International football.

Love it or loathe it, there's no getting away from it.

And even if the regular-season friendlies and qualifiers aren't your thing, there's no denying the excitement and pressure generated around the world when Europe meets South America, Asia meets Africa, or when two heavyweights from the same continent clash heads in a huge grudge match in a semi-final.

Big summer tournaments, expectant crowds, wild hair-dos and broken hearts - and, occasionally, a new national hero is born.

Some strikers are just natural goal scorers, netting for fun at club and country level no matter who the opposition or what the occasion; others struggle to net regularly - or even play regularly in some cases - for their club teams but find their feet at International level, scoring goal after goal for their country to earn the adoration of the citizens and fans.

But who are the very best of the best, those who scored consistently and often for their countries, in qualifiers and in International tournaments? Who got the hattricks and top goalscorer awards?

To bring up the century in my articles on Bleacher Report, I have painstakingly trawled the full list of FIFA member states and searched out the stats and records of their brightest and best, and now the top 50 goalscoring strikers of the past twenty years can be unveiled.

But this isn't just a high-scoring competition - after all where's the opinion and argument in that?! Though every player in the list - with the exception of one - has scored thirty or more goals at International level, many different criteria were used to decide the final resting places of the best of them all; quality of opposition, goalscoring averages, tournament performance, quality of team-mates even and longevity of scoring record, as well as the numerical total itself. In addition, strikers must have to have scored a large number of their total goals during the 90's and 00's - those who started in the 80's would not be automatically dismissed, as long as they continued their prolific form into the next decade.

So read on, and find out if England's leading marksmen out-perform Spain's or if Africa have more representatives than America; if your favourite club player makes the grade or if they are chillingly axed from the entire list, with league form and reputation no guarantee of so much as beating the offerings from the likes of Zambia or Honduras.

Enjoy!

You can follow me on Twitter  @karlmatchett and on EighteenAndFive.

50: Archie Thompson (Australia, 33 Caps, 21 Goals)

New Zealand-born Aussie forward Archie Thompson starts the list and is the only one of the 50 players who has netted less than 30 goals for his country.

With 21 in just 33 games he boasts an impressive strike rate, largely because of his amazing scoring feat achieved against American Samoa. Australia won by a massive 31 goals to nil and Thompson netted thirteen times during the game, a current International level world record.

Admittedly without that game, Thompson's record of 8 in 32 would be significantly less impressive - but for the world record alone he deserves his place on this list.

49: Eric Wynalda (United States, 106 Caps, 34 Goals)

Eric Wynalda was, until just a couple of years ago, the highest ever scorer for the United States.

Featuring over 100 times for the four-time Gold Cup winners, Wynalda netted thirty-four times, including a strike at the 1994 World Cup on home soil against Switzerland; a trademark free kick from distance.

Wynalda was voted the US player of the decade for the 1990's and led the all-time scoring list for his country until midfielder Landon Donovan overtook him in 2008.

48: Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Mexico, 121 Caps, 39 Goals)

'Enigmatic' is a word often used to describe Mexico's legendary forward Cuauhtemoc Blanco; some using it as a kind way of not saying 'lunatic', perhaps.

But there is no doubting Blanco's prowess at scoring goals; for many years he scored for fun for Mexico and even though he had several arguments with managers, causing him to be axed from the team on various occasions, he still played well over a hundred times for his country and scored 39 times.

Captain for many matches, Blanco was a set-piece specialist and was also notorious for performing the 'bunny-hop' during games - catching the ball between his two feet and literally jumping the ball over a defender's challenge.

Blanco played in '96 and '98 Gold Cup, the '98, '02 and '10 World Cup and netted four goals in one game against Saudi Arabia in the 1999 Confederations Cup.

47: Hossam Hassan (Egypt, 169 Caps, 69 Goals)

The veteran Egyptian forward holds the world record for number of International appearances for his country, having taken to the field an incredible 169 times for the Pharoes.

In that time he racked up almost seventy goals for them, including one in the 2006 African Cup of Nations, which his side won with Hassan as vice-captain.

