List of footballers in England by number of league goals

"List of footballers in England and Scotland by number of league goals" redirects here. For similar list of players in Scotland, see List of footballers in Scotland by number of league goals.

The following is a list of footballers who have scored at least 200 domestic league goals in English league football. This includes the appearances and goals of former players in the Premier League and The Football League.

Players who came up just short of the 200 mark include Clive Allen, Chris Chilton, Peter Doherty, Gary Lineker, Jack Smith, Freddie Steele and Andrew Wilson.

Due to the close connections between English and Scottish football, several players have played for clubs in England and in the Scottish Football League and its successors and amassed over 200 goals across the two systems, including David McLean (over 160 goals in both), Joe Baker (over 140 in both), Neil Martin (over 110 in both) and Kenny Dalglish (over 110 in both).

Horace Barnes, Tony Brown and Bobby Charlton are the only midfielders to have scored over 200 goals in English football.

List of players

Players still active in the English leagues are listed in Bold
Players still active but not in the English leagues are listed in Italics
† English Football Hall of Fame Inductee.
‡ Scottish Football Hall of Fame Inductee.

As of 1 January 2024
Rank Player Goals Apps Ratio Years Clubs Notes
1 Arthur Rowley 434 619 0.70 1946–1965 West Bromwich Albion (4), Fulham (27), Leicester City (251), Shrewsbury Town (152)
2 Dixie Dean † 379 438 0.87 1923–1939 Tranmere Rovers (27), Everton (349), Notts County (3)
3 Jimmy Greaves † 357 516 0.69 1957–1971 Chelsea (124), Tottenham Hotspur (220), West Ham United (13)
4 Steve Bloomer † 352 599 0.59 1892–1914 Derby County (293), Middlesbrough (59)
5 George Camsell 345 439 0.78 1924–1939 Durham City (20), Middlesbrough (325)
6 John Aldridge 329 620 0.53 1979–1998 Newport County (69), Oxford United (72), Liverpool (50), Tranmere Rovers (138)
7 Joe Smith 315 519 0.61 1908–1929 Bolton Wanderers (254), Stockport County (61)
8 John Atyeo 314 597 0.53 1950–1966 Portsmouth (0), Bristol City (314)
9 Vic Watson 312 498 0.63 1920–1936 West Ham United (298), Southampton (14)
10 Harry Bedford 308 488 0.63 1919–1934 Nottingham Forest (8), Blackpool (112), Derby County (142), Newcastle United (17), Sunderland (2), Bradford Park Avenue (15), Chesterfield (12)
11 Harry Johnson 305 476 0.64 1919–1935 Sheffield United (201), Mansfield Town (104)
12 Hughie Gallacher †‡ 296 434 0.68 1925–1939 Newcastle United (133), Chelsea (72), Derby County (38), Notts County (32), Grimsby Town (3), Gateshead (18)
13 Gordon Hodgson 295 469 0.63 1926–1938 Liverpool (233), Aston Villa (11), Leeds United (51)
14 Cliff Holton 293 570 0.51 1950–1968 Arsenal (83), Watford (96), Northampton Town (50), Crystal Palace (40), Charlton Athletic (7), Leyton Orient (17)
15 Jimmy Hampson 290 425 0.68 1925–1938 Nelson (42), Blackpool (248)
16 Harry Morris 289 421 0.69 1919–1934 Fulham (2), Brentford (29), Millwall (30), Swansea Town (5), Swindon Town (215), Clapton Orient (8)
Ray Crawford 476 0.61 1957–1971 Portsmouth (9), Ipswich Town (143), Wolverhampton Wanderers (39), West Bromwich Albion (6), Ipswich Town (61), Charlton Athletic (7), Colchester United (24)
18 Ernie Hine 288 609 0.47 1921–1938 Barnsley (124), Leicester City (148), Huddersfield Town (4), Manchester United (12)
19 Tom Keetley 284 366 0.78 1919–1933 Bradford Park Avenue (5), Doncaster Rovers (180), Notts County (94), Lincoln City (5)
