Skip to main content
🎉 Join The Club
- Join our community
17
Member Features
24/7
Access Available
5K+
Active Members
🎯
Live Q&A Sessions
Weekly interactive sessions
🏆
Member Competitions
Win exclusive prizes
📚
Exclusive Content
Premium articles & videos
⚡
Early Access
First to see new features
💬
Private Forums
Connect with members
🎁
Monthly Rewards
Surprise gifts & perks
GET CLUB ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your football news.
By submitting your information, you confirm you are aged 16 or over, have read our Privacy Policy and agree to the Terms & Conditions . Geographical rules apply.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more

Get Club Access Quick

Join The Club for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation plus sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information, you confirm you are aged 16 or over, have read our Privacy Policy and agree to the Terms & Conditions. Geographical rules apply.

FourFourTwo FourFourTwo FOOTBALL NEWS, FEATURES, QUIZZES
UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia US EditionUS CA EditionCanada KR Edition대한민국 TR EditionTürkiye
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Soccer Cleat Buying Guides
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Video
  • Features
  • Quizzes
  • Clubs
  • Membership
  • More
    • Interviews
    • The Magazine Archive
    • Subscribe
    • Lists
    • How to Watch
    • About
FourFourTwo Magazine
FourFourTwo Magazine
Why subscribe?
  • Fascinating feature articles, covering everything from grass-roots football to the international scene
  • 'ACCESS ALL AREAS' pass to exclusive interviews with the biggest and best names in the game!
From$29.99
Subscribe now
Don't miss these
Jorginho, formerly of Chelsea, now of Arsenal
Player Quizzes Quiz! Can you guess whether these 20 players played for Arsenal, Chelsea, both or neither?
Liverpool's Steven Gerrard celebrates after scoring the Reds' second goal, 07 February 2004 in Bolton, during a Barclaycard Premier League match against Bolton.
Player Quizzes Quiz! Can you name every Premier League player with 300+ appearances for one club?
Quickfire Quiz
Quiz Quickfire Quiz 4: Can you answer 10 questions in 90 seconds?
Football facts
Lists 200 niche, surprising and mind-blowing football facts to help you ace pub quizzes
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 27: Erling Haaland of Manchester City celebrates scoring his team's fifth goal with teammate Oscar Bobb during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Burnley at Etihad Stadium on September 27, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
Competition RANKED! Every player to have scored 100 goals in the Premier League
Pre-Match Poser
Quiz Pre-Match Poser no.3: Can you answer this elite-level football quiz question?
England World Cup 2026 squad: Thomas Tuchel
Player England World Cup 2026 squad: Thomas Tuchel's latest squad ahead of the World Cup draw
Ivan Toney
Person ‘If Ivan Toney was available in January, it’s something Spurs would have to consider – Thomas Frank knows him, it’s worth a conversation’ Former Tottenham Hotspur striker explains why his old club should think about Saudi Pro League forward
Brazilian midfielder Ronaldinho celebrates the victory of his team, 30 June 2002 in Yokohama, Japan, after the final of the 2002 FIFA World Cup between Brazil and Germany. Brazil won the final 2-0. AFP PHOTO - Patrick HERTZOG
Competition & Tournament Quizzes Quiz! Can you name every country to compete at a FIFA World Cup?
Lionel Messi of Argentina poses during the official FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 portrait session on November 19, 2022 in Doha, Qatar.
Quiz Quiz! Can you name FourFourTwo's 50 greatest players of all time?
David Beckham of England in action during the international friendly match between Spain and England on November 17, 2004 at the Estadio Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain.
Player Quizzes Quiz! Can you name the 100 most-capped England players since 1966?
Champions League players
Quiz Quiz! Can you sort these 30 players by the number of Champions League appearances they made?
Ronaldo of Inter Milan celebrates during the Champions League match between Inter Milan and Spartak Moscow played at the "Giuseppe Meazza" in Milan.
Quiz Quiz! Can you guess 20 correct answers in our Who Has The Most quiz?
England boss Thomas Tuchel has laid down the law
Player Five England players who would benefit from proposed FIFA squad expansion at 2026 World Cup
Manchester City have been a dominant force in English football over the past ten years
Quiz Quiz! Can you name every club to have won a league title, FA Cup or League Cup?
Trending
  • Transfers
  • Interviews
  • Messi
  • Ronaldo
  • EPL
  • WATCH the EPL
  1. Person
  2. Player
  3. Harry Kane

18 England strikers who played little – but scored a lot

Features
By Greg Lea published 9 October 2017

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

18. Terry Paine – 19 caps, 7 goals (0.37 per game)

18. Terry Paine – 19 caps, 7 goals (0.37 per game)

Nobody has played more games for Southampton than Paine, who turned out 808 times for the south coast side between 1956 and 1974. The winger scored 21 league goals for Saints in 1963/64 to earn his first England call-up; he didn't score on his debut against Czechoslovakia but did hit a hat-trick in a victory over Northern Ireland a few months later, and ended his international career with seven goals in 19 outings.

