Which players have found the net the most for the England national team?
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England have had their fair share of great goalscorers over the years – but some have been significantly greater than others.
From legends of the early 20th century to megastars of the modern era, these are the Three Lions' leading marksmen of all time.
Let's get straight to the countdown...
=10. Vivian Woodward, Frank Lampard (29 goals)
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We kick off our countdown with two England players from very different generations.
The only player on this list with more caps than goals, Tottenham legend Vivian Woodward was on target 29 times in just 23 appearances for the Three Lions between 1903 and 1911.
Frank Lampard, meanwhile, is the only non-forward in the top 10. Chelsea's greatest ever player notched the same number of goals as Woodward in considerably more caps (106, to be precise) and scored three of his first five at Euro 2004.
=7. Nat Lofthouse, Tom Finney, Alan Shearer (30 goals)
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All legends at clubs in the north of England, Nat Lofthouse, Alan Shearer and Tom Finney all reached the 30-goal mark for their country.
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Lofthouse and Finney – veterans of over 400 appearances for Bolton Wanderers and Preston North End respectively – were Three Lions teammates for many years, both featuring and scoring at the 1954 World Cup. Lofthouse's overall tally, however, was made all the more impressive by the fact he won only 33 caps to Finney's 76.
As for Shearer – who also left a lasting impression in Lancashire, winning the 1994/95 Premier League title with Blackburn Rovers, before becoming one of Newcastle's favourite sons – he enjoyed his best period in an England shirt at Euro 96, netting six timex to help Terry Venables' side to the semi-finals and scoop the Golden Boot.
6. Michael Owen (40 goals)
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Among England's most prodigious talents of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Michael Owen showed the whole world what he was about with his sensational solo goal against Argentina at France 98.
That was only his third of 40 international goals (three of which came in England's historic 5-1 thrashing of Germany in 2001) during a decade-long international career which saw the 2001 Ballon d'Or winner capped 89 times while playing for Liverpool, Real Madrid and Newcastle.
5. Jimmy Greaves (44 goals)
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Simply one of the greatest strikers in the history of the game, Jimmy Greaves averaged 0.77 goals per game in 57 caps for England.
A member of the Three Lions' immortal 1966 World Cup-winning squad – registering three times in the group stage before injury saw him lose his place to Geoff Hurst – the Tottenham and Chelsea icon holds the record for the most goals in English top-flight football with 357.
4. Gary Lineker (48 goals)
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England's first World Cup Golden Boot winner, Gary Lineker top-scored with six goals at the 1986 tournament in Mexico, including a hat-trick against Poland in the group stage.
The future Match of the Day presenter averaged better than a goal every other game over the course of an 80-cap international career which also yielded five goals at the 1990 World Cup.
3. Bobby Charlton (49 goals)
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For more than 40 years, the late, great Bobby Charlton was England's record goalscorer, having struck 49 times in 106 caps from 1958 to 1970.
An absolute superstar of the game, Manchester United's best ever player was instrumental to the Three Lions' victory at the 1966 World Cup – where he bagged both goals in the 2-1 semi-final win over Portugal.
2. Wayne Rooney (53 goals)
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In 2015, fellow Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney broke Bobby Charlton's longstanding England scoring record, hitting the 50-goal mark with a penalty in a Euro 2016 qualifier against Switzerland at Wembley.
The Three Lions' most-capped outfield player with 120 appearances (23 of them as captain), Rooney notched his first international goal aged just 17 – an England record which stands to this day – and his last aged 29.
1. Harry Kane (62 goals)
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Wayne Rooney sat top of the all-time England goalscoring charts for almost eight years – until Harry Kane knocked him off top spot with a penalty to help the Three Lions' win away to Italy in Euro 2024 qualifying.
Captain of his country at three major tournaments already, Kane might even overtake Rooney for England caps, having earned 89 to date – giving him an average of 0.69 goals per international outing.
Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...