20 Alan Shearer 283 559 0.51 1988–2006 Southampton (23), Blackburn Rovers (112), Newcastle United (148)
21 Arthur Chandler 281 481 0.58 1920–1936 Queens Park Rangers (16), Leicester City (259), Notts County (6)
22 George Brown 276 445 0.62 1921–1938 Huddersfield Town (142), Aston Villa (79), Burnley (24), Leeds United (19), Darlington (12)
Ronnie Allen 638 0.43 1946–1965 Port Vale (34), West Bromwich Albion (208), Crystal Palace (34)
24 Ron Davies 275 549 0.50 1959–1976 Chester (44), Luton Town (21), Norwich City (58), Southampton (134), Portsmouth (18), Manchester United (0), Millwall (0)
Teddy Sheringham † 734 0.38 1984–2008 Millwall (93), Aldershot (0), Nottingham Forest (14), Tottenham Hotspur (97), Manchester United (31), Portsmouth (9), West Ham United (28), Colchester United (3)
26 Roger Hunt 268 480 0.56 1959–1972 Liverpool (244), Bolton Wanderers (24)
Kevin Hector 662 0.40 1962–1982 Bradford Park Avenue (113), Derby County (155)
28 Ken Wagstaff 266 559 0.48 1960–1976 Mansfield Town (93), Hull City (173)
29 Pop Robson 265 674 0.39 1964–1986 Newcastle United (82), West Ham United (94), Sunderland (60), Carlisle United (26), Chelsea (3)
30 Jamie Cureton 264 760 0.35 1992–2016 Norwich City (22), Bournemouth (0), Bristol Rovers (72), Reading (51), Queens Park Rangers (6), Swindon Town (7), Colchester United (27), Barnsley (2), Shrewsbury Town (0), Exeter City (39), Leyton Orient (1), Cheltenham Town (11), Dagenham & Redbridge (26)
31 Ted Harper 263 327 0.80 1923–1934 Blackburn Rovers (121), Sheffield Wednesday (13), Tottenham Hotspur (62), Preston North End (67)
32 David Jack 260 490 0.53 1920–1934 Plymouth Argyle (3), Bolton Wanderers (144), Arsenal (113)
33 Charlie Buchan † 258 481 0.54 1911–1928 Sunderland (209), Arsenal (49)
34 Jimmy Cookson 256 292 0.88 1925–1938 Chesterfield (85), West Bromwich Albion (103), Plymouth Argyle (37), Swindon Town (31)
Tommy Briggs 390 0.66 1947–1959 Grimsby Town (87), Coventry City (7), Birmingham City (22), Blackburn Rovers (140)
Ted MacDougall 535 0.48 1967–1981 York City (34), AFC Bournemouth (119), Manchester United (5), West Ham United (5), Norwich City (51), Southampton (42), Blackpool (0)
37 Nat Lofthouse † 255 452 0.56 1946–1961 Bolton Wanderers
38 Charlie Wayman 254 382 0.66 1946–1958 Newcastle United (32), Southampton (73), Preston North End (104), Middlesbrough (31), Darlington (14)
Keith Edwards 544 0.47 1975–1991 Sheffield United (143), Hull City (86), Leeds United (6), Stockport County (10), Huddersfield Town (8), Plymouth Argyle (1)
40 Tommy Tynan 253 629 0.40 1975–1992 Swansea City (2), Sheffield Wednesday (31), Lincoln City (1), Newport County (66), Plymouth Argyle (126), Rotherham United (13), Torquay United (13), Doncaster Rovers (1)
41 Brian Clough 251 274 0.92 1955–1965 Middlesbrough (197), Sunderland (54)
Steve Bull 479 0.52 1985–1999 West Bromwich Albion (2), Wolverhampton Wanderers (249)
Ivor Allchurch † 694 0.36 1949–1968 Swansea Town (166), Newcastle United (46), Cardiff City (39)
44 Joe Bradford 250 419 0.60 1920–1936 Birmingham City (249), Bristol City (1)
Kevin Phillips 583 0.43 1994–2014 Watford (24), Sunderland (116), Southampton (23), Aston Villa (4), West Bromwich Albion (38), Birmingham (19), Blackpool (18), Crystal Palace (6), Leicester City (2)
46 Billy Sharp 249 630 0.40 2004–2023 Sheffield United (117), Rushden & Diamonds (9), Scunthorpe United (53), Doncaster Rovers (44), Southampton (9), Nottingham Forest (10), Reading (2), Leeds United (5)
47 Harry Hampton 248 412 0.60 1904–1923 Aston Villa (215), Birmingham (31), Newport County (2)
48 Tommy Bamford 246 341 0.72 1929–1939 Wrexham (175), Manchester United (53), Swansea Town (18)