He also figured in the World Cup in Italy in 1990.

46: Alan Shearer (England, 63 Caps, 30 Goals)

UEFA's first representative in the list is England's Alan Shearer, who blasted thirty goals for his country in little over double the amount of games.

The powerhouse forward scored on his debut against France in 1992 and went on to spearhead his country's attack for around a decade. Arguably Shearer could have continued playing for much longer for England, and perhaps even ran close the all-time scoring record, but chose to retire from International matches to prolong his club career, despite several calls around the time of major tournaments for him to reconsider.

The Geordie scored five goals at Euro '96 and another two at Euro 2000. He also scored an International hattrick against Luxembourg.

45: David Healy (Northern Ireland, 86 Caps, 35 Goals)

Northern Ireland's biggest hope for more than a generation; David Healy is one of those players who barely gets a look in at club level but shines on the International stage.

A winning goal against England gave him hero status in his home country, before his hattrick in the Euro 2008 qualifiers against Spain - who would go on to win the tournament, of course - elevated him to even higher status.

Healy scored twice on his debut against Luxembourg and has gone on to net 35 goals in total, though he has recently been on a lengthy run without adding to his tally.

44: Hao Haidong (China PR, 115 Caps, 41 Goals)

In the People's Republic of China, Hao Haidong is quite simply a legend. He is China's all-time record goalscorer at International level, having netted an impressive 41 times in his 115 appearances.

He featured in the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea and though he did not score in the competition itself, his goals were invaluable in helping the team qualify in the first place.

Haidong is noted for his composure in one-on-one situations and combative demeanour on the pitch.

43: Michael Owen (England, 89 Caps, 40 Goals)

The iconic picture shown of Michael Owen is that of a player with the world at his feet; just eighteen years of age and scoring one of the finest World Cup goals in history.

Though Owen certainly hit the goal trail early, both at club and International level, it hasn't quite gone to plan for him in the years since.

In the qualifying matches for the 2002 World Cup Owen netted a hattrick for England in a famous 5-1 rout of huge rivals Germany, and he has netted a total of 6 goals in European Championships and World Cups combined.

However it is notable that Owen managed to score just a further 14 goals for his country after leaving his first club, Liverpool, despite being only 24 years old at the time of his move.

42: Raul Gonzalez Blanco (Spain, 102 Caps, 44 Goals)

The great Raul was, until recently, Spain's highest ever goalscorer at International level. His 44 strikes put him above Fernando Hierro and he was long the darling of the media and fans in Spain. His iconic number 7 shirt and trademark celebration was a familiar sight in Spain's qualifying matches in particular.

Raul played in three World Cups for Spain, though by the time the successful Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010 tournaments came around he had lost his place in the squad.

He netted a total of six goals in International tournaments and also helped himself to four goals in a game on two occasions, against Austria and San Marino.

41: Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany, 108 Caps, 47 Goals)

Former Germany striker Jurgen Klinsmann was one of the greatest forwards his nation has seen. His excellent goals record of 47 in 108 games compares favourably with many of the best in what is a comprehensive list of world-class strikers throughout Germany's International football history.

Klinsmann was the first player to score in three European Championships after he achieved the feat by netting in 1988, 1992 and 1996. Not content with that record he achieved a similar feat by becoming the first player to score at least three goals in three different World Cup finals, after he scored 3 in 1990, 5 in 1994 and 3 in 1998.

He later went on to manage the German national side in a major tournament but it will be as a striker that he is best remembered in his home country.

40: Robbie Keane (Republic of Ireland, 105 Caps, 46 Goals)

Robbie Keane's trademark somersault goal celebration has been doing the rounds for years since he scored his first International goal for the Republic of Ireland in 1998.

However he had to wait almost a full decade to net his first hattrick at this level before he finally did so against San Marino in 2006.

Keane was an influential figure in Ireland's relatively successful 2002 World Cup campaign where he scored 3 goals in 4 matches.

With 46 goals he is comfortably Ireland's record goal scorer of all time.

