The most incredible stat in football has resurfaced - and it's WEIRDER than it first seems

Antoine Sibierski of Manchester City is tackled by Jacob Burns of Barnsley (Image credit: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

This kind of nonsense usually only surfaces around the international break.

An incredible stat, however, has re-emerged concerning Manchester City goalkeeper Ronald Waterreus (remember him?) and his opposite number Nick Colgan (remember him? No?) from around 20 years ago that's sure to blow your mind.

And after digging, it gets even stranger.

The weirdest stat in football? Yeah, possibly

Ronald Waterreus of Manchester City in action during the Carling Cup second round match against Barnsley (Image credit: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Back in 2004/05, only two matches across the entirety of Great Britain in all competitions ended 7-1 – which is not that strange, given that it's an unusual scoreline.

The first came when Man City smashed Barnsley in the League Cup in September, with Waterreus between the sticks for the Citizens and Colgan conceding those seven goals for the Tykes.

The other match that ended with that scoreline, you ask? Well, obviously it was another League Cup game – this time north of the border – between Rangers and Dundee United.

The goalkeepers in that match, you ask? Take a wild guess.

That's right: David James' back-up, Waterreus, had moved to the Gers in search of more game time in January, while Colgan joined United on loan in January 2005.

But the oddness doesn't end there: both matches were club debuts for Waterreus.

The symmetry is startling, especially when you consider that the Dutchman played just a handful of times at City, while Colgan made just two appearances during that stint in Scottish football.

Barry Ferguson heads the queue to congratulate Nacho Novo on scoring Rangers' sixth goal. — Barry Ferguson heads the queue to congratulate Nacho Novo on scoring Rangers' sixth goal (Image credit: Bill Murray/SNS Group via Getty Images)

With the fact making its way back onto social media recently, it's probably time to remind everyone of just how much of an incredible coincidence it really is.

So much so, that it featured on a list of extraordinary football facts we published last year…

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Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn't receive a winners' medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson's season at Barcelona to Robinho's career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.