Let’s be real for a second. If you walk into any cantina in Guadalajara or a sports bar in East L.A. and ask who the best Mexican striker ever was, you’re going to start a fight. It’s unavoidable. Some guy will swear by Hugo Sánchez because of the Real Madrid goals. Another will get misty-eyed talking about Cuauhtémoc Blanco’s vision. But when we look at the cold, hard numbers—the ones that actually go into the history books—there is only one name at the top.
Javier "Chicharito" Hernández is the mexico highest goal scorer of all time. Period.
He has 52 goals. It’s a massive number. But here’s the thing: despite being the statistical king, he is also probably the most debated figure in the history of El Tri. People love to pick apart those 52 goals like they’re auditing a tax return.
Why the Record Isn't "Simple"
Stats can be liars. Or at least, they don’t tell the whole story. Chicharito took the crown from Jared Borgetti back in 2017, but the "quality" of those goals is where fans lose their minds.
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Basically, the argument goes like this: Borgetti was a beast in World Cup Qualifiers when CONCACAF was a literal war zone. Chicharito, on the other hand, racked up a huge chunk of his total in friendlies. Is that fair? Maybe not. But a goal is a goal when the referee blows the whistle.
The Top 5 Breakdown (As of 2026)
If you look at the leaderboard right now, the gap is starting to close, but the legends still hold the high ground.
- Javier Hernández: 52 goals. The Little Pea. Most of us remember him poaching goals for Manchester United and Real Madrid, but for Mexico, he was just always in the right spot at the right time.
- Jared Borgetti: 46 goals. The "Desert Fox." Honestly, nobody headed a ball like him. If you haven't seen his header against Italy in the 2002 World Cup, go find it on YouTube right now. It defies physics.
- Raúl Jiménez: 44 goals. He is the one everyone is watching. After that horrific head injury a few years back, many thought he was done. But he’s back, he's scoring for Fulham, and he is breathing down Borgetti’s neck.
- Cuauhtémoc Blanco: 39 goals. He wasn't even a pure "striker" half the time. He was a playmaker, a provocateur, and the heart of the team.
- Luis Hernández: 35 goals. "El Matador." Those blonde locks flying in the wind during France '98. He shared the record with Carlos Hermosillo before the modern era took over.
The Raúl Jiménez Surge
Raúl Jiménez is currently sitting at 44 goals. As we head into the 2026 World Cup cycle, he is the only active player with a legitimate shot at the top spot. He’s 34 now. Can he get 9 more goals to pass Chicharito?
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It’s a tall order. National team goals don't come easy when you're playing the heavy hitters. But Jiménez is the designated penalty taker, which helps. He’s also playing in a system under Javier Aguirre that relies heavily on a veteran presence.
The debate around the mexico highest goal scorer often ignores longevity. Chicharito hasn't played for the national team in years due to... well, let's just call it "internal friction" with previous coaching staffs. If he had stayed in the mix, he might have hit 60.
What Most People Get Wrong
People think Hugo Sánchez is on this list. He isn't. Not even close. Hugo is the greatest Mexican club player ever, but for the national team, he only netted 29 times. It's a weird quirk of history.
Another misconception? That Chicharito only scored against "easy" teams. He scored against France. He scored against Argentina. He scored against South Korea in the World Cup. He was a big-game player, even if he did pad the stats in some Rose Bowl friendlies against New Zealand.
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The "Official" vs. "Friendly" Argument
This is where the nerds (and I say that with love) get heated.
- Jared Borgetti scored 37 of his 46 goals in official matches. That is a staggering 80%.
- Chicharito scored about half of his in friendlies.
Does it matter? To the FIFA record books, no. To the guys sitting at the bar arguing about who they’d want in a must-win game? It matters a lot. Borgetti was the king of the "molero" games and the high-stakes qualifiers alike.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you're tracking the race for the top spot, keep an eye on these three things over the next twelve months:
- Jiménez’s Minutes: If he stays healthy in the Premier League, he’ll get the starts for Mexico.
- The Santiago Giménez Factor: "Santi" is the future. He’s at AC Milan now, and while he only has a handful of national team goals so far, he is the only one who could eventually shatter everyone’s records.
- The 2026 World Cup Schedule: Since Mexico is co-hosting, they aren't playing traditional qualifiers. This means fewer "official" competitive matches and more high-profile friendlies. This might actually make it harder for Jiménez to catch Chicharito because the pressure of "friendlies" is different from the grind of qualifying.
The record of mexico highest goal scorer is more than just a number. It's a reflection of different eras of Mexican football—from the grit of the 90s to the globalized European era of the 2010s. Whether you like Chicharito or not, 52 is the mountain everyone else has to climb.
Next time someone tells you Hugo Sánchez is the top scorer, you can politely tell them they're wrong. And then maybe buy them a drink, because they're probably going to be pretty annoyed.