Top Goal Scorers For Russia Football Team All-Time: Many talented football players used to go to other countries for better pay and competition. But for Russian players, staying in Russia was a good choice. Some went to Europe and did well in big clubs before coming back to Russia.
Russian players who played abroad were skilled and hardworking. They didn’t always become famous, but they made a big impact in the leagues they played in.
Top Goal Scorers For Russia Football Team All-Time
In this article, we’ll talk about the top 10 goal scorers in the history of the Russian national football team.
1. Artem Dzyuba
- Career Span: 2011–2021
- Matches: 55
- Goals: 30
- Average: 0.55
Artem Dzyuba is the all-time top goal scorer for Russia. He started playing for Russia in 2011 but became a regular player after the 2014 World Cup. In 2016, he played in the European Championships, but Russia didn’t go far. However, in the 2018 World Cup held in Russia, Dzyuba played a crucial role, scoring three goals and helping Russia reach the quarter-finals for the first time. After that World Cup, he became the team captain.
Dzyuba continued his success, scoring nine goals in the qualifiers for the 2021 European Championships. He also scored a goal in the tournament itself, but despite his efforts, Russia was eliminated in the group stage. In the last game of the tournament against Denmark, Dzyuba scored his 30th international goal, tying the record for the most goals scored for the Russian national team, previously held by Alexander Kershakov.
2. Aleksandr Kerzhakov
- Career Span: 2002–2016
- Matches: 90
- Goals: 30
- Average: 0.33
Aleksandr Kerzhakov is the tied-highest goal scorer for the Russian national team. He played in the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea and the UEFA Euro 2004 in Portugal. However, he was not selected for the UEFA Euro 2008, despite being considered one of Russia’s most dangerous players by coach Guus Hiddink.
Kerzhakov became the all-time leading goal scorer for the Russian national team on September 3, 2014, surpassing Vladimir Bestschastnykh’s record with his 27th goal.
3. Vladimir Beschastnykh
- Career Span: 1992–2003
- Matches: 71
- Goals: 26
- Average: 0.37
Vladimir Beschastnykh is the third-highest goal scorer for the Russian national team. He joined the team in 1992 and scored 26 goals in 71 matches, making him the team’s top scorer if you exclude goals scored for the USSR team. Oleh Blokhin holds the overall USSR team record with 42 goals.
Beschastnykh also scored a goal against Belgium in the 2002 World Cup. He also played in the 1994 World Cup and the 1996 European Championship for Russia.
4. Roman Pavlyuchenko
- Career Span: 2003–2012
- Matches: 50
- Goals: 21
- Average: 0.42
Roman Pavlyuchenko is the fourth-highest goal scorer for the Russian national team. He started his journey through the Russian youth and junior selections. He was called up to the senior team in 2003 but didn’t make a strong impression in his first appearance against Israel. However, he played in the last three qualifying games for the 2006 World Cup and scored his first goal against Luxembourg.
In the qualification for the 2008 European Championships, he had mixed performances but scored two crucial goals against England, helping Russia qualify for the tournament. He performed well in the Euros, scoring three goals and helping Russia reach the semi-finals. Pavlyuchenko was also included in the UEFA all-star team for his impressive performance.
5. Valeri Karpin
- Career Span: 1992–2003
- Matches: 72
- Goals: 17
- Average: 0.24
Valeri Karpin is the fifth-highest goal scorer for the Russian national team. He gained international recognition by scoring 17 goals in 72 games for Russia between 1992 and 2003, including the first goal for independent Russia. He also played once for the CIS team without scoring.
Karpin participated in major tournaments such as the 1994 and 2002 World Championships and the 1996 European Championships, making a significant impact on the Russian national team during these competitions.
6. Andrey Arshavin
- Career Span: 2002–2012
- Matches: 74
- Goals: 17
- Average: 0.23
Andrey Arshavin is the sixth-highest goal scorer for the Russian national team. He first played for Russia in 2002 in a match against Belarus but was not included in the final squad for the 2002 World Cup. Similar situations occurred in 2004 before the European Championships.
However, during the qualification for Euro 2008, Arshavin became a key player for Russia, scoring three goals and assisting in six goals for his teammates. He was part of the squad for Euro 2008, despite a ban for the first two games. After serving the ban, he played full-time in the remaining matches, scored two goals, and was named man of the match twice.
In the 2008 European Championship, Russia reached the semi-finals, and Arshavin was included in the UEFA All-Star team. He retired from the national team in 2012.
7. Fyodor Smolov
- Career Span: 2012–2021
- Matches: 44
- Goals: 16
- Average: 0.36
Fyodor Smolov is the seventh-highest goal scorer for the Russian national team. He made his debut in 2012 against the USA and scored his first goal in that match.
In the 2016 European Championship, he was part of the Russian team but they were eliminated in the group stage with just one point from three games.
Smolov also played in the 2018 World Cup hosted in Russia. His team reached the quarter-finals but was eliminated on penalties against Croatia, with Smolov missing the first penalty for his team.
8. Dmitri Sychev
- Career Span: 2002–2010
- Matches: 47
- Goals: 15
- Average: 0.32
Dmitri Sychev is the eighth-highest goal scorer for the Russian national team. He played in the 2002 FIFA World Cup and became the youngest player to appear for the Soviet Union or Russia at 18 years and 222 days. During the tournament, he scored a goal and assisted in three others, despite Russia’s disappointing performance. This goal also made him the fourth youngest goal scorer in the FIFA World Cup history.
Sychev was also part of Russia’s squad for UEFA Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland. Despite being a striker at Lokomotiv Moscow, he was used as a midfielder by coach Guus Hiddink during his time with the Russian national team. Sychev played his last match for the national team in 2010.
9. Roman Shirokov
- Career Span: 2008–2016
- Matches: 56
- Goals: 13
- Average: 0.23
Roman Shirokov is the ninth-highest goal scorer for the Russian national team. He was part of the Russian squad at the 2016 European Football Championship in France. In the tournament, he played in the first game against England during the final quarter of an hour and also appeared against Slovakia.
He started in the last game against Wales, but unfortunately, the team was eliminated from the tournament after that match.
10. Denis Cheryshev
- Career Span: 2012–2021
- Matches: 33
- Goals: 12
- Average: 0.36
Denis Cheryshev is the tenth-highest goal scorer for the Russian national team. Even though he also has Spanish citizenship, he chose to play for Russia during his youth. He played for the Russian U-21 team in the 2013 European Championship, scoring one goal, although the team was eliminated in the preliminary round.
Cheryshev made his senior national team debut in a friendly match against the USA in 2012 under coach Fabio Capello. In the opening game of the 2018 World Cup hosted in Russia, he scored two goals as a substitute in a 5-0 win against Saudi Arabia and was named Man of the Match. There were controversies regarding his performance, with his father mentioning growth hormone injections, but Cheryshev denied any doping allegations.
In the 2018 World Cup, Russia reached the quarterfinals but lost to Croatia on penalties. Cheryshev was also included in Russia’s squad for the 2021 European Football Championship, although the team didn’t progress past the group stage.
