Who is Inter’s all-time record goalscorer?
Although a number of great strikers have passed through the gates of the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza and pulled on the famous Inter jersey in the last few decades, few have had the longevity of those that first took the Nerazzurri to prominence in the 1960s, when they won a 10th Serie A title and a first European Cup.
Ronaldo Nazario arrived from a world record fee in 1997, but saw his spell in Italy blighted by two significant knee injuries, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic had a huge impact on a hat-trick of Scudetti, before being prised away by Barcelona. While other legendary stars, like Jurgen Klinsmann, Hernan Crespo and Ivan Zamorano, simply didn’t stick around long enough with Inter to have a lasting impact on their top goalscorer standings.
Inter have also had their fair share of strikers who would register memorable goals, such as Alvaro Recoba and Adriano, but were hardly prolific during their time with the club, which is one reason the person sitting above first appeared as long ago as 1927.
Who is Inter’s highest-ever goalscorer?
When a 17-year-old Giuseppe Meazza scored twice on his debut in September 1927, Inter knew they had a star on their hands, but his goalscoring exploits soon exceeded expectations and fired the Nerazzurri to the scudetto two years later with 31 goals in 33 games.
Over the next 13 seasons, the Italian amassed 282 more goals for the club, before short-lived spells with rivals AC Milan and Juventus. However, Meazza returned to home for the 1946/47 campaign to help Inter avoid relegation, and finish his career having scored 284 times in official competition for the Nerazzurri.
Such was the attacker’s influence on Inter and Italian football - winning the World Cup with the Azzurri in 1934 and 1938 - that shortly after his death the stadium in San Siro was renamed in his honour, and provides a constant reminder to new arrivals of the almost impossible targets to aim for.
Top 10 dominated by Azzurri stars
When you consider that Inter was founded through a willingness to allow foreign members to join their club in 1908, it is notable how many of the players taking their place in the list of all-time goalscorers are Italian legends. From Alessandro Altobelli in second place with 209 goals, to Roberto Boninsegna and Sandro Mazzola, who briefly shared the goalscoring burden during the Nerazzurri’s 1970s struggles.
Until the 2020s success under Simone Inzaghi, you had to go back to the end of Meazza’s time at Inter to find the first of only three overseas players, Istvan Nyers in eighth place on the list with 133 strikes and Mauro Icardi just behind with 124. Talisman of Serie A titles in 2020/21 and 2023/24, Lautaro Martinez, has surged up the standings and chasing down the legendary Mazzola with 151 goals in 330 appearances.
Top 10: Inter all-time goalscorers
- Giuseppe Meazza - 284 goals
- Alessandro Altobelli - 209 goals
- Roberto Boninsegna - 171 goals
- Sandro Mazzola - 160 goals
- Luigi Cevenini - 156 goals
- Lautaro Martinez - 151 goals
- Benito Lorenzi - 143 goals
- Istvan Nyers - 133 goals
- Mauro Icardi - 124 goals
- Christian Vieri - 123 goals