Top 20 FA Cup Goalscorers Of All Time
The FA Cup is the oldest football competition in the world – even older than the World Cup and the Premier League. In this article, we’re taking a look at the top goalscorers of the competition through history – number 1 on the list interestingly enough never lifted a trophy!
Top 20 FA Cup Goalscorers of All Time
Cup goalscoring records are very different to all-time Premier League charts. In the league, a top player could feature 38 times in a single season, and it is viewed as the most important competition. In the FA Cup, the biggest English teams only play a maximum of six or seven games en route to the trophy, and big names are often rested during the early rounds. Therefore, racking up an impressive FA Cup goal tally is pretty difficult for the modern player.
Let’s count down through the top 20 FA Cup goalscorers of all time.
Sergio Aguero – 20 goals
The man with arguably the most iconic Premier League moment to his name also sneaks onto our top 20 FA Cup goal scorer list. Believe it or not, the Argentine striker only ever played 22 FA Cup games in Man City blue, meaning he almost averaged a goal a game. If only he had racked up a few more appearances during his time in England. Aguero may have lifted the FA Cup in 2019 after Man City thrashed Watford 6-0 in the final, but he was left on the bench for the encounter. It proved to be his only FA Cup victory after finishing as a shock runner-up in 2013 to Wigan Athletic.
Bobby Tambling – 21 goals
Tambling played the majority of his career in the blue of Chelsea from 1959 to 1970, before moving to Crystal Palace. He managed to rack up over 30 appearances in the FA Cup during that time and netted an impressive 21 goals. Unfortunately for the Chelsea forward, he never managed to lift the trophy itself. He came close in 1967 but ultimately lost to Tottenham Hotspur in the final.
Frank Stapleton – 21 goals
Stapleton played for some of the biggest clubs in the game, with over 200 appearances for both Arsenal and Manchester United, as well as spells with Ajax, Blackburn Rovers, and Brighton. Spending 13 years in North London and Manchester combined gave Stapleton plenty of access to the FA Cup, and he returned the favour by netting 21 times. He also managed to lift the trophy three times, once with Arsenal and twice with the Red Devils.
George Best – 21 goals
It seems strange that one of the most famous names in the history of British football never won the FA Cup – but that is the case with George Best. The Northern Irish winger managed 46 appearances for Manchester United in the competition, netting 21 goals. While his trophy cabinet was filled with two First Division titles and a European Cup, the FA Cup shelf remained dusty.
Bobby Smith – 22 goals
An integral part of Bill Nicholson’s famous double-winning Tottenham team in 1960/61, Bobby Smith was also an FA Cup marksman. He played just 34 times in the competition but contributed 22 goals in that time. Smith lifted the FA Cup in both 1961 and 1962, making him a rare back-to-back winner. It is no wonder he remains Tottenham’s third-highest all-time scorer behind Harry Kane and Jimmy Greaves.
Jermain Defoe – 22 goals
Talking of Tottenham legends, Jermain Defoe brings us back to the modern day. The England striker featured in the competition for Spurs, West Ham, Bournemouth, Sunderland, and Portsmouth, scoring an impressive 22 goals in the process. Unfortunately, Defoe never lifted the trophy. Rather heartbreakingly, he was a Pompey player when they won the FA Cup under Harry Redknapp in 2008, but he was cup-tied following his move from Tottenham so could not feature.
Allan Clarke – 23 goals
Clarke played the majority of his career at Leeds United, racking up more than 270 appearances for the club. However, it was during a short one-year spell at Leicester City that he came closest to winning the FA Cup. Unfortunately, Man City beat the Foxes 1-0 in the final in 1969, but at least Clarke still has 23 goals to show for his efforts.
Wayne Rooney – 23 goals
One of the biggest names in English football – no, world football. Wayne Rooney is a modern-day Manchester United legend, finishing his career as the club’s all-time leading goal scorer on 253. 23 of those goals came in the FA Cup, but Rooney only lifted the trophy once in 2016. Five Premier League titles, three League Cups, two European trophies, but only one FA Cup in the career of Wayne Rooney.
Jackie Milburn – 23 goals
Not only is Jackie Milburn a Newcastle United legend and one of the top goalscorers in FA Cup history, but he also lifted the trophy three times in his career. In the 1951 final, he scored a brace against Blackpool in a 2-0 win. Four years later, he won the FA Cup again, scoring against Man City just 45 seconds into the final.