Page 1 of 18
Page 1 of 18
16= Bob Latchford - 12 caps, 5 goals (0.42 per game)

16= Bob Latchford - 12 caps, 5 goals (0.42 per game)

A centre-forward who was capable of scoring every type of goal, Latchford won surprisingly few England caps during his career. The former Birmingham and Everton man was prolific at club level and successfully transferred his sharp-shooting to the international stage, netting five times in 12 appearances for his country.

Page 2 of 18
Page 2 of 18
16= Wilf Mannion – 26 caps, 11 goals (0.42 per game)

16= Wilf Mannion – 26 caps, 11 goals (0.42 per game)

An inside forward who scored 99 league goals for Middlesbrough, Mannion was part of the England team embarrassed by the United States at the 1950 World Cup. He won 26 caps and scored 11 goals in total, including a hat-trick against Ireland and a brace against Wales in the 1946/47 Home Championship.

Page 3 of 18
Page 3 of 18
15. Malcolm Macdonald - 14 caps, 6 goals (0.43 per game)

15. Malcolm Macdonald - 14 caps, 6 goals (0.43 per game)

A clinical frontman who averaged more than a goal a game for Luton, Newcastle and Arsenal, Macdonald fell just short of that rate for the Three Lions. Six in 14 is a respectable return, though, with all his international strikes curiously coming in 1975.

Page 4 of 18
Page 4 of 18
13= Jimmy Mullen – 12 caps, 6 goals (0.5 per game)

13= Jimmy Mullen – 12 caps, 6 goals (0.5 per game)

Mullen, a one-club man who won three First Division championships and an FA Cup with Wolves, represented England in two World Cups yet only amassed 12 caps for the national team. The outside left did manage to find the net on six occasions, however, including against Belgium on his debut in 1950, when he became England's first ever substitute.

Page 5 of 18
Page 5 of 18
13= Harry Kane – 23 caps, 12 goals (0.52 per game)

13= Harry Kane – 23 caps, 12 goals (0.52 per game)

Kane's second winner in a week, this time against Lithuania on Sunday, took his England goal tally to 12. The Tottenham striker has won the Premier League Golden Boot in the last two seasons and will now be targeting success in Russia next summer, when he has a second chance to score in an international tournament for the first time.

Page 6 of 18
Page 6 of 18
12. Allan Clarke - 19 caps, 10 goals (0.53 per game)

12. Allan Clarke - 19 caps, 10 goals (0.53 per game)

An uncapped Clarke was a surprise inclusion in England's squad for the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, where he scored on his debut against Czechoslovakia (he remains the last Three Lions player to make his international bow at a World Cup). The 6ft striker scored nine more goals for his country, including a penalty in the 1-1 draw with Poland that knocked England out of qualification for West Germany '74.

Page 7 of 18
Page 7 of 18
11. Martin Chivers - 24 caps, 13 goals (0.54 per game)

11. Martin Chivers - 24 caps, 13 goals (0.54 per game)

Chivers was handed his England debut in February 1971, but none of his 24 games for the national team came at a tournament – the Three Lions failed to reach Euro '72 and World Cup '74. Nevertheless, the former Southampton and Tottenham forward scored 13 goals for England, one of which came in his first start at Wembley against Greece.

Page 8 of 18
Page 8 of 18
9= Ivor Broadis – 14 caps, 8 goals (0.57 per game)

9= Ivor Broadis – 14 caps, 8 goals (0.57 per game)

Broadis played no part in England's seminal 6-3 thrashing by Hungary in 1953, but it was he who hit the consolation in the 7-1 loss in Budapest a few months later. Only two of his eight goals came in victories, although braces in draws with Scotland and Belgium were essential to England avoiding defeat.