39: Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria, 83 Caps, 37 Goals)

The great Hristo Stoichkov inspired a generation of Bulgarians with his temperamental and talented displays of football.

His mouth and sharp eyes often caused as much damage as his famed left boot but when Stoichkov was on his game, few defences could live with his brilliance.

In the 1994 World Cup with Stoichkov at his peak, Bulgaria shocked the world to make it to the semi-finals, eventually finishing the tournament in fourth place. Hristo scored six goals during the competition to finish as joint top scorer, while he netted 9 goals in 11 games during the entire calendar year.

He also hit 3 goals in 3 games two years later in the European Championships in England.

38: Rolando Fonseca (Costa Rica, 110 Caps, 47 Caps)

Costa Rica's all-time leading goalscorer, Rolando Fonseca, netted almost a half-century of goals for his country.

Something of a Central American legend, he is also the top scorer of all time in the Central American Nations Cup competition, having scored 19 times in total and 5 times in the 1999 tournament alone.

He also played in the 2002 World Cup for his country.

37: Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine, 100 Caps, 45 Goals)

Andriy Shevchenko started off and will likely finish his playing career in his homeland of the Ukraine having had spells in Italy and England in between.

At International level he formed the fearsome partnership with Sergei Rebrov for a number of years, but always himself being the main man, the lethal weapon and the one to turn to in a time of need. Captain for some time, Shevchenko played and scored in qualifying play-offs for major tournaments in 1998, 2000 and 2002 but had to wait until 2006 before he finally scored in a tournament proper, where he netted twice at the World Cup in Germany.

Though he has 45 goals, he never scored a hattrick for the Ukraine. With the European Championships of 2012 due to be jointly-staged by his home country, it remains to be seen if Shevchenko comes out of International retirement to take part in what would be welcome final stage for him.

36: Thierry Henry (France, 123 Caps, 51 Goals)

Only the second player on the countdown so far to net over 50 goals, Thierry Henry was genius personified for several golden years of French football.

Henry scored three at each of the '98 and '06 World Cups and the '00 Euro Championships, as well as four times in the '03 Confederations Cup.

He was part of the triumphant squads of 1998 and 200 and featured at the somewhat more disappointing 2010 World Cup, after he hand-balled before setting up France's final goal in their play-off against Ireland.

35: Toni Polster (Austria, 95 Caps, 44 Goals)

Playing through the 80's and 90's, barrel-chested and mullet-haired Toni Polster led the line for Austria for a number of years, racking up 44 strikes for his country after netted a debut goal against Turkey way back in 1982.

Famed for his finishing prowess and intense work-rate, Polster was a never-say-die character and played at several good sides throughout Europe such as Sevilla in Spain and Torino in Italy.

He figured at the 1990 and 1998 World Cups for Austria and played almost one hundred times for them altogether.

34: Ruud Van Nistelrooy (Holland, 70 Caps, 35 Goals)

Ruud van Nistelrooy, goalscorer supreme, has been one of several Dutch players throughout the last twenty years to have been alternately first choice in the national set up and axed from the squad completely after rows with the manager or other players.

However his strike record of a goal every two games proves his invaluable contribution to the Oranje cause.

van Nistelrooy's first International strike came in 1999 but he had to wait until Euro 2004 for his first major tournament goals as injury and non-qualification saw him miss out previously. He netted four times during that Championships and scored twice more in the '08 incarnation, as well as one in World Cup 2006.

33: Carlos Ruiz (Guatamala, 87 Caps, 42 Caps)

Guatamala's Carlos Ruiz is something of a scoring sensation in his homeland; with close to 50 goals for his country he has long been their main source of match-winning moments and major hope in tournaments and qualifying.

He has hammered in no less than three hattricks during his International career, whilst also netting an incredible 24 goals in World Cup qualifying matches. He has not, of course, scored during the tournament itself as Guatamala have never qualified for one.

Ruiz also scored 3 goals in the 2005 Gold Cup.

