What Soccer Players Managed to Scored Most of Their Career Goals in a Solitary Game?
“Last month, Watford defender Ngakia found the net twice for his club against Oxford United to bring his total career goals to three from 116 senior club appearances,” wonders a curious fan. “Excluding footballers who scored only once, is there anyone with over 100 matches managed a greater proportion of their total goals in a one game?”
Denis Boone writes in with the tale of Matthieu Chalmé. “Defender Chalmé played 362 professional matches during his playing days, primarily with Bordeaux and Lille,” Denis writes. “He netted four goals in total, with three of them coming in a single game. He scored all three in Lille’s victory at AC Ajaccio in 2004, achieving the surprising of hat-tricks.”
Those three well-taken goals in Corsica were the only ones Chalmé managed in 179 Lille appearances, while in 167 for Bordeaux, he scored once. Actually, twice including his self-scored goal in the 2010 League Cup final against Olympique Marseille. Scoring 75% of his career goals in one game puts Chalmé ahead of Ngakia’s percentage (66.7%), but there’s a complication.
Chalmé hung up his boots at his club in 2014 after a temporary move at the Corsican club, who presumably recalled his brief purple patch a decade earlier. He came back to the game with fifth-tier side his local club, playing seven games in six months – and netting once. That would drop his ratio of goals in one match down to 60%, but it feels harsh to count against him for a post-retirement jaunt at amateur football.
A brief note, too, for a different French defender: the legendary Thuram. While the original question concerns club careers, plenty of you wrote in to point out that the defender made 142 France appearances and netted twice in the identical game – the World Cup semi-final against Croatia. Look, when you’re hot, you’re hot.
The Insubordination Files: Continued
In last week’s Knowledge we looked at footballers who defied their managers’ instructions. There are some more fantastic examples, so we’re revisiting the Disobedience Records for a another review.
Tottenham v Manchester City, FA Cup semi-final, the 1950s
Tottenham’s skipper, Blanchflower, made changes to the team during the FA Cup semi-final against City while they were a goal down,” writes John Tumbridge. “Moving Norman from centre-half to attack, they ultimately lost and the manager, Anderson [not that one], dropped Blanchflower for the following game and removed him of the armband. Soon after Anderson left, Nicholson took over, Blanchflower was reinstated and the rest is history.”
England v Albania, World Cup qualifying, April 1989
Adam Clark points out: “Gazza scored his first England goal in this 5-0 win at the national stadium after playing ‘all over the pitch’, as per coach Robson. The post-match interview are priceless – a wonderful mixture of annoyance, sarcasm and fatherly pride.”
Everton v Tottenham, FA Cup semi-final, the 1990s
The Toffees’ most recent silverware was the 1995 FA Cup, and it wouldn’t have been possible without one man,” begins Jim Hearson. “Manager Joe Royle? Nah. Goalscorer in the final, Paul Rideout? Almost. Goalkeeping colossus Neville Southall? Nope. The hero was mercurial striker Daniel Amokachi, who substituted himself on during the match with Tottenham, scoring twice to secure Everton a place in the Wembley showpiece against Manchester United.”
Telling the tale to the media, the striker said: “Rideout got a knock and went down ... I just went to the assistant and said ‘The gaffer says you need me on’.” The manager was rightly angry at the time, but more forgiving at the final whistle: “He entered the dressing room and embraced me, shook my hand and said: ‘Well done, son, but never try that again.’”
Sporting vs Barça, Champions League group stage, 2008
During his time with Guardiola’s Barça against Sporting, Henry decided to change flanks. He soon netted to give Barcelona the lead at half-time. Guardiola’s reaction? He hooked Henry for disobeying orders.”
Free-kick flurries
“As a West Ham fan, I’m often looking back at previous years for some enjoyment,” laments a fan. “Upon reviewing, I noticed that Dimitri Payet netted six set-pieces in the precious year and a half that we enjoyed him. I’m curious if there is a more productive free-kick taker in a comparable span?”
One comes to mind: Beckham scored 27 free-kicks in his spell with United, including eight in as many months between 2000. His most prolific 18-month spell at Old Trafford includes the identical timeframe: from May 1999 to November 2000, he scored 10 direct-free-kicks – including two brilliant strikes against the Hammers. Sorry, Liam.
If it helps, there’s a player currently on West Ham’s books who can better Payet’s statistics: James Ward-Prowse. The dead-ball specialist had two great runs with Southampton, scoring seven free kicks between 2019-2021 across two Covid-affected seasons. He then added six more superb free-kicks in a ten-month period between April 2022 and February 2023.
Historical Trivia
“A friend who follows Southend claims the team once featured in a league match at the national stadium? Is he having me on?” asked a reader in April 2012.
Ludicrously, he wasn’t. Southend were among two clubs – Brentford being the other – to play against Clapton Orient in Division Three (South) at Wembley back in the 1930s, owing to ground improvement work at Orient’s Lea Bridge Stadium. Club records takes up the story:
After a game against Torquay United (which the O’s won), officials from the Devon club complained about the perimeter fence being too near to the field. League officials was requested to check the stadium and concluded that alterations had to be made before further matches could take place; suddenly the Orient found themselves without a stadium. Hard to believe, the national stadium was suggested and the O’s actually played two league games in 1930 against Brentford and Southend, winning 3-0 and 3-1 respectively. Even now the club is the only Football League side to have played home games at Wembley Stadium!
Since then of course, Tottenham followed Orient in becoming residents at Wembley, albeit in the Premier League. In recent weeks, talk of Arsenal renovating their stadium – and relocating to the national stadium while the work is carried out – has surfaced.
Your Input Needed
“Aubameyang scored four goals and was sent off in Gabon’s victory over Gambia recently,” notes a reader. “Who else have been dismissed after scoring at least three goals?”
“During Austria’s huge win of the minnows, every outfield player who began the game scored or assisted,” asks Paul Savage. “Is there another side managed this?”
“Of all of the players who have a statue at their club’s stadium of their ex-team, who made the least amount of appearances for that club?” wonders Masai Graham.
“Interestingly, Tomasson is the first manager to be sacked by {Sw