Page 9 of 18
Page 9 of 18
9= Derek Kevan – 14 caps, 8 goals (0.57 per game)

9= Derek Kevan – 14 caps, 8 goals (0.57 per game)

Kevan was responsible for half of England's goals at the 1958 World Cup, scoring one against both Austria and the Soviet Union as Walter Winterbottom's side crashed out in the group stage. Despite the team's shortcomings, the then-West Brom frontman justified the squad selectors' decision to give him the nod ahead of one Brian Clough.

Page 10 of 18
Page 10 of 18
8. Johnny Byrne - 11 caps, 8 goals (0.73 per game)

8. Johnny Byrne - 11 caps, 8 goals (0.73 per game)

Byrne is one of only five post-war players to have earned an England call-up while playing outside the top two divisions (the others being Steve Bull, Reg Matthews, Peter Taylor and Tommy Lawton). Not many can match his goals-per-game ratio either, although the ex-Fulham, Crystal Palace and West Ham striker would probably have settled for a slightly lower scoring rate if it meant more appearances for the national side.

Page 11 of 18
Page 11 of 18
7. Roy Bentley – 12 caps, 9 goals (0.75 per game)

7. Roy Bentley – 12 caps, 9 goals (0.75 per game)

Bentley was referred to north of the border as "the man who robbed Scotland of Rio", after inspiring a defeat of the Tartan Army which meant they missed out on qualification for the 1950 World Cup in Brazil. The Chelsea legend netted nine times in his 12 matches for the Three Lions.

Page 12 of 18
Page 12 of 18
6. Jackie Milburn - 13 caps, 10 goals (0.77 per game)

6. Jackie Milburn - 13 caps, 10 goals (0.77 per game)

Alan Shearer may have more goals to his name in all competitions, but no player has scored more times for Newcastle in the league than Milburn. The striker found the net in four of his first five England games, a run which featured a treble in a 4-1 triumph over Wales in 1949.

Page 13 of 18
Page 13 of 18
5. Dennis Wilshaw - 12 caps, 10 goals (0.83 per game)

5. Dennis Wilshaw - 12 caps, 10 goals (0.83 per game)

A versatile attacker who could play anywhere across the forward line, Wilshaw's 10 England goals came in just five games: braces against Wales in 1953 and Northern Ireland in 1955, four against Scotland in the latter year, and further strikes against Switzerland and Finland.

Page 14 of 18
Page 14 of 18
4. Tommy Taylor - 19 caps, 16 goals (0.84 per game)

4. Tommy Taylor - 19 caps, 16 goals (0.84 per game)

The reason Taylor didn't win more England caps is a tragic one: he was one of the victims of the Munich air disaster in February 1958. Before that, the Manchester United marksman scored 16 goals in 19 games for his country, the most noteworthy being a double in a 4-2 win against future world champions Brazil in 1956.

Page 15 of 18
Page 15 of 18
3. Bobby Smith - 15 caps, 13 goals (0.87 per game)

3. Bobby Smith - 15 caps, 13 goals (0.87 per game)

Smith hit the ground running after earning a spot in the England setup at the start of the 1960s, scoring eight times in his five matches for the senior side. He was unable to maintain such a high rate over the next three years, but still ended his international career with a brilliant return of 13 goals in 15 caps.

Page 16 of 18
Page 16 of 18
2. Nat Lofthouse - 33 caps, 30 goals (0.91 per game)

2. Nat Lofthouse - 33 caps, 30 goals (0.91 per game)

The Bolton talisman was an archetypal English centre-forward and he certainly knew where the net was, scoring 30 times in his 33 appearances for the Three Lions. His goals tended to come in pairs; Lofthouse grabbed braces against Yugoslavia, Ireland, Austria, Switzerland, Wales (twice), Belgium (twice), the United States, Scotland, Denmark and Finland. Lethal.

Page 17 of 18
Page 17 of 18
1. Stan Mortensen - 25 caps, 23 goals (0.92 per game)

1. Stan Mortensen - 25 caps, 23 goals (0.92 per game)

Poor Mortensen became the first (and only) player to score a hat-trick in a Wembley FA Cup final in 1953, only to see the game named after Blackpool team-mate Stanley Matthews. Not even the legendary winger could match his goals-per-game ratio for England, though: the 25-time international scored 23 times for his country, including four on his debut against Portugal.

Page 18 of 18
Page 18 of 18
TOPICS
England
Greg Lea
Greg Lea
Social Links Navigation

Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).

Read more
England players from over the years
Quiz! Can you sort these 30 England players by how many goals they scored?
 