32: Hakan Sukur (Turkey, 112 Caps, 51 Goals)

Hakan Sukur was for some time probably Turkey's greatest and most well-known footballing export as he scored goals throughout European competition and played for sides such as Italy's Internazionale.

At International level he was every bit the national hero; scoring over fifty times and on two occasions even managing to score four goals in a single game; against Wales in 1997 and Moldova in 2006.

In addition, Sukur holds the world record for the quickest goal scored in a World Cup finals match, after he notched inside just eleven seconds in the third/fourth place play off match against South Korea in 2002.

That goal remains his only World Cup strike, though he did also get two at Euro 2000.

31: Ivan Zamorano (Chile, 69 Caps, 34 Goals)

Another former Internazionale striker now, with Chile's master of the penalty box Ivan Zamorano, who scored very close to a goal every other game for his country with 34 in 69 games.

Zamorano was a predator in the area; a fiercely combative player with a habit of popping up at just the right moment.

Though his International career started in the 80's - half a dozen or so of his goals were scored prior to 1990 - he certainly had more than enough of an impact during the next decade to warrant his placing.

In the '99 Copa America Zamorano netted three times, while his personal best came in a match against Venezuela in a World Cup qualifying match when he scored no less than five goals.

30: Lukas Podolski (Germany, 84 Caps, 42 Goals)

Lukas Podolski is another classic case of a player being either more suited or more motivated by International football. An infrequent scorer at club level, Podolski has a strike rate of a goal every two games for his country Germany.

Originally playing as an out and out striker before drifting out to the left, he can fill either role and continue scoring goals in the process.

Podolski possesses a hammer of a left foot and good pace and movement.

He scored three times at World Cup '06 and found the net again in the recent '10 World Cup. In qualifying for Euro 2008 he put four goals past San Marino in one game and scored another hattrick against South Africa.

29: Alexander Frei (Switzerland, 84 Caps, 42 Goals)

Another national hero for a spell, Alexander Frei was Switzerland's main goal threat throughout qualifying and major tournaments in the late '90's and '00's.

Playing most of his career in countries such as Germany, Frei is a natural goal scoring talent and good with his head as well as his feet.

He has since retired from International football after being subject to a barrage of criticism over the national team's performance in general, and how well players such as Marco Streller and Johan Vonlanthen replace Frei's goals will go a long way to determining if the new crop of Swiss youngsters have as much relative success as the last team did.

Frei netted 42 goals for Switzerland, including two at World Cup 2006.

28: Jon Dahl Tomasson (Denmark, 112 Caps, 52 Goals)

Jon Dahl Tomasson, once a Newcastle United transfer flop, has scored an incredible 52 goals for his country Denmark, playing mainly as a second striker.

He excelled in Denmark's trademark 4:2:3:1 formation, usually playing behind a main striker such as Ebbe Sand for a number of years.

Tomasson scored three times in Euro 2004 and and once in the recent South Africa World Cup, and also scored a hattrick for his country against Israel.

27: Yasser Al-Qahtani (Saudi Arabia, 87 Caps, 44 Goals)

Saudi Arabia's top dog, Al-Qahtani (sometimes Al-Kattani) scored a World Cup finals goal in 2006 against Nigeria, the pinnacle of his International career which has seen him net close to fifty goals.

Affectionately known as 'Robin Hood', Al-Qahtani also had a terrific year in competitions in 2007 when he scored three times in the Gulf Cup and four times in the Asian Cup.

He came close to signing for Manchester City under the reign of Sven-Goran Eriksson, only for a breakdown in transfer fee negotiations to scupper the deal.

26: Patrick Kluivert (Holland, 79 Caps, 40 Goals)

A product of the famed Ajax Academy, Patrick Kluivert scored an abundance of goals for some of the top sides around Europe such as AC Milan and Barcelona.

With a strike rate better than a goal every other game for Holland, the sight of Kluivert celebrating having boshed in another goal for his country was a familiar sight during the 90's and early 00's.

Indeed, during the calendar year of 2000, Kluivert scored no less than 14 goals for his country, including 5 goals in 5 games at the European Championships.

