Top Goal Scorers For Uruguay Football Team All-Time: Uruguay is a small country, but it has a big impact in soccer. Even though there are only a few million people there, they have produced many great soccer players. The national team has won two World Cups, 15 Copa América titles, and Olympic gold medals. People wonder how such a small country can achieve so much in soccer, but Uruguayans say it’s because soccer is in their blood.
Uruguayan soccer players are known for being strong leaders on the field. They give their all in every match and fight for every ball. This attitude has made Uruguay a strong soccer nation since the early days of the sport.
Top Goal Scorers For Uruguay Football Team All-Time
Today, we will talk about the top goal scorers in the history of the Uruguay national soccer team.
1. Luis Suárez
- Career Span: 2007–present
- Matches: 134
- Goals: 68
- Average: 0.51
One of the best forwards in soccer today is often called “The Gunslinger.” He’s not just a legend in Uruguay’s soccer history but also in European soccer. He’s still an active player and, as his career comes to a close, he could be considered one of the all-time greats.
What makes him stand out is his class, talent, determination, dedication, and ability to score lots of goals. He’s particularly known for his goal-scoring ability in the penalty area. He holds the record for the most goals scored in the history of Uruguay’s national team, with 68 goals in 134 games. He’s also been a top scorer for some of the best teams in the world.
He won the Copa América in 2011 and played a key role in Uruguay’s 4th-place finish in the 2010 World Cup, although he became famous for a controversial handball incident against Ghana during that tournament. He’s been an essential part of Uruguay’s national team during much of Oscar Washington Tabárez’s coaching tenure.
2. Edinson Cavani
- Career Span: 2008–present
- Matches: 133
- Goals: 58
- Average: 0.44
When we talk about the all-time top goal scorers for the Uruguay Football Team, one name that stands out is “The Matador.” He was born on February 14, 1987, which is also Valentine’s Day. He has a deep love for scoring goals. He started his career with Danubio in Uruguay and then moved to Europe, where he became one of the best forwards in the world.
Currently, he plays for Boca Juniors, but he has also been a part of Paris Saint-Germain in France and Valencia in Spain, although his time in Spain was relatively short. In France, he achieved great success, winning many titles and often being the top scorer.
He made his debut for Uruguay’s national team in 2008 and has scored 58 goals in 133 appearances, making him the second-highest goal scorer of all time for Uruguay, just behind Luis Suárez. He’s scored five goals in the three World Cups he’s played in, and he also managed to score in the Copa América next year, which he hadn’t done in his previous three participations.
3. Diego Forlán
- Career Span: 2002–2014
- Matches:112
- Goals: 36
- Average: 0.32
Diego Forlán is a well-known soccer player, often called “Cachavacha Forlán.” He was a striker known for his incredible skill and ability to score difficult goals. In the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, he played a memorable role, carrying the team on his shoulders and earning the title of the tournament’s best player. He shared the top spot in the scoring table and his goal against Germany was chosen as the best of the World Cup. Uruguay finished in fourth position in that tournament.
For the national team, he scored 36 goals in 112 appearances, making him the third-highest scorer in Uruguay’s history. He also played a crucial role in Uruguay’s victory in the 2011 Copa América, scoring two goals in the final against Paraguay.
In club football, Forlán had a prestigious career, playing for top clubs like Manchester United, Villarreal, Atlético de Madrid, and Inter Milan, among others. He scored a total of 273 goals in 699 games for various clubs. He was awarded the European Golden Boot in the 2004-2005 and 2008-2009 seasons, with Villarreal and Atlético de Madrid respectively. However, focusing only on these achievements would be unfair to one of the best forwards in the history of Uruguay.
4. Héctor Scarone
- Career Span: 1917–1930
- Matches: 51
- Goals: 31
- Average: 0.61
Héctor “El Mago” Scarone was another great forward in Uruguay’s soccer history. He used to hold the record as the top scorer for the national team until 2011.
With Uruguay, Scarone achieved remarkable success, winning the Copa América four times (in 1917, 1923, 1924, and 1926), gold medals in the 1924 and 1928 Olympic Games, and the first-ever World Cup in 1930. He scored 31 goals in 51 games for the Uruguayan National Team, making him the all-time leading scorer until 2011 when Diego Forlán surpassed him.
At the club level, Scarone played for Nacional, where he scored an impressive 301 goals in 391 games. He is the third-highest scorer in the history of the Uruguayan championship, a league he won eight times. He also had stints at Barcelona, Ambrosiana, and Palermo, where he scored a total of 29 goals.
5. Ángel Romano
- Career Span: 1913–1927
- Matches: 69
- Goals: 28
- Average: 0.41
Ángel “El Loco” Romano was a significant figure in Uruguayan soccer history. He made his debut for the national team on August 15, 1911, contributing a goal in a 2-0 victory against Argentina in the Copa Lipton. He played a total of 69 matches for Uruguay until 1927, becoming Uruguay’s most capped player from 1923 to 1985. During this time, he scored 28 goals for his country, a record that was later surpassed by Héctor Scarone in 1928.
Romano’s 69th international match, played on April 14, 1927, set a world record of 68 games, a milestone he held until March 31, 1940, when he was surpassed by the Swiss player Severino Minelli. He remains the only South American to have held this world record.
