The top-scoring defenders in World Cup history: Stones, Pepe, Ramos & more…

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·19. Juni 2026

The top-scoring defenders in World Cup history: Stones, Pepe, Ramos & more…

Goals from defenders can often feel like bonuses, given their primary job is to stop the ball going into the net, and doing so at a World Cup can make you a hero.

Plenty of famous defenders from years gone by have managed to get on the scoresheet but only a few have scored more than one so we have made a list of those select few.

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To make things fair, we have only included goals by players playing as defenders. So, while Franz Beckenbauer has five goals, they largely came from a sweeper role in midfield.

With that in mind, here are the top-scoring defenders in World Cup history.

Fernando Hierro – 2

Former Bolton player Hierro has actually scored five World Cup goals but only two of them came while he was playing as a defender.

That came during his final World Cup where he moved back from his defensive midfielder spot to centre back.

His first was against Slovenia in a 3-1 win and his second was against Paraguay in a win of the same scoreline.

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Hong Myung-bo – 2

South Korea’s current manager has some impressive scalps on his World Cup goalscoring record.

Both of his two efforts came in the 1994 World Cup, when he scored against Spain and Germany in what could fairly be described as a Group of Death.

Lilian Thuram – 2

Thuram may have only scored two goals at the World Cup, but they were certainly important ones.

After France went 1-0 down to Croatia in the 1998 semi-final, Thuram equalised a minute later and then went on to score the winner, ensuring France would play the final of the tournament held in their country.

France would go on to lift the World Cup for the first time in a Zinedine Zidane-inspired final.

Thiago Silva – 2

Silva scored his first World Cup goal on home soil when he netted in the quarter-finals against Colombia. He missed the semi-final against Germany and we need no reminder what happened next…

In 2018, he scored in the group stage as Brazil beat Serbia 2-0.

Jan Vertonghen – 2

Belgium’s Vertonghen scored his first goal against South Korea in the 2014 World Cup, giving his side a 1-0 win.

His second and final strike came in the 2018 tournament when it looked like Belgium were heading home.

Having gone 2-0 down to Japan, Vertonghen’s goal sparked a comeback that concluded with a 94th-minute winner from fellow ex-Spurs player Nacer Chadli.

John Stones – 2

Of the defenders on this list, Stones is the only one going to this summer’s World Cup and so could add to his tally.

Both of his goals came against Panama as part of a 6-1 thrashing in the 2018 tournament.

Pepe – 2

It took Pepe eight World Cup matches before he got on the scoresheet, scoring Portugal’s only goal in their round of 16 defeat to Uruguay in 2018.

Pepe scored at that stage again in 2022, this time as part of a 6-1 hammering of Switzerland.

Kim Young-gwon – 2

A group stage match between Germany and South Korea in 2018 looked to be heading to a goalless draw but with the reigning champions having lost their opening game, they pushed forward for a winner at their peril.

Kim Young-gwon was somehow left in acres of space for a goal that was initially called offside but was given via VAR. Son Heung-min capped off the famous 2-0 win.

Young-gwon’s second came in 2022 when he scored in a 2-1 win over Portugal in the group stage.

Marcos Rojo – 2

The former Manchester United defender was quite the goal threat in 2014 and after assisting in his World Cup debut, he got a goal in his third match.

Playing at left back, he scored as part of Argentina’s 3-2 win over Nigeria.

In the following tournament, he had moved centrally but got on the scoresheet again against the same opponents.

Paul Breitner – 3

The West Germany full-back has the impressive accolade of having scored in two different World Cup finals.

The first came in 1974 when he scored a total of three goals from left back, including an equaliser against the Netherlands in the final.

His second final goal came in 1982 when he was playing as a midfielder against Italy.

Daniel Passarella – 3

Argentine Passarella opened his World Cup scoring account in 1978 when he scored the opener in his country’s win over France in the group stages.

His next goal came in 1982 when the tournament featured two group stages. He scored in the initial group stage against El Salvador and then again in the second group stage against Italy.