Ian Rush 572 0.43 1979–1999 Chester City (14), Liverpool (229), Leeds United (3), Newcastle United (0), Sheffield United (0), Wrexham (0)
50 Tom Waring 245 363 0.67 1926–1939 Tranmere Rovers (66), Aston Villa (159), Barnsley (7), Wolverhampton Wanderers (3), Accrington Stanley (10)
Ernie Moss 747 0.33 1968–1988 Chesterfield (162), Peterborough United (9), Mansfield Town (21), Port Vale (23), Lincoln City (2), Doncaster Rovers (15), Stockport County (7), Scarborough (4), Rochdale (2)
52 Dave Halliday 244 312 0.78 1925–1935 Sunderland (156), Arsenal (8), Manchester City (47), Clapton Orient (33)
George Beel 458 0.53 1919–1933 Lincoln City (12), Merthyr Town (22), Chesterfield (23), Burnley (179), Rochdale (8)
54 Gordon Turner 243 406 0.60 1950–1964 Luton Town
55 Geoff Bradford 242 461 0.52 1949–1964 Bristol Rovers
56 Dixie McNeil 239 522 0.46 1966–1983 Exeter City (11), Northampton Town (33), Lincoln City (53), Hereford United (88), Wrexham (54)
57 Tommy Johnston 238 406 0.59 1951–1962 Darlington (9), Oldham Athletic (3), Norwich City (28), Newport County (46), Leyton Orient (121), Blackburn Rovers (21), Gillingham (10)
58 Jack Cock 235 394 0.60 1914–1930 Huddersfield Town (9), Brentford (1), Chelsea (47), Everton (29), Plymouth Argyle (72), Millwall (77)
Derek Kevan 440 0.53 1952–1967 Bradford Park Avenue (8), West Bromwich Albion (157), Chelsea (1), Manchester City (48), Crystal Palace (5), Peterborough United (2), Luton Town (4), Stockport County (10)
Ian Wright † 493 0.48 1985–2000 Crystal Palace (89), Arsenal (128), West Ham United (9), Nottingham Forest (5), Burnley (4)
61 Frank Worthington 234 757 0.31 1966–1988 Huddersfield Town (41), Leicester City (72), Bolton Wanderers (35), Birmingham City (29), Leeds United (14), Sunderland (2), Southampton (4), Brighton & Hove Albion (7), Tranmere Rovers (21), Preston North End (3), Stockport County (6)
62 Mick Channon 232 718 0.32 1965–1986 Southampton (185), Manchester City (24), Newcastle United (1), Bristol Rovers (0), Norwich City (16), Portsmouth (6)
63 Tommy Lawton † 231 390 0.59 1935–1956 Burnley (16), Everton (65), Chelsea (30), Notts County (90), Brentford (17), Arsenal (13)
Kerry Dixon 593 0.39 1980–1998 Reading (51), Chelsea (147), Southampton (2), Luton Town (19), Millwall (9), Watford (0), Doncaster Rovers (3)
65 Andy Cole 230 511 0.45 1989–2008 Arsenal (0), Fulham (3), Bristol City (20), Newcastle United (56), Manchester United (93), Blackburn Rovers (27), Fulham (12), Manchester City (9), Portsmouth (3), Birmingham City (1), Sunderland (0), Burnley (6), Nottingham Forest (0)
66 Brian Bedford 229 399 0.57 1954–1967 Reading (1), Southampton (2), Bournemouth (32), Queens Park Rangers (161), Scunthorpe United (23), Brentford (10)
Pat Terry 495 0.46 1953–1969 Charlton Athletic (1), Newport County (30), Swansea City (9), Gillingham (62), Millwall (41), Northampton Town (10), Reading (41), Swindon Town (23), Brentford (12)
Tony Brown 619 0.37 1963–1983 West Bromwich Albion (218), Torquay United (11)
69 Clarrie Bourton 228 360 0.63 1928–1939 Bristol City (15), Blackburn Rovers (37), Coventry City (173), Plymouth Argyle (3)
David Herd 427 0.53 1950–1970 Stockport County (6), Arsenal (97), Manchester United (114), Stoke City (11)
Francis Lee † 500 0.46 1960–1976 Bolton Wanderers (92), Manchester City (112), Derby County (24)
Jackie Sewell 509 0.45 1946–1961 Notts County (97), Sheffield Wednesday (87), Aston Villa (36), Hull City (8)
Micky Quinn 515 0.44 1979–1995 Wigan Athletic (19), Stockport County (39), Oldham Athletic (34), Portsmouth (54), Newcastle United (57), Coventry City (25), Plymouth Argyle (0), Watford (0)
