (Brazil)
Geoff Hurst (England) Diego Maradona (Argentina) Gerd Muller (Germany) |
4 | 1958-1966
1966-1970 1982-1994 1970-1974 |
| Franz Beckenbauer (Germany)
Just Fontaine (France) Michel Platini (France) |
3 | 1966-1974
1958 1978-1986 |
| Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina)
Bobby Charlton (England) Harry Kane (England) Mario Kempes (Argentina) Romario (Brazil) |
2 | 1994-2002
1962-1970 2018-2022 1974-1982 1990-1994 |
| Thierry Henry (France)
Lionel Messi (Argentina) Ferenc Puskas (Hungary) |
1 | 1998-2010
2022 1954 |
Also Read – How has England Captain Harry Kane evolved into a play maker rather than Goal scorer?
