Scoring goals may look effortless in the eyes of the greats, but every footballer knows it’s the toughest skill to truly master.
Traditionally, the burden has rested on central strikers, those who thrive in the box, unsettling defenders with clever movement and ruthless finishing.
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Yet modern football has evolved, with wingers now just as deadly in the final third.
Across generations, the sport has produced a remarkable crop of natural goalscorers. But who were the youngest to smash the 400-goal barrier?
According to data from Transfermarkt, Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland hasn’t reached the list yet, though at just 25 until July 2026 and scoring at a relentless pace, it feels like only a matter of time before he joins the elite.
YEN.com.gh breaks down the top five youngest players ever to hit 400 career goals.
Youngest Footballers to Score 400 Goals
Jimmy Greaves – 28 years, 1 month, 17 days
Many may be unaware of Jimmy Greaves’ exploits in front of goal. Initially Sir Alf Ramsay’s line-leader in 1966 before picking up an injury, the striker’s goalscoring return – for both club and country – cannot be understated. A legend among Three Lions circles, London-born Greaves turned out for an array of top English teams during his career – including the likes of Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.
He scored 266 goals for the north Londoners in 374 appearances and his tally for England (44 in 57) is also mightily impressive; and that’s why he is considered to be among the greatest strikers in football history. Fruitful throughout his career, it took Greaves just 524 matches to reach the 400-goal mark and, at that point, the Englishman was aged 28 years, one month and 17 days old.
Uwe Seeler – 28 years, 9 days
If we’re solely focused on how many games it took each player to reach the 400-goal milestone, Uwe Seeler – formerly of Hamburger SV – would be top of this list. For club and country, it took the centre-forward 387 matches to do so, which is the superior rate by a total of 15 outings. From an age perspective, though, he’s fourth after reaching the landmark tally at the age of 28 years and nine days old.
In the 1960s, as the leading star of German football, there were very few players that were operating at the same level as Seeler, who became a three-time German footballer of the Year – in 1960, 1964 and 1970 – and pictured in the middle above. Born and bred in Hamburg, Seeler was a key man for the German national team as he scored 43 goals in 72 outings.
Lionel Messi – 27 years, 3 months, 3 days
Ever since November 16, 2003 – when 38-year-old Lionel Messi replaced Deco to earn his senior Barcelona stripes – he’s been a man of a mission. Leaving no stone unturned, the Argentine has continued to score goals at an utterly alarming rate and his goalscoring prowess has been constant throughout his club career for Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami.
For many, and for good reason too, the 2022 World Cup winner is the creme da le creme of footballers but, in this regard, he has to settle for a bronze medal. Reaching incomprehensible numbers has become commonplace over the last 15 years or so but, at the time he reached 400 career goals for club and country, Messi was 27 years, three months and three days old.
Gerd Muller – 27 years, 2 months and 17 days
Gerd Muller was scoring a copious number of goals before it was cool and trendy by virtue of the fact that his career – which saw him lead the line for Bayern Munich, most notably – spanned between 1963 and 1982. At the apex of his powers, the German’s goalscoring form saw him lift the Ballon d’Or winner in 1970, but Der Bomber was a nuisance of defenders from start to finish.
After graduating from Nordlingen’s academy in 1963, he joined the famous Bavarian outfit the following year. Accustomed to watching his shots bypass goalkeepers and ripple the back of the net, Muller scored a total of 634 strikers to watch him become one of football’s all-time top goalscorers; and the first 400 of those came just after the all-action striker’s 27th birthday.
Kylian Mbappe – 26 days, 10 months, 24 days
If the race to the 400-goal milestone is based on age alone, there is one clear winner: 26-year-old Kylian Mbappe. Now the spearhead of Real Madrid, the French world-beater – widely regarded as one of the best footballing teenagers of all time – bagged four centuries of strikes at just 26 years and 328 days old after a decisive brace against Ukraine for France.
At club level, too, the Paris-born winger-turned-striker has always been a deadly finisher in and around the box. The highest-scoring footballer in Paris Saint-Germain’s history, Mbappe will have to reach unfathomable levels to do the same for his current La Liga employers, due to the fact that he’s looking to usurp the aforementioned Ronaldo. It’s hard to put such an achievement past the forward, though, no matter how improbable it seems.
Source: YEN.com.gh
Source: Yen.com.gh