74 Harry Kane 227 373 0.61 2011–2023 Tottenham Hotspur (213), Leyton Orient (5), Millwall (7), Norwich City (0), Leicester City (2)
75 Horace Barnes 226 429 0.53 1908–1926 Derby County (74), Manchester City (120), Preston North End (16), Oldham Athletic (16)
76 Stan Mortensen † 225 395 0.57 1946–1958 Blackpool (197), Hull City (18), Southport (10)
Tony Cottee 581 0.39 1982–2001 West Ham United (115), Everton (72), Leicester City (27), Birmingham City (1), Norwich City (1), Barnet (9), Millwall (0)
78 Tommy Thompson 224 443 0.51 1947–1964 Newcastle United (6), Aston Villa (67), Preston North End (117), Stoke City (18), Barrow (16)
Marco Gabbiadini 662 0.34 1985–2004 York City (15), Sunderland (74), Crystal Palace (5), Derby County (50), Birmingham City (0), Oxford United (1), Stoke City (0), Darlington (49), Northampton Town (25), Hartlepool United (5)
80 Allan Clarke 223 514 0.43 1963–1980 Walsall (41), Fulham (45), Leicester City (12), Leeds United (110), Barnsley (15)
Steve White 646 0.35 1977–1998 Bristol Rovers (44), Luton Town (25), Charlton Athletic (12), Lincoln City (0), Swindon Town (83), Hereford United (44), Cardiff City (15)
82 Grenville Morris 222 452 0.49 1896–1913 Swindon Town (23), Nottingham Forest (199)
Tommy Johnson 510 0.44 1919–1936 Manchester City (158), Everton (56), Liverpool (8)
Derek Dougan 546 0.41 1957–1975 Portsmouth (9), Blackburn Rovers (26), Aston Villa (19), Peterborough United (38), Leicester City (35), Wolverhampton Wanderers (95)
85 Wally Ardron 221 305 0.72 1938–1956 Rotherham United (98), Nottingham Forest (123)
Ginger Richardson 349 0.63 1928–1940 Hartlepools United (19), West Bromwich Albion (202)
87 Martin Chivers 220 469 0.47 1962–1980 Southampton (97), Tottenham Hotspur (118), Norwich City (4), Brighton & Hove Albion (1)
88 Jack Bowers 219 282 0.78 1928–1939 Derby County (167), Leicester City (52)
Jordan Rhodes 554 0.40 2007– Ipswich Town (1), Rochdale (2), Brentford (7), Huddersfield Town (81), Blackburn Rovers (83), Middlesbrough (6), Sheffield Wednesday (18), Norwich City (6), Blackpool (15)
90 Bobby Smith 218 376 0.58 1950–1965 Chelsea (23), Tottenham Hotspur (176), Brighton & Hove Albion (19)
Dennis Viollet 441 0.49 1952–1967 Manchester United (159), Stoke City (59)
Len White 442 0.49 1950–1966 Rotherham United (15), Newcastle United (142), Huddersfield Town (37), Stockport County (24)
Bob Latchford 530 0.41 1968–1986 Birmingham City (68), Everton (106), Swansea City (35), Coventry City (2), Lincoln City (2), Newport County (5)
Rickie Lambert 607 0.36 1998–2017 Blackpool (0), Macclesfield Town (8), Stockport County (18), Rochdale (28), Bristol Rovers (51), Southampton (106), Liverpool (2), West Bromwich Albion (1), Cardiff City (4)
95 Denis Law †‡ 217 458 0.47 1956–1974 Huddersfield Town (16), Manchester City (30), Manchester United (171)
Ray Charnley 465 0.47 1957–1970 Blackpool (193), Preston North End (4), Wrexham (5), Bradford Park Avenue (15)
Shaun Goater 552 0.39 1989–2006 Rotherham United (70), Notts County (0), Bristol City (40), Manchester City (84), Reading (12), Coventry City (0), Southend United (11)
Brian Clark 611 0.36 1960–1979 Bristol City (83), Huddersfield Town (11), Cardiff City (76), Bournemouth (12), Millwall (17), Newport County (18)
99 Tony Richards 215 397 0.54 1954–1966 Walsall (184), Port Vale (30)
Billy Liddell †‡ 492 0.44 1946–1961 Liverpool
Bob Hatton 617 0.35 1966–1983 Wolverhampton Wanderers (7), Bolton Wanderers (2), Northampton Town (7), Carlisle United (37), Birmingham City (58), Blackpool (32), Luton Town (29), Sheffield United (34), Cardiff City (9)