25: Jared Borgetti (Mexico, 89 Caps, 46 Goals)

Jared Borgetti was the focal point of Mexico's attack for almost ten years as he racked up 89 appearances and 46 goals for the Central American country.

Though he played most of his club football in his home country, he did also have stints in Saudi Arabia and with English Premier League side Bolton Wanderers.

Borgetti played and scored in the 2001 and 2004 Copa Americas, the 2002 World Cup and the 2005 Confederations Cup, where he scored three times.

As well as being a notable goal poacher, Borgetti had great skill in scoring headed goals. He netted two hattricks at International level.

24: Marcelo Salas (Chile, 70 Caps, 37 Goals)

The second Chilean on the list, Marcelo Salas, shot to worldwide prominence due to his scoring exploits in Italy's top division and on the International stage with his country.

He scored three goals more for his country than fellow striker Ivan Zamorano, playing just one game more.

Following a brace of goals against England before the World Cup in 1998, he went on to score four goals during the tournament itself.

Possessed with a fearsome left foot and blistering pace during his best years, Salas scored two hattricks for his country during World Cup qualifying matches.

23: Pauleta (Portugal, 88 Caps, 47 Goals)

Part of Portugal's so-called 'Golden Generation', Pauleta Carreiro Resendes was the main beneficiary of the chances provided by the likes of Manuel Rui Costa and Luis Figo.

Portugal's all-time leading scorer, Pauleta scored six goals more than the great Eusebio, and retired from International football with a strike rate better than a goal every 1.9 matches.

In World Cup 2002 he scored a hattrick against Poland, and scored a further one goal in the 2006 version.

He also scored hattricks against the Cape Verde Islands and Kuwait (4 goals).

22: Hernan Crespo (Argentina, 64 Caps, 35 Goals)

Hernan Crespo's record of 35 goals in just 64 games for Argentina is all the more impressive when you consider that he had to wait a full two years between making his debut for his country, and scoring his first goal at the highest level.

Like several of his fellow Argentines, he spent much of his career in Italy, though also played in England for a spell.

Crespo scored four goals in World Cup finals matches in total, while he also netted three goals in two games in the 2007 Copa America.

A natural finisher, Crespo was expert at taking chances first time and was always on hand to snap up any loose chances around the six-yard box.

21: Rashidi Yekini (Nigeria, 70 Caps, 37 Goals)

The fourth-highest ranking African player is the current goal scoring record holder for Nigeria's International team, Rashidi Yekini.

After finding the net 37 times in 70 games, including the very first goal ever scored by his country in a World Cup finals match (in USA '94), Yekini will forever be regarded a hero by his county's people.

He also played at the World Cup in France four years later.

As if scoring in the World Cup wasn't enough, in the same year Yekini also grabbed five goals in the African Cup of Nations, finishing as top scorer.

20: Kubilay Turkyilmaz (Switzerland, 62 Caps, 34 Goals)

We enter the Top Twenty with a player equally remembered for his aggressive approach to the game as for the goals he scored; the Turkish national-turned Swiss, Kubilay Turkyilmaz (pictured right, in red).

His record of 34 in 62 games equates to one goal every 1.82 matches, a fantastic return for a player who did well to reach double figures for goals in a season at club level.

Turkyilmaz once rejected the chance to play against the country of his origin as he did not want to be called a 'traitor'.

He scored a hattrick of penalties in a qualifying match against Faroe Islands and scored one goal in Euro '96 against England.

Though he scored 17 goals in World Cup qualifying matches, he never managed to find the net in the tournament proper.

19: Hwang Seon-Hong (South Korea, 103 Caps, 50 Goals)

Hwang Seon-Hong netted a terrific fifty goals for South Korea, including one against Poland in a 2-0 victory in the 2002 World Cup tournament which was jointly hosted by Japan and his home country.

In a spectacular personal performance against Nepal in 1994, Hwang scored no less than eight times in the single match.

He led the line for South Korea for a number of years and was an important part of the squad under the guidance of Guus Hiddink.

