The Three Lions’ goalscoring chart features an illustrious roll-call of some of the best strikers and midfielders to have played for the national team
David Beckham | 17 goals
Legendary midfielder David Beckham hit the back of the net 17 times for England in 115 appearances. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star hit free kicks and took penalties for the Three Lions for much of his time involved with the national team.
Raheem Sterling | 18 goals
Having made his senior England debut in 2012, Raheem Sterling only really began to impose himself on the Three Lions squad after the 2018 World Cup, taking his goal-scoring exploits up a gear. One of his country’s top scorers in Euro 2020 qualification with eight, Sterling continued to add to his tally as Gareth Southgate’s side reached the semi-final.
George Camsell | 18 goals
Camsell has the best goals-to-game ratio of any England player, after getting to the 18-goal mark in just nine caps for his country. He scored a hat-trick against Wales in the British Home Championship in 1930 and scored four against Belgium a year earlier.
Dixie Dean | 18 goals
Despite his remarkable record of 349 goals in 399 appearances for Everton, Dean only played for his country 16 times during his 17-year playing career. But his goal return at international level was excellent, scoring 18 goals, including hat-tricks against both Luxembourg and Belgium.
Johnny Haynes | 18 goals
Widely regarded by many Fulham fans as their greatest player of all-time, Haynes was capped 56 times for England between 1954-62. His England career was hugely affected by a car accident in 1962, which saw him break bones in both of his feet, and he never played for the national team again.
Roger Hunt | 18 goals
The Liverpool legend played for England 34 times between 1962-69 and was part of the famous side that lifted the World Cup in 1966. He played in every game in that tournament, scoring three goals and in 2006 he was inducted into the England Football Hall of Fame.
Jermain Defoe | 20 goals
Defoe has a consistent goalscoring record wherever he has played throughout his career and that is no different with England. He has been capped 57 times and it has been suggested that he has been unlucky to have not been given more opportunities at major tournaments given his threat in front of goal.
Martin Peters | 20 goals
Peters made over 700 appearances at club level during his career playing for West Ham, Tottenham and Norwich. He scored in the 1966 World Cup final to put England 2-1 up against West Germany and was later described by Sir Alf Ramsey as a player “ten years ahead of his time”.
Steven Gerrard | 21 goals
The Liverpool favourite is one of his club’s greatest-ever players but, along with a few of his generation, he never really found his best form playing for England at major tournaments. Despite that, he was capped 114 times and is currently England’s fourth-most capped player.
Kevin Keegan | 21 goals
The forward featured 63 times for England during his playing career and captained the side at their disappointing 1980 European Championship campaign. He was named European Footballer of the Year in 1978 and 1979 but only appeared at one World Cup, with a back injury limiting him to just one substitute’s outing in Spain in 1982. He later went on to coach England, but stepped down in 2000 after just over 18 months in the role.
Mick Channon | 21 goals
The striker has an impressive record for England, scoring 21 from his 46 caps between 1972-1977. Disappointingly, England failed to qualify for a major tournament during Channon’s time as a player, which makes him one of the highest-capped players to never feature at a summer finals.
Tommy Lawton | 22 goals
Lawton notched his international goal tally from just 23 caps during his 10 years playing for England. He helped his side win two consecutive British Home Championships in 1946-47 and 1947-48, but he fell out of contention with England at the age of 28 due to disagreements with manager Walter Winterbottom.
Peter Crouch | 22 goals
One of the most popular England players in recent memory, Crouch was capped 42 times, scoring a goal in just less than every two games. The forward featured in both the 2006 and 2010 World Cups but he barely featured again after the end of the latter tournament in South Africa.
Stan Mortensen | 23 goals
The Blackpool legend played as a striker and received 25 caps between 1947-1953. Mortensen scored 197 times for Blackpool in 317 games and internationally he became the first England player to score in World Cup qualifying as well as the tournament itself in 1950.