102 Raich Carter † 214 447 0.48 1932–1952 Sunderland (122), Derby County (34), Hull City (48)
Billy Walker 478 0.45 1919–1933 Aston Villa
Wayne Rooney 521 0.41 2002–2020 Everton (25), Manchester United (183), Derby County (6)
105 Alfie Biggs 213 513 0.42 1953–1969 Bristol Rovers (178), Preston North End (22), Walsall (9), Swansea Town (4)
106 Alex Dawson 212 394 0.54 1956–1971 Manchester United (45), Preston North End (114), Bury (21), Brighton & Hove Albion (26), Brentford (6)
Geoff Hurst † 529 0.40 1959–1976 West Ham United (180), Stoke City (30), West Bromwich Albion (2)
Tony Adcock 591 0.36 1980–1999 Colchester United (126), Manchester City (5), Northampton Town (40), Bradford City (6), Peterborough United (35), Luton Town (0)
109 Barrie Thomas 211 338 0.62 1954–1968 Leicester City (3), Mansfield Town (48), Scunthorpe United (93), Newcastle United (48), Barnsley (19)
Jimmy Murray 401 0.53 1955–1969 Wolverhampton Wanderers (155), Manchester City (43), Walsall (13)
Tony Hateley 434 0.49 1958–1974 Notts County (109), Aston Villa (68), Chelsea (6), Liverpool (17), Coventry City (4), Birmingham City (6), Oldham Athletic (1)
112 Dennis Westcott 210 321 0.65 1935–1953 New Brighton (10), Wolverhampton Wanderers (105), Blackburn Rovers (37), Manchester City (37), Chesterfield (21)
Jimmy Quinn 578 0.36 1981–2000 Swindon Town (47), Blackburn Rovers (17), Leicester City (6), Bradford City (14), West Ham United (18), Bournemouth (19), Reading (71), Peterborough United (25)
114 Frank Large 209 569 0.37 1958–1974 Halifax Town (50), Queens Park Rangers (5), Northampton Town (88), Swindon Town (4), Carlisle United (18), Oldham Athletic (18), Leicester City (8), Fulham (3), Chesterfield (15)
Peter Beardsley † 658 0.32 1979–1999 Carlisle United (22), Newcastle United (108), Liverpool (46), Everton (25), Bolton Wanderers (2), Manchester City (0), Fulham (4), Hartlepool United (2)
Scott McGleish 699 0.30 1994–2012 Charlton Athletic (0), Leyton Orient (37), Peterborough United (0), Colchester United (44), Cambridge United (7), Barnet (37), Northampton Town (43), Wycombe Wanderers (34), Bristol Rovers (7)
117 Jack Rowley 208 458 0.45 1937–1957 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic (12), Manchester United (182), Plymouth Argyle (14)
118 Tommy Browell 207 387 0.53 1910–1930 Hull City (32), Everton (26), Manchester City (122), Blackpool (27)
Luther Blissett 554 0.37 1975–1994 Watford (148), Bournemouth (56), West Bromwich Albion (1), Bury (1), Mansfield Town (1)
Bobby Charlton † 644 0.32 1956–1975 Manchester United (199), Preston North End (8)
121 Sammy Collins 206 369 0.56 1946–1958 Bristol City (2), Torquay United (204)
122 Bobby Gurney 205 348 0.59 1924–1950 Sunderland
123 George Elliott 203 344 0.59 1913–1925 Middlesbrough
124 Iwan Roberts 202 647 0.31 1988–2005 Watford (9), Huddersfield Town (50), Leicester City (41), Wolverhampton Wanderers (12), Norwich City (84), Gillingham (3), Cambridge United (3)
125 Peter Dobing 201 568 0.35 1955–1973 Blackburn Rovers (88), Manchester City (31), Stoke City (82)
126 Roy Chapman 200 415 0.48 1953–1970 Aston Villa (8), Lincoln City (76), Mansfield Town (78), Port Vale (35), Chester (3)
Steve Phillips 562 0.36 1971–1988 Birmingham City (1), Torquay United (11), Northampton Town (38), Brentford (65), Southend United (66), Peterborough United (16), Exeter City (1), Chesterfield (2)
Bob Taylor 577 0.35 1986–2004 Leeds United (9), Bristol City (50), West Bromwich Albion (113), Bolton Wanderers (21), Cheltenham Town (7)