18: Kalusha Bwalya (Zambia, 100 Caps, 50 Goals)

Once in a generation, a man comes along who can inspire and provide help to an entire country by his actions.

For Zambia, that man was Kalusha Bwalya, still regarded by many as the finest footballer to come out of Africa.

Though his official record stands at a magnificent 50 goals in 100 games, alternative records (not recognised by FIFA) claim he has scored a complete 100 goals in close to 200 matches. This is likely to include the likes of charity matches and unofficial friendlies, in which Bwalya regularly took part to aid his country.

He played in a total of six African Cup of Nations tournaments, where he was top scorer in the '96 championship with five goals.

As a 41-year old, he appeared as a late substitute (as player-manager) in the qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup against Liberia - and scored a 91st minute winner.

However for all his excellent goal scoring exploits he is perhaps most remembered as the man who helped his country through emotional turmoil after a plane crash tragically killed eighteen members of the Zambia national football team in 1993 - Bwalya was not on the plane and played a pivotal role in helping the country re-set up its' footballing infrastructure.

17: Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon, 101 Caps, 52 Goals)

Former Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o is probably one of Africa's two most recognisable and renowned current footballers in the world game.

After making his debut as just a fifteen year old for Cameroon, he has gone on to make over 100 appearances for them and scored 52 goals.

His lightening pace and unerring finishing make him a deadly marksman, shown by the fact he is the all time leading goalscorer in the African Cup of Nations, with 16 goals, including five at each of the '06 and '08 Cups.

In addition, he scored 1 goal at each of the '02 and '10 World Cups, and played his first game in the World Cup as a 17 year old in '98.

Eto'o has scored one International hattrick, against Angola.

16: Gary Lineker (England, 80 Caps, 48 Goals)

England's second-highest all time scorer Gary Lineker is Europe's sixth-place striker on the list.

Scorer of 48 goals, just one behind his country's record, Lineker was a classic poacher of goals and loved playing on the shoulder of the last defender.

Registering a goal every 1.67 games at International level, Lineker carried the hopes of a nation on his shoulders at World Cups in '86 (where he top scored) and '90 as he totalled ten goals in the finals of the competition.

Like several others in this list, Lineker made a big impact during the 80's but scored more than enough the following decade to warrant inclusion.

Prior to Euro '92 Lineker announced he would retire from playing for England after the competition and, needing just two goals to become the all-time top scorer, it was widely assumed he would retire triumphant.

However he missed a penalty in a friendly before the competition and failed to get a single goal during it, as England crashed out in the group stages and Lineker ended up without grabbing the record he craved.

15: Jan Koller (Czech Republic, 91 Caps, 55 Goals)

Big Jan Koller has a phenomenal goal record for the Czech Republic - his 55 goals in 91 games representing a strike every 1.65 matches.

Classically used as a target man, unsurprisingly, Koller also set up countless goals for the likes of Milan Baros and Vladi Smicer, but more than held his own in the scoring stakes as well, whether it be with his head or powerful right boot.

In 2005 he scored 4 in one game against Macedonia, while he also scored in the World Cup 2006 and Euro 2008.

He made further appearances at Euro 2000 and 2004.

Koller retired from International football in 2009.

14: David Villa (Spain, 72 Caps, 46 Goals)

Spain's lethal frontman David Villa is the all time top scoring player for his country having recently surpassed Raul's previous record.

In just 72 games he has hit 46 goals - an average of one goal every 1.57 games, an astonishing rate in the UEFA zone.

The World Cup and European Championship winner has scored hattricks against Russia and Azerbaijan for Spain.

In World Cup 2006 he scored 3 times, with a further 5 coming in last year's event. He also netted four times at Euro 2008.

13: Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast, 73 Caps, 47 Goals)

Africa's top ranked player is Chelsea and Ivory Coast forward Didier Drogba.

Captain of his national side, has averaged a goal every 1.55 games, totalling 47 strikes in only 73 games.

Powerful forward Drogba managed a goal in each of the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, whilst he also scored goals in the '06, '08 and '10 African Cup of Nations.

