In the history of international football 95 players have scored 40 goals or more for their country.
Of those only 5 have averaged more than a goal a game. And the greatest average, 1.37 goals per game, belongs to Poul Nielsen of Denmark.
In an international career lasting from 1910 until 1925 Nielsen scored 52 goals in 38 matches. He scored in 60% of the international matches he played (23).
Goals
|
|||||||
1
|
05.05.10
|
Denmark
|
2
|
1
|
England Amateur
|
Copenhagen
|
|
2
|
21.10.11
|
England Amateur
|
3
|
0
|
Denmark
|
London
|
|
3
|
02.07.12
|
Denmark
|
4
|
1
|
Netherlands
|
Stockholm
|
1
|
4
|
25. 05.13
|
Denmark
|
8
|
0
|
Sweden
|
Copenhagen
|
2
|
5
|
05.10.13
|
Sweden
|
0
|
10
|
Denmark
|
Stockholm
|
8
|
6
|
26.10.13
|
Germany
|
1
|
4
|
Denmark
|
Hamburg
|
12
|
7
|
17.05.14
|
Denmark
|
4
|
3
|
Netherlands
|
Copenhagen
|
15
|
8
|
05.06.14
|
Denmark
|
3
|
0
|
England Amateur
|
Copenhagen
|
16
|
9
|
06.06.15
|
Denmark
|
2
|
0
|
Sweden
|
Copenhagen
|
17
|
10
|
19.09.15
|
Denmark
|
8
|
1
|
Norway
|
Copenhagen
|
20
|
11
|
31.10.15
|
Sweden
|
0
|
2
|
Denmark
|
Stockholm
|
21
|
12
|
04.06.16
|
Denmark
|
2
|
0
|
Sweden
|
Copenhagen
|
23
|
13
|
08.10.16
|
Sweden
|
4
|
0
|
Denmark
|
Stockholm
|
|
14
|
15.10.16
|
Denmark
|
8
|
0
|
Norway
|
Copenhagen
|
27
|
15
|
03.06.17
|
Denmark
|
1
|
1
|
Sweden
|
Copenhagen
|
|
16
|
07.10.17
|
Denmark
|
12
|
0
|
Norway
|
Copenhagen
|
32
|
17
|
14.10.17
|
Sweden
|
2
|
1
|
Denmark
|
Stockholm
|
|
18
|
06.10.18
|
Denmark
|
4
|
0
|
Norway
|
Copenhagen
|
33
|
19
|
05.06.19
|
Denmark
|
3
|
0
|
Sweden
|
Copenhagen
|
35
|
20
|
12.06.19
|
Denmark
|
5
|
1
|
Norway
|
Copenhagen
|
38
|
21
|
21. 09.19
|
Norway
|
3
|
2
|
Denmark
|
Kristiania (Oslo)
|
|
22
|
12.10.19
|
Sweden
|
3
|
0
|
Denmark
|
Stockholm
|
40
|
23
|
02.10.21
|
Denmark
|
3
|
1
|
Norway
|
Copenhagen
|
43
|
24
|
09.10.21
|
Sweden
|
0
|
0
|
Denmark
|
Stockholm
|
|
25
|
15. 04.22
|
Belgium
|
0
|
0
|
Denmark
|
Liège
|
|
26
|
17.04.22
|
Netherlands
|
2
|
0
|
Denmark
|
Amsterdam
|
|
27
|
11. 06.22
|
Denmark
|
0
|
3
|
Czechoslovakia
|
Copenhagen
|
|
28
|
10. 09.22
|
Norway
|
3
|
3
|
Denmark
|
Fredrikstad
|
44
|
29
|
01.10.22
|
Denmark
|
1
|
2
|
Sweden
|
Copenhagen
|
45
|
30
|
06. 05.23
|
Czechoslovakia
|
2
|
0
|
Denmark
|
Prague
|
|
31
|
30.09.23
|
Denmark
|
2
|
1
|
Norway
|
Copenhagen
|
|
32
|
14.10.23
|
Sweden
|
3
|
1
|
Denmark
|
Stockholm
|
|
33
|
15.06.24
|
Denmark
|
2
|
3
|
Sweden
|
Copenhagen
|
|
34
|
14. 09.24
|
Norway
|
1
|
3
|
Denmark
|
Kristiania (Oslo)
|
47
|
35
|
05.10.24
|
Denmark
|
2
|
1
|
Belgium
|
Copenhagen
|
49
|
36
|
14.06.25
|
Sweden
|
0
|
2
|
Denmark
|
Stockholm
|
50
|
37
|
21.06.25
|
Denmark
|
5
|
1
|
Norway
|
Copenhagen
|
51
|
38
|
27.09.25
|
Denmark
|
3
|
3
|
Finland
|
Aarhus
|
52
|
His goals were inflicted on the following opponents:
Norway
|
23
|
Sweden
|
17
|
Germany
|
4
|
Netherlands
|
4
|
Belgium
|
2
|
England amateur
|
1
|
Finland
|
1
|
Nielsen played his club football for Kjøbenhavns Boldklub (KB), winning the Danish Championship 6 times (1913, 1914, 1917, 1918, 1922, 1925).
Remarkably he played 201 championship games and scored 276 goals, giving him an average of 1.37 goals per game in club football as well.