Geoff Hurst | 24 goals
The striker was the match-winner in the 1966 World Cup final, scoring a hat-trick as Sir Alf Ramsey’s side famously defeated West Germany 4-2. The West Ham legend also made appearances at the 1968 European Championship and 1970 World Cup, and he remains the only player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final.
Bryan Robson | 26 goals
Robson spent much of his career at Manchester United, making 345 appearances during his 13-year spell at Old Trafford. He also was capped 91 times for England, and scored after just 27 seconds against France at the 1982 World Cup, but his 1986 and 1990 tournaments were beset by injury issues.
David Platt | 27 goals
The midfielder’s most famous moment playing for England came during the 1990 World Cup in the first knockout round against Belgium. The game was 0-0 and heading to penalties before Platt struck a sublime volley in the 120th minute from a Paul Gascoigne free-kick to send England through.
Steve Bloomer | 28 goals
Bloomer is part of the Football League 100 legends list with the most prolific period of his career coming while playing for Derby, where he became their all-time leading goalscorer. His goal return for England is also excellent, with his 28 goals coming from just 23 caps.
Vivian Woodward | 29 goals
The peak of Woodward’s career came just after the turn of the 20th century playing for Tottenham and Chelsea, making 238 appearances and scoring 93 goals collectively for both clubs. Woodward also captained Great Britain to gold medals in the 1908 Olympics in London and then in 1912 in Stockholm.
Frank Lampard | 29 goals
Lampard was another player from the so-called Golden Generation who, for a variety of reasons, never played to his full potential for England. Despite not transferring his club form Chelsea onto the international stage on a more consistent basis, his impressive goal return for England makes him one of the highest-scoring midfielders of all-time.
Tom Finney | 30 goals
A famous one-club man at his beloved Preston North End, Finney replicated his supreme form domestically, where he scored 187 times in 433 appearances, on the international stage. He made 76 appearances for England and briefly was the record goalscorer.
Alan Shearer | 30 goals
Shearer, the Premier League’s all-time leading goalscorer, also took his form to the international arena with his goal tally coming from 63 caps. He was the top scorer in the Euro 96 and also made appearances in the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship.
Nat Lofthouse | 30 goals
The Bolton legend scored over 250 goals for the club, and he has one of the best goal-to-game ratios of any England player with his tally coming from just 33 caps. He was also the leading goalscorer for England before he was overtaken by Bobby Charlton
Michael Owen | 40 goals
Michael Owen rose to international prominence at the 1998 World Cup in France. In that tournament he became the youngest player and youngest goalscorer for England at the time. He is also the only England player to score in four major tournaments and was capped 89 times in total.
Harry Kane | 41 goals
The England captain’s tremendous record at club level with Tottenham has been transferred onto the international stage seamlessly.
Jimmy Greaves | 44 goals
The Tottenham Hotspur legend is their all-time leading goalscorer and stands as the fourth-highest scorer for England. He appeared at both the 1962 and 1966 World Cups and was England’s first-choice striker – as well as all-time leading scorer- in 1966 before an injury cost him his place, with Geoff Hurst stepping in and going on to fire the national team to glory.
Gary Lineker | 48 goals
Lineker is England’s third highest scorer in history and has always shone on the World Cup stage. He won the Golden Boot with six goals at the 1986 World Cup and also scored four in the 1990 World Cup to help his side reach the semi-finals in Italy.
Bobby Charlton | 49 goals
The Manchester United and England legend made 758 appearances for his club and also was capped 106 times for the national team. He is regarded as one of the best midfielders of all-time and played an integral role in England’s 1966 World Cup victory, scoring twice in the semi-finals. His total of 49 goals was a record for 45 years.
Wayne Rooney | 53 goals
Rooney is both England’s most-capped outfield player of all-time with 119 appearances, and their leading goalscorer with 53 goals. He announced himself on the international stage by scoring four goals during Euro 2004 and he went onto play at three World Cups during his 13-year international career.
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