His single hattrick to date came against Burundi in 2003. He has notched 15 goals in World Cup qualifying matches for the Ivory Coast.

12: Carlos Pavon (Honduras, 101 Caps, 57 Goals)

Claiming third place for the Central and North American zone (CONCACAF) and in twelfth place overall is Carlos Pavon, a forward from Honduras who has scored almost 60 goals for his country.

A free scoring striker with a good turn of pace, Pavon is Honduras' main hope for success and played a big role in them reaching the 2010 World Cup where he played through injury, scoring seven goals in qualifying matches.

In addition, Pavon scored fifteen times during qualifying for the 2002 World Cup, which Honduras did not reach. In total he has 9 goals scored in Gold Cup matches.

Pavon has hit four hattricks whilst playing for his country, coming against El Salvador, Nicaragua, Mexico and Cuba (four goals).

11: Miroslav Klose (Germany, 108 Caps, 61 Goals)

In third place for the UEFA contingent is Polish-born German front-man Miroslav Klose, who is second in the all time scorers list for World Cup goals.

In 2002 he scored five times, all headers, before notching the same amount in 2006, none of which were headers.

Klose followed this up by hitting four goals - and getting one red card - in the 2010 tournament in South Africa.

He has hit four hattricks while playing for Germany.

10: Dimitar Berbatov (Bulgaria, 77 Caps, 48 Goals)

Into the Top Ten now and the second-highest placed UEFA representative, Bulgarian national hero Dimitar Berbatov found the net a highly impressive 48 times in only 77 games for his country.

The former Leverkusen and Tottenham striker has a ratio of a goal every 1.6 games for Bulgaria and scored eleven goals more than legendary compatriot Stoichkov, in significantly less games too.

Though he scored a total of 28 goals in qualifying matches for different competitions, Bulgaria's lack of success on the playing field means Berbatov has never been able to score in a major tournament, making his strike record even more impressive. He did however play in Euro 2004.

Berbatov's sole International hattrick before he retired from playing at that level came against Georgia.

9: Maksim Shatskikh (Uzbekistan, 56 Caps, 33 Goals)

Asia's third-place striker is Uzbekistan's Maksim Shatskikh, who's 33 goals in just 56 games give him an enviable strike-rate of one every 1.7 games.

Though he has not scored as many goals as others on the list, the poor Uzbekistan side do not play as many games because they are easily knocked out during qualifying for competitions, showing just how hard it is for Shatskikh to manage even the tally he has done.

Uzbekistan's top scorer by some distance, Maksim has scored two hattricks at International level and, even more remarkably, has never lost a match for his country in which he has scored.

8: Stern John (Trinidad and Tobago, 109 Caps, 69 Goals)

Second place in this list for CONCACAF and 8th overall is chunky striker Stern John, a generally mis-firing player from the second tier of English football who has found goals easy to come by leading the line for his national side.

His 69 goals equate to better than one every 1.6 games and he has continued the form throughout his career that he showed by scoring on his debut in February of 1995 against Finland.

John featured in three matches in the 2006 World Cup.

Certainly not a comparable player with others at the top end of this list in terms of pure ability - but Stern John's strike rate at International level is prolific indeed and he takes a deserved place in the Top Ten.

7: Davor Suker (Croatia, 69 Caps, 45 Goals)

Time for another national hero; Davor Suker, Europe's highest placing in the rankings, hit 45 goals for Croatia (and one for the Former Republic of Yugoslavia before the split) in just 69 appearances, a record of one every 1.53 games.

He was the top scorer at the World Cup in France 1998 with six goals in seven matches, whilst he also scored three times at Euro '96.

Though a member of the Yugoslavia squad for the 1990 World Cup, he did not play during the tournament.

Suker hit hattricks against Australia and Estonia when wearing the blue, red and white of Croatia.

6: Kazuyoshi Miura (Japan, 89 Caps, 55 Goals)

Asia's second highest listing is Japan's free-scoring striker Kazuyoshi Miura, who with 55 in 89 games scored almost a goal every 1.6 games.

