The World's Top Goal Scorer 2012:  (= World Goalgetter 2012)

Lionel Messi again World Goalgetter !

Since 1991 the IFFHS has calculated annually the World Goalgetter. Only international goals scored in full "A" internationals, Olympic final tournaments as well as the (inter)continental club competitions of FIFA, AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC and UEFA from 1st January to 31st December are taken into consideration. If the number of goals is equal, the player who scored more goals in full "A" internationals is ranked higher.

30 players scored ten or more international goals in 2012. Among the "Top 9" there are almost without exception only world stars. The "Top 30" are composed by players from Europe (11), South America (7), Africa (6), the CONCACAF zone (3), Asia (2) and Oceania (1). Those players who scored 10 or more international goals comprise four Brazilians, three Egyptians and two each of Dutchmen and Mexicans, 19 other nations are represented just once. Of the 30 players, four play in the Spanish Primera División and four in the English Premier League, three in the German Bundesliga and two each in the Brazilian Sèrie A and in the Egyptian league.

Worldwide in 2012, 64 players scored eight or more international goals and as many as 133 players six or more. The biggest surprises were Michael Mifsud (Malta), Timotej Matavž (Slovenia) und Emmanuel Clottey (Ghana), who take the places 10 to 12  in the final world ranking. It is notable that Africa 2011 had no player among the "Top 29", while Asia had six players.

The Argentinian Lionel Messi successfully defended his title as World Goalgetter and, with his 25 goals (12 in the national team & 13 in the UEFA club competitions), equalled the world record of Vivian John Woodward (England), who scored 25 goals in ten full "A" internationals in 1909. The young Brazilian Neymar profited from his participation in the Olympic final tournament in London, where he scored three goals. But even without these goals he would still be second in the World Goalgetter in 2012, because he scored more goals in the full "A" internationals than Cristiano Ronaldo. Nevertheless the Portuguese scored as Messi the most international club goals, whereas the fifth-placed Colombian Radamel Falcao was disadvantaged in that he was not used in the Europa League by his Club Atlético de Madrid in the last months of the year.

The 25-year-old Lionel Messi is the first player in the 21st century to achieve the double of World Goalgetter and World‘s best Top Division Goal Scorer in the same year. The first player in the world who achieved this double was the Englishman Stephen Bloomer in 1896. The world-famous Derby County FC player repeated the feat twice - in 1897 and 1901, an incredible performance by "Steve" Bloomer! And the Hungarian Imre "Slózi" Schlosser managed this incredible double in 1911 and 1912. For Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona) there is still a long way to go to break these records.