 
Noni Madueke of England celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match between Serbia and England at Rajko Mitic Stadium on September 09, 2025 in Belgrade, Serbia.
Quiz! Can you name every player to have scored for England since 2000?
 
 
David Beckham of England in action during the international friendly match between Spain and England on November 17, 2004 at the Estadio Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain.
Quiz! Can you name the 100 most-capped England players since 1966?
 
 
Portugal: England's forward Wayne Rooney (L) reacts after his goal in front of Switzerland's midfielder Christoph Spycher, 17 June 2004 at Coimbra's stadium, during their Euro 2004 group B football match at the European Nations championship in Portugal.
Quiz! Can you name every British or Irish player to have scored at an international tournament since 1992?
 
 
England line up for their final pre-Euro 2024 friendly against Iceland
Quiz! Who wore this England kit?
 
 
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 27: Erling Haaland of Manchester City celebrates scoring his team's fifth goal with teammate Oscar Bobb during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Burnley at Etihad Stadium on September 27, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
RANKED! Every player to have scored 100 goals in the Premier League
 
 
Latest in Player
James Maddison
James Maddison exclusive ‘I don’t know when I’ll be back yet, I’m not thinking about the World Cup – I’m working so hard in my rehab, I’m so hungry to be back doing my thing for Tottenham and proving myself again’
 
 
Arne Slot's approach to checking in on Harvey Elliott has been scrutinised
Arne Slot's man management questioned after Liverpool outcast treatment
 
 
Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers, May 2025
Morgan Rogers exclusive: ‘Can Aston Villa win the Premier League? Who knows? We won’t put a cap on what we can do – we’re going under the radar but that’s fine, we don’t care. We’ve got one of the best managers in the world’
 
 
Sandro Tonali is a doubt to face Burnley
Is Newcastle's Sandro Tonali injured this weekend? Premier League injury update
 
 
Caiomhin Kelleher joined Brentford in summer 2025
'Leaving Liverpool was easy' Summer departure and World Cup hopeful has no regrets over Anfield exit
 
 
Chelsea forward Cole Palmer
Is Chelsea's Cole Palmer injured this weekend? Early Premier League injury news
 
 
Latest in Features
World Cup 2026 draw: The FIFA World Cup Trophy is seen on stage at the Kennedy Center ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Official Draw on December 03, 2025 in Washington, DC.
World Cup 2026 draw: Every group confirmed for the tournament
 
 
Arsenal visit Aston Villa this weekend hoping to improve their title prospects
Last minute Premier League tickets! Five big games with seat deals still available this weekend
 
 
The World Cup trophy on display in Washington DC ahead of the draw
England and Scotland's dream World Cup draws: How to get the kindest group stage possible
 
 
Argentina World Cup 2026 squad: Argentina forward Lionel Messi has cast doubt over his participation at the 2026 World Cup
Argentina World Cup 2026 squad: Lionel Scaloni's latest selection ahead of the World Cup draw
 
 
World Cup 2026 squads: The FIFA World Cup Trophy is seen during the Commercial Partners Summit at Marriott Georgetown Hotel on December 03, 2025 in Washington, DC.
World Cup 2026 squads: Every nation's latest selection
 
 
LUTON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 31: The Emirates FA Cup trophy gets a polish before the Emirates FA Cup First Round match between Luton Town and Forest Green Rovers on October 31, 2025 in Luton, England. (Photo by Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)
When is the FA Cup third-round draw? Date, time, teams and ball numbers
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. FourFourTwo's Weekend Crossword
    1
    FourFourTwo's Weekend Crossword 30: France 98, Galacticos and the next Messi
  2. 2
    How to watch Arsenal vs Liverpool – Live streams as Gunners try to close the gap in the WSL
  3. 3
    Destiny Udogie exclusive: ‘What happened away from football was a shock, something I’d never experienced before, I don’t wish it on anyone – but Spurs have really helped me and everything is good now, I don’t think about it any more’
  4. 4
    James Maddison exclusive ‘I don’t know when I’ll be back yet, I’m not thinking about the World Cup – I’m working so hard in my rehab, I’m so hungry to be back doing my thing for Tottenham and proving myself again’
  5. 5
    Arne Slot's man management questioned after Liverpool outcast treatment

FourFourTwo is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About FourFourTwo
  • Advertise with us
  • Worldwide
  • How to pitch to FourFourTwo

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...