Playing for his country for a decade (1990-2000), Miura hit three hatricks including six goals in a 10-0 victory against Macau.

He scored 13 times in qualifying for the '94 World Cup and 12 times in the same four years later.

Though never a scorer at the World Cup, Miura did find the net in the '92 and '96 Asian Cups and the '94 Asian Games.

5: Jorge Alberto 'Magico' Gonzalez (El Salvador, 48 Caps, 41 Goals)

In fifth place, and the top-ranking Central and North American striker, is Jorge Alberto Gonzalez, also known as 'Magico' Gonzalez.

The wizard from El Salvador played in the World Cup in 1982 and continued serving his country until 1998. Considered by many who saw him play regularly the greatest footballer of his time, comparable even to some of the finest South Americans, it was remarked that if Gonzalez had been Brazilian or Argentinian he would have racked up an even more impressive tally of goals and been spoken about in the same breath as Cruyff, Puskas, Pele and Di Stefano.

As it is, he notched 41 goals in a mere 48 games, a record of 1.17 games per goal, comfortably the best on this list.

4: Ali Daei (Iran, 149 Caps, 109 Goals)

In fourth place and the top ranking Asian player is Iran's legendary striker Ali Daei, a forward who spent much of his playing career in Germany with the likes of Bayern Munich and Hertha Berlin.

Daei, captain of his country, scored over one hundred goals in less than 150 games, averaging a strike every 1.4 games, impressive enough on its own but even more so for the longevity and continuity of his tally.

Daei is also the top scorer in world football at International level and was the first player to break the 100-goals barrier in officially recognised games.

He scored nine goals in the '98 Asian games and notched a massive eight hattricks while representing Iran.

3: Ronaldo (Brazil, 97 Caps, 62 Goals)

Into the Top Three now and separating these players was a very hard thing to do, one which will no doubt cause plenty of discussion.

However in third place on the list I have gone for the Brazilian legend and recently retired Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima, better known of course as simply Ronaldo.

With a goal every 1.56 games for his country, Ronaldo was an awesome presence as a striker and probably the greatest forward I have ever seen play.

His 62 goals in slightly less than a century of caps (with one more to come in June versus Romania as a farewell) were helped along the way by his becoming the top scorer in World Cup finals of all time - with fifteen goals.

He scored four in '98, eight in '02 where he was top scorer and three in '06.

His pace, power, finishing and dribbling ability mark him out as one of the most lethal forwards of all time.

2: Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina, 78 Caps, 56 Goals)

In second place is the great 'Batigol', Gabriel Batistuta.

His 56 International goals for Argentina came in just 78 games, an average of one every 1.39 matches.

His powerful right foot terrorised goalkeepers the world over, though he was just as adept at scoring with his left and head. His movement and sharpness to the ball was the key to many of his goals, and he proved the man for the big occasion many times over during his career.

Batistuta top scored at the Copa America tournaments of 1991 and 1995, and he scored two World Cup hattricks, against Greece in '94 and Jamaica in '98.

In both calendar years of '95 and '98, Batistuta scored more goals than he made appearances for Argentina.

1: Romario (Brazil, 70 Caps, 55 Goals)

The number one position goes to Brazilian striker Romario, who makes up a 1st-2nd-3rd placing for South Americans.

Romario de Souza Faria scored 55 goals in just 70 games for Brazil, an astounding rate of a goal every 1.27 games, a brilliant record for any player but especially for one competing for a team in the CONMEBOL (South America) zone.

Romario scored five goals in the 1994 World Cup in USA and was named the Player of the Tournament as Brazil triumphed.

His finishing skills were legendary; Romario rarely missed a one-on-one opportunity and his close control and ability to turn a defender were a feature of his game for many years.

Allegedly having scored over 1,000 goals throughout his career (not all official or recorded), Romario was, though admittedly something of a rebel and problem player in various squads, a goalscoring phenomenon and as one half of the 'Ro-Ro' partnership (with Ronaldo) terrorised global defences.