Malcolm Macdonald – 24 goals
Would you believe that a full back was in the top twenty FA Cup goalscorers of all time? Fortunately, Malcolm Macdonald transitioned from his defensive role to a centre-forward early in his career due to an injury crisis at Luton Town. He then went on to score 24 times in the FA Cup for clubs including Newcastle and Arsenal. Unfortunately, he lost his two appearances in the FA Cup final.
Mark Hughes – 25 goals
From a three-time winner to a four-time winner, Mark Hughes is one of the most successful FA Cup winners to ever play the game. Sparky won three of his cups in the red of Manchester United before moving to Chelsea and repeating the trick in 1997. He even managed three of his 25 goals in FA Cup finals – a man for the big occasion.
John Barnes – 27 goals
You’ve got to hold and give but do it at the right time! John Barnes may have enjoyed a second career as a surprise rapper, but the Liverpool legend was also extremely handy in front of goal. His 87 appearances in the FA Cup remains a record to this day – and a pretty hard one to beat for the modern player. He also managed 27 goals, and two FA Cup wins during that time.
Alan Shearer – 27 goals
The all-time leading Premier League goal scorer is only good enough for the top nine in our FA Cup list. It was always Shearer’s dream to lift a trophy with his beloved Newcastle, but that dream ended in heartbreak after back-to-back FA Cup final defeats in 1998 and 1999. Newcastle lost 2-0 to Arsenal and 2-0 to Manchester United in consecutive years before Shearer eventually moved to Blackburn Rovers to win his only Premier League title.
Frank Lampard – 27 goals
Frank Lampard is a top ten Premier League all-time goal scorer and repeats the trick in the FA Cup too. That’s not bad going for a central midfielder! The Chelsea legend (and all-time top scorer again) lifted the FA Cup an impressive four times in his career, all with the Blues. That also makes him the second top FA Cup goalscorer from the Premier League era.
Teddy Sheringham – 29 goals
The top FA Cup goal scorer in the Premier League era – Teddy Sheringham. Rather uniquely, he also scored for seven different teams in the competition throughout his career – Tottenham, Manchester United, Millwall, Nottingham Forest, West Ham, Portsmouth and Colchester. He only lifted the FA Cup once in his 24-year career though, with the Red Devils in 1999.
Steve Bloomer – 39 goals
We need to go all the way back to the 1890s to crack into our top five. Steve Bloomer spent the bulk of his career with Derby County and managed a jaw-dropping 39 goals in the FA Cup during that time. Over 130 years later and he remains in the top five all-time scorers list.
Jimmy Greaves – 42 goals
One of the most underrated strikers in history – Jimmy Greaves scored 42 times in 57 caps for England. He was also Tottenham’s all-time top scorer until recently when Harry Kane took his crown. Greaves lifted the FA Cup twice in 1962 and 1967 with Spurs, but also played in the competition for Chelsea, West Ham, and Barnet.
Denis Law – 43 goals
Law is potentially the unluckiest player on our list. While plying his trade for Manchester City in 1961, Law scored a whopping six goals in one game against Luton Town. Unfortunately, the match was abandoned due to poor weather with 20 minutes to go, and those goals were never officially counted. Man City even went on to somehow lose the replay. At least Law lifted the trophy in 1963, but he perhaps should be higher up on our list.
Ian Rush – 44 goals
One of the greatest players of the 1980s and 1990s, Ian Rush was unstoppable in the FA Cup for Liverpool. Not only did he lift the trophy three times with the Reds, but he also scored an incredible 44 goals in the process. He even has the record for most goals scored in FA Cup finals, with five in three games.
Harry Cursham – 49 goals
While some people consider Rush to be the all-time FA Cup top goalscorer, technically that accolade belongs to Harry Cursham. All the way back in the 1870s and 1880s, Cursham represented Notts County with tremendous potency, scoring 49 goals in just 44 games. That included six goals in an 11-1 win over Wednesbury Strollers in 1881. A naturally gifted sportsman, Cursham also played country cricket for Nottinghamshire as a lower order batsman. It seems he could hit for six in two different sports!
Last updated: 09.04.25
