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 take a look at the best scorers of the competition through history – the number 1 on the fairly interesting list has never raised a trophy!
Top 20 FA Cup scorers of all time
Cup goals records are very different from the charts of all time in the Premier League. In the League, a better player could present 38 times in a single season, and he is considered the most important competition. In the FA Cup, the largest English teams only play a maximum of six or seven games en route to the trophy, and the big names are often rested during the first laps. Therefore, accumulating an impressive total purpose of the FA Cup is quite difficult for the modern player.
Consul the 20 best scorers of the FA Cup of all time.
Sergio Aguero – 20 goals
The man with no doubt the most emblematic Premier League time in his name also sneaks on our scorer list of the FA Top 20. Believe him or not, the Argentinian striker only played 22 games from the FA Cup in Man City Blue, which means that he almost managed a goal per match. If only he had accumulated some additional appearances during his stay in England. Aguero may have raised the FA Cup in 2019 after Man City beat Watford 6-0 in the final, but he was left on the bench for the meeting. It turned out to be his only victory in FA Cup after finishing as a shock finalist in 2013 at Wigan Athletic.
Bobby Tambling – 21 goals
Tambling played the majority of his Chelsea blue career from 1959 to 1970, before moving to Crystal Palace. He managed to accumulate more than 30 appearances in FA Cup during this period and scored 21 impressive goals. Unfortunately for the Chelsea striker, he never managed to lift the trophy himself. He got closer in 1967 but finally lost to Tottenham Hotspur in the final.
Frank Stapleton – 21 goals
Stapleton played for some of the biggest clubs in the game, with more than 200 appearances for Arsenal and Manchester United, as well as spells with Ajax, Blackburn Rovers and Brighton. Spending 13 years in northern London and Manchester Combined gave Stapleton a lot of access to the FA Cup, and he made the favor by marking 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 has never won the FA Cup – but this is the case with George Best. The Northern Ireland winger achieved 46 appearances for Manchester United in the competition, which scored 21 goals. While his trophy cabinet was filled with two first division titles and a European Cup, the FA Cup plateau remained dusty.
Bobby Smith – 22 goals
Integrative part of the famous Tottenham team with a double winner of Bill Nicholson in 1960/61, Bobby Smith was also a sniper from the FA Cup. He only played 34 times in the competition, but contributed 22 goals to that time. Smith raised the FA Cup in 1961 and 1962, making him a rare consecutive winner. It is not surprising that he remains the third top scorer of all time in Tottenham behind Harry Kane and Jimmy Greaves.
Jermain Defoe – 22 goals
Speaking of Tottenham legends, Jermain Defoe brings us back to modern times. The striker in England appeared in the competition for Spurs, West Ham, Bournemouth, Sunderland and Portsmouth, marking 22 impressive goals in the process. Unfortunately, Defoe never raised the trophy. Quite tearing, he was a Pompey player when they won the FA Cup under Harry Redknapp in 2008, but he was linked to the Cup after his Tottenham move, so could not be.
Allan Clarke – 23 goals
Clarke has played the majority of his career at Leeds United, accumulating more than 270 appearances for the club. However, it was during a short period of time at Leicester City that he got closer to the victory of 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 legend of Manchester United, ending his career as a goal scorer of all the club’s time on 253. 23 of these goals came in FA Cup, but Rooney only raised the trophy once in 2016. Five premier titles, three championship cuts, two European trophies, but only a FA Cup in the career of Wayne Rooney.
Jackie Milburn – 23 goals
Not only is Jackie Milburn is a legend of Newcastle United and one of the best scorers in the history of the FA Cup, but he also raised the trophy three times in his career. In the 1951 final, he scored a splint against Blackpool in a 2-0 victory. Four years later, he won the FA Cup again, marking against Man City just 45 seconds from the final.
Malcolm Macdonald – 24 goals
Would you believe that a full back appeared in the twenty best scorers of the FA Cup of all time? Fortunately, Malcolm Macdonald went from his defensive role to a center-forward at the start of his career due to an injury crisis at Luton Town. He then scored 24 times in the FA Cup for clubs such as Newcastle and Arsenal. Unfortunately, he lost his two appearances in the FA Cup final.
Mark Hughes – 25 goals
From a triple winner to a quadruple winner, Mark Hughes is one of the most successful winners of the FA Cup to have played in the match. Sparky won three of his Cups in the Red of Manchester United before moving to Chelsea and repeating the trick in 1997. He even succeeded three of his 25 goals in the FA Cup final – a man for the great occasion.
John Barnes – 27 goals
You have to hold and give but do it at the right time! John Barnes may have had a second career as a surprise rapper, but Liverpool’s legend was also extremely practical in front of the goal. Its 87 appearances in FA Cup remains a record to date – and quite difficult to beat for the modern player. He also managed 27 goals and two FA Cup victories during this period.
Alan Shearer – 27 goals
The top scorer of the Premier League of all time is good enough for the first nine on our list of the FA Cup. It was always Shearer’s dream of lifting a trophy with her beloved Newcastle, but this dream ended with sorrow after the consecutive defeats of the FA Cup in 1998 and 1999. Newcastle lost 2-0 against Arsenal and 2-0 at Manchester United in the consecutive years before Shearer was ultimately over to win his only title League.
Frank Lampard – 27 goals
Frank Lampard is the top scorer of all time in the Premier League and also repeats the tip of FA Cup. It’s not bad for a central midfielder! Chelsea’s legend (and the top scorer of all time) withdrew the FA Cup four times impressive in his career, all with the blues. It also makes him the second top scorer of the FA Cup in the era of the Premier League.
Teddy Sheringham – 29 goals
The top scorer of the FA Cup in the era of the Premier League – Teddy Sheringham. Rather unique, he also scored for seven different teams from the competition throughout his career – Tottenham, Manchester United, Millwall, Nottingham Forest, West Ham, Portsmouth and Colchester. He only did the FA Cup once during his 24 -year career, with the Red Devils in 1999.
Steve Bloomer – 39 goals
We have to return to the 1890s to separate from our top five. Steve Bloomer spent most of his career in Derby County and succeeded in 39 goals in FA Cup during this period. More than 130 years later and it remains in the list of the five best scorers of all time.
Jimmy Greaves – 42 goals
One of the most underestimated attackers in history – Jimmy Greaves scored 42 times in 57 caps for England. He was also Tottenham’s top scorer until recently when Harry Kane took his crown. Greaves raised 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
The law is potentially the most unlucky player on our list. While exercising his business for Manchester City in 1961, Law scored six goals in a match against Luton Town. Unfortunately, the match was abandoned due to bad weather with 20 minutes to go, and these goals have never been officially counted. Man City even continued to lose replay. At least Law raised the trophy in 1963, but it should perhaps be higher on our list.
Ian Rush – 44 goals
One of the greatest players of the 80s and 1990s, Ian Rush was unstoppable in the FA Cup for Liverpool. Not only did he raised the trophy three times with the Reds, but he also scored 44 incredible goals in the process. He even has the record for most of the goals scored in the FA Cup final, with five in three games.
Harry Cursham – 49 goals
While some people consider Rush as the top scorer of the FA Cup of all time, technically that Aclade belongs to Harry Cursham. In the years 1870 and 1880, Cursham represented the county of Notts with enormous power, scoring 49 goals in just 44 games. This included six goals in an 11-1 victory against Weddbury strollers in 1881. A naturally gifted sportsman, Cursham also played country cricket for Nottinghamshire as a drummer of the lower order. It seems that he could strike for six in two different sports!
Last update: 09.04.25
