Can Romelu Lukaku still overtake Lionel Messi? Record imminent
While the Red Devil found the ball in the net in the final minutes of the international break against Turkey, Romelu Lukaku scored his 94th goal for Belgium. With that strike he is fifth on the all‑time list of international top scorers, a position now within reach.
Fifth place within reach
The Belgian top scorer, who has been scoring since the previous international period, has thus taken a step towards the fourth place. One player still stands before him: Sunil Chhetri, who in March 2025 scored his 95th and final international goal. If Lukaku scores four more goals, he can match Chhetri and then contest the top three.
Competition from legendary strikers
Ali Daei, the number three on the list with 109 international goals for Iran, retired already in 2006. Chhetri, the 42‑year‑old Indian, has recently confirmed that he will not return to the national team, making the fourth place for Lukaku even more attractive. Some sources do not count the hat‑trick Lukaku scored against Luxembourg, thus they speak of 91 goals, but both the player himself, the media and Transfermarkt count 94.
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Chance against Messi and Kane
The question that now arises is whether Romelu Lukaku can still overtake Lionel Messi. While Harry Kane this year scores six times in four internationals and now sits on 91 goals, the form of the Englishman further increases the pressure on Lukaku. If the Belgian striker continues his international career until Euro 2027, bridging the gap to Ali Daei’s 109 goals remains a huge challenge, but not unattainable.
Fenerbahçe coach has recently spoken about Lukaku and made a firm promise: “Can Lukaku out‑score Chhetri?” The statement underlines the attention the Belgian striker is now receiving, both in Belgium and internationally.
With the current form of both Lukaku and Kane, and the recent developments surrounding Chhetri and Daei, the race for the top of the international goal‑scorers remains one of the most fascinating stories in world football.