He participated in the first South American Football Championship in 1916 and played a key role in subsequent championships, helping Uruguay win six titles and finishing second once and third twice. Romano also won a gold medal with Uruguay at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, which was considered equivalent to a world championship at that time.
After retiring from active soccer, Romano became an honorary member of Nacional and also worked in the club’s management, leaving behind a lasting legacy in Uruguayan football.
6. Óscar Míguez
- Career Span: 1950–1958
- Matches: 39
- Goals: 27
- Average: 0.69
Óscar Omar Míguez was a talented soccer player for the Uruguayan national team. He played 39 international matches from his debut on April 30, 1950, against Paraguay to his last appearance on April 30, 1958, against Argentina. During his international career, he scored a total of 27 goals.
Míguez participated in several major tournaments, including the 1950 Copa Rio Branco, the 1950 and 1954 World Cups, the 1952 Pan American Football Championship, the 1955 and 1956 South American Championships, the 1956 Copa del Atlántico, and the 1957 Copa Newton.
He holds the record for the most goals scored in World Cup history by a Uruguayan player. At the 1950 World Cup in Brazil, he scored five goals, including two crucial goals in the final against Sweden, helping Uruguay secure the championship title. In the 1954 FIFA World Cup in Switzerland, he scored three goals in the preliminary round but couldn’t play in the semi-final due to injury, and Uruguay was eventually defeated.
In the 1956 South American Championships, he not only won the title with Uruguay but was also named the best player of the tournament, showcasing his exceptional skills and contributions to the team’s success.
7. Sebastián Abreu
- Career Span: 1996–2012
- Matches: 70
- Goals: 26
- Average: 0.37
Sebastián Abreu, commonly known as “El Loco,” made his debut for the Uruguay national team on July 17, 1996, in a friendly match against China, coming on as a substitute. He scored his first international goal in his second match against Japan on August 25, 1996, although Uruguay lost 3-5.
Abreu played in the World Cups of 2002 and 2010. In the 2010 tournament, he became famous for converting a decisive penalty in the quarter-final against Ghana, using a lob technique similar to Zinédine Zidane’s famous goal in the 2006 World Cup final. He had previously used this technique in other matches, including the 2011 Copa América, which Uruguay won.
In his international career, Abreu played 70 matches and scored 26 goals. His last appearance for the national team was in an international friendly against France on August 15, 2012. Despite not being selected for the 2014 World Cup, he expressed his desire to continue playing for Uruguay, aiming for a spot in the squad for the 2015 Copa América.
8. Pedro Petrone
- Career Span: 1923–1930
- Matches: 28
- Goals: 24
- Average: 0.86
Fernando Petrone was a star player for Nacional Montevideo, and his excellent performances earned him a spot in the Uruguay national team. He carried his success from the club to the international stage, notably at the Olympic football tournaments in 1924 and 1928, where Uruguay won gold medals.
In 1924, he was the top scorer in the Olympic tournament with seven goals. Petrone also secured this title at the South American Championships in 1923 and 1924. He continued his international success by being part of the Uruguay team that won the first-ever World Cup in 1930, a historic achievement as the tournament was held in Uruguay’s own country.
Petrone played a total of 29 international matches for Uruguay, scoring 24 goals. Although there are slight discrepancies in the records, his impact on the national team’s success is undeniable, making him a revered figure in Uruguayan soccer history.
9. Fernando Morena
- Career Span: 1971–1983
- Matches: 53
- Goals: 22
- Average: 0.42
Héctor Scarone Morena had a significant impact on the Uruguayan national team. He made his debut on October 27, 1971, in a 3-0 victory against Chile, contributing a goal to the win. Morena was also a part of the Uruguayan squad in the 1974 World Cup and the 1975 Copa América.
During his time with the national team, Morena played a total of 53 matches, scoring 22 goals. His last international appearance was on September 4, 1983, marking the end of a notable career representing Uruguay on the soccer field.
10. Carlos Aguilera
- Career Span: 1982–1997
- Matches: 64
- Goals: 22
- Average: 0.34
Rubén Aguilera was a prominent soccer player for Uruguay during the 1980s and 1990s. He represented Uruguay’s junior national team in seven games during the Junior Football World Cup in 1981 and 1983, scoring four goals. He was also the top scorer in the U-20 South American Championship in 1983, scoring seven goals for Uruguay, where they finished second in the tournament.
Aguilera continued his success at the senior level, playing 65 international matches for Uruguay between 1982 and 1997, scoring 23 goals. He made his debut in the Nehru Cup against China and played his last game against Ecuador in the World Cup qualification for the 1998 tournament.
In 1983, he helped Uruguay win the Copa América, where he tied with Jorge Burruchaga and Roberto Dinamite as the top goalscorer of the tournament with three goals. He also participated in the 1989 Copa América, the 1986 World Cup, and the 1990 World Cup. He played in various other tournaments including the 1984 William Poole Cup, the 1985 Copa Artigas, the 1985 Kirin Cup, the 1986 Marlboro Cup, the 1990 Stanley Rous Cup, and the 1993 Copa Inca, showcasing his skill and dedication to the sport.
