We’ve all heard of the goalscoring achievements of Pele, Di Stefano, Romario, Gerd Muller, Josef Bican and many, many others. But I thought I’d take this opportunity to highlight some incredible footballers who are rarely mentioned in today’s discussion of goalscoring legends.
Ferenc Deák│529 Goals in 380 Appearances
Ferenc Deák was a Hungarian footballer who played in the 1940s and 50s. One of the most prolific goal scorers in football history, Deák managed an inexplicable 220 goals in 72 appearances — an average return of 3.06 goals per game — for his first club Szentlőrinci AC. It was at Szentlőrinci AC in 1945/46 where Deák set the current European record of 66 goals in a single league season (along with Dixie Dean in 1927/28, these are the only two men to net 60+ goals in a single league season). He later joined Ferencváros and, although not quite matching the ratio of his former club, still found the back of net a further 200 times in just 140 appearances. All in all, Deák finished with 529 goals to his name in just 380 appearances.
Robert Dienst│307+ Goals in 284+ Appearances
Raised in Nazi-controlled Austria, Robert Dienst began his footballing career at Floridsdorfer AC in the midst of world war two in 1942. A comparable playing style to Gerd Muller, Dienst seldom relied on cunning and fancy tricks to lose his attacker, instead possessing a clinical eye for goal and always being in the right place at the right time; many of his goals were scored inside the box. Dienst would spend the majority of his career at SK Rapid Wien, scoring 307 goals in 284 appearances. In a team featuring famed manager Ernst Happel, Dienst was part of the successful SK Rapid Wien side that won six titles in the 1950s as well as the Austrian national team who reached the semi-finals of the 1954 World Cup.
Joseph Mermans│449 Goals in 556 Appearances
Anderlecht legend Joseph Mermans began playing for them in 1942 when he signed from Tibantia FAC for 125,000 Belgian Francs, a Belgian record at the time. Mermans’s 343 goals in 384 appearances helped Anderlecht to their first-ever Belgian League title in 1946/47. And once one arrived, plenty more came. Mermans helped create a dynasty in Belgium winning seven league titles with Anderlecht during his 15 years there. When he decided to leave in 1957, he chose third division-based hometown club Merksem SC. There, a further 41 goals in 81 appearances helped Merksem gain promotion to the second division and subsequently finish 4th. The club was later renamed Mermans SC in his honour. Overall, Mermans scored 449 goals in just 556 appearances.
Coen Dillen│287+ Goals in 328+ Appearances
Coen Dillen holds the current record for most goals scored in a single Eredivisie season, netting 43 in 1956/57. Although he played a large part of his career before the Dutch league was professionalised (1954), it in no way diminishes his goal scoring prowess. Nicknamed ‘The Cannon,’ Dillen scored 287 goals in 328 appearances for PSV in his second spell, although a four-year first spell serves no record for number of appearances or goals.
Hughie Ferguson│363 Goals in 422 Appearances
Ranked 3rd in the Scottish league’s all-time goal-scoring records, Motherwell legend Hughie Ferguson was perhaps unfortunate to play during an era of Scottish goal-scoring dominance. Like most players on this list, he spent a large part of his career at one club. At Motherwell, Ferguson scored 284 goals in 288 appearances. Despite this outstanding record Motherwell rarely challenged for the title during his time there, the closest being a 3rd place finish in 1919/20. After his departure to Cardiff in 1925 where he scored a further 77 goals in 117 appearances, Motherwell won there one and only Scottish League Championship in 1931/32. Ferguson would tragically end his career and life with a sole season at Dundee FC, comitting suicide at the age of 34. Ferguson finished on a total of 363 goals in 422 appearances.
Gyula Zsengellér│434 Goals in 426 Appearances
Another Hungarian who managed more goals than games. Gyula Zsengellér, who was a great friend of Ferenc Puskás’s father, finished top-scorer of the Hungarian league on five separate occasions. After an impressive debut season at Salgótarjáni TC, he signed for Újpest FC. Over the next 11 years Zsengellér provided 368 goals in 301 appearances. During his national career, he helped Hungary reach the final of the 1938 World Cup. And in 1945 Zsengellér provided the first assist for Ferenc Puskás’s (Jnr.) first international goal. Further spells in Italy and Colombia brought his tally to 434 goals in 426 appearances.
Metin Oktay│331 Goals in 374 Appearances
Metin Oktay was a Turkish striker who began his career in 1954 with Izmirspor. In similar circumstances to Zsengellér above, Oktay signed for Turkish giants Galatasaray after an impressive debut season with Izmirspor. Finishing top-scorer of the league in his debut campaign, Oktay would claim six consecutive top-scorer titles in the Istanbul Regional League (3) and National Süper Lig (3, beginning in 1959). Two Galatasaray spells either side of a disappointing season at Palermo in 1961/62 brought nine total top-scorer awards for Oktay. During a derby match against Fenerbache in 1959 it is said he hit the ball with enough ferocity that it left a hole gaping in the net. Metin Oktay’s incredible goal-scoring records tallied 331 goals in 374 appearances.
Raymond Braine│330 Goals in 382 Appearances
Raymond Braine is one of the most successful Belgian players in history. During his time spent with Beerschot VAC and Sparta Prague he amassed eight first division titles whilst scoring 330 goals in 361 appearances. Bizarrely, he would spend his final season of his career at La Forestoise playing primarily as a defender, unsurprisingly netting no goals in his 21 appearances.
Imre Schlosser│417 Goals in 320 Appearances
There are many Hungarians from the first half of the 20th century who could populate this list but the final space goes to the Austro-Hungarian Imre Schlosser. Born in Budapest in 1889, Schlosser began his playing career in 1905 with Ferencváros. In the 11 years spent at the club, Schlosser tallied 258 goals in 155 appearances. He obtained the European Golden Boot-equivalent four years running between 1911 and 1914 and won the Hungarian League seven times with Ferencváros. He moved to MTK Hungária in the middle of world war one in 1916 but continued to impress, scoring a further 141 goals in 125 appearances. Equally impressive was his national goal-scoring record, netting 59 in 68 — a Hungarian national record until the Golden generation of Puskás and Kocsis broke it. Schlosser would delve into management in 1922 and return as a player-manager three years later. But he failed — understandably at the age of 36 — to return his goal-scoring ratios of previous years. All in all, Imre Schlosser scored 417 goals in 320 appearances.
Atilio García│482 Goals in 465 Appearances
The final name on this list belongs to Atilio García. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, García spent the majority of his career in Uruguay with Nacional. Signing for them in 1938, he is reported to have scored 464 goals in 435 games for Nacional in all competitions — though 208 (in 210 appearances) came in the Primera Division. García claimed seven consecutive top-scorer awards from 1938 to 1944 and won another in 1946. His eight Primera Division championships (including five in a row from ’39 to ’43) added to his 25 overall titles won during his 13-year spell with the club. The Argentine would end his career with 482 goals in 465 appearances.
