In international football, reaching 100 combined goals and assists is an elite club reserved for the game’s most prolific and creative attackers — a testament to sustained brilliance across years, tournaments, and continents.
But doing it lightning-fast? That’s what separates the legends from the rest. Just this week in January 2026, Mohamed Salah etched his name deeper into history by becoming the fastest African ever to hit the milestone, achieving it in only 111 caps for Egypt after a goal and assist against Ivory Coast — outpacing even Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in efficiency.
According to Planet Football’s latest ranking (updated with Transfermarkt data) on Monday, here are the 10 quickest players in history to rack up 100 international goal contributions (goals + assists), ranked by the number of matches required:
Pelé – 77 games
The benchmark. Pelé reached 100 international goal contributions in just 77 appearances for Brazil, a record that still stands.
Neymar – 94 games
Neymar hit the milestone at just 26 years old, making him the youngest player on the list thanks to his explosive start with Brazil.
Mohamed Salah – 111 games
Salah became the fastest African player to reach 100 international goal contributions, achieving the feat in 111 games for Egypt.
Romelu Lukaku – 113 games
Belgium’s all-time top scorer reached the milestone in 113 matches, the fastest European player to do so.
Luis Suárez – 116 games
Uruguay’s greatest scorer combined goals and creativity to reach 100 contributions in 116 games before retiring from international football.
Lionel Messi – 122 games
While slower to the milestone than others, Messi has since surpassed everyone on this list in total international goal contributions.
Ali Daei – 123 games
The first player to score 100 international goals, Daei remains the fastest Asian player to reach 100 combined goals and assists.
Robert Lewandowski – 128 games
Poland’s talisman reached the mark at 33 and continues to add to his tally deep into his career.
Cristiano Ronaldo – 136 games
The all-time leading international goal scorer took 136 games to reach 100 contributions, partly due to his early role as a winger.
Miroslav Klose – 136 games
Level with Ronaldo, Klose reached the milestone later in his career and remains the top scorer in World Cup history.