  1. Also scored 10 League of Ireland goals in 7 matches for Sligo Rovers.
  2. As of 2021, among 39 players to have scored over 300 goals in one top-level national league.
  3. Also scored 9 Serie A goals in 12 matches for Milan.
  4. Also scored 33 La Liga goals in 63 matches for Real Sociedad.
  5. Also scored 91 Scottish Football League goals in 111 matches for Airdrieonians.
  6. Also scored 13 North American Soccer League goals in 89 matches for Los Angeles Aztecs (12) and Seattle Sounders (1).
  7. Also scored 13 Swedish Division 2 goals in 21 matches for Djurgårdens IF.
  8. Also scored 39 North American Soccer League goals in 63 matches for Vancouver Whitecaps.
  9. Also scored 4 K League 1 goals in 21 matches for Busan IPark.
  10. Also scored 9 North American Soccer League goals in 19 matches for Detroit Express.
  11. Also scored 2 Scottish Football League goals in 9 matches for Aberdeen.
  12. Also scored 7 Serie A goals in 29 matches for Juventus.
  13. Also scored 92 Scottish Football League goals in 139 matches for St Mirren (2) and Dundee (90).
  14. Also scored 17 Scottish Football League goals in 19 matches for Kilmarnock.
  15. Also scored 3 Scottish Premier League goals in 8 matches for Celtic.
  16. Also scored 21 North American Soccer League goals in 47 matches for Philadelphia Fury (10) and Tampa Bay Rowdies (11), and 4 Allsvenskan goals in 12 matches for Mjällby AIF.
  17. Also scored 3 National Soccer League goals in 4 matches for Newcastle KB United, and played in South Africa – statistics uncertain.
  18. Also scored 17 North American Soccer League goals in 63 matches for New England Tea Men (8) and Jacksonville Tea Men (9).
  19. Also scored 9 Bundesliga goals in 8 matches for FC Bayern Munich.
  20. Also scored 14 Liga Perdana goals in 24 matches for Selangor FA.
  21. Also scored 4 Alpha Ethniki goals in 11 matches for Panionios.
  22. Also scored 4 Welsh Football League goals in 6 matches for Cwmbrân Town.
  23. Also scored 17 Irish Football League goals in 76 matches for Distillery, and 7 North American Soccer League goals in 17 matches for Los Angeles Wolves (3) and Kansas City Spurs (4).
  24. Also scored 33 Nationalliga A goals in 66 matches for Servette.
  25. Also scored 4 NPSL goals in 12 matches and 3 North American Soccer League goals in 22 matches for Baltimore Bays, and 5 Irish Football League goals in 11 matches for Linfield.
  26. Also scored 4 National Soccer League goals in 4 matches for Brisbane Lions, and 13 Eerste Divisie goals in 16 matches for NAC Breda.
  27. Also scored 10 Serie A goals in 27 matches for Torino.
  28. Also scored 3 USL Second Division goals in 9 matches for Bermuda Hogges and 1 Bermudian Premier Division goal in 7 matches for North Village Rams.
  29. Also scored 23 Major League Soccer goals in 48 matches for D.C. United.
  30. Also scored 28 North American Soccer League goals in 73 matches for Vancouver Whitecaps.
  31. Also scored 1 League of Ireland goal in 4 matches for Waterford, and 3 National Soccer League goals in 5 matches for Perth Azzurri (2) and Blacktown City (1).

See also