11 Greatest Poachers in Football History [Ranked]

The poacher, the ‘Johnny-on-the-spot’, the ‘fox in the box’. Whatever you want to call them, the prolific goalscorer is the most priceless commodity in football. For all the number-crunching and data analysis that is involved in the modern game, sticking the ball in the back of the net is truly what the sport will always come down to. A striker that can be relied upon to take half-chances or pounce on a slight lapse in concentration in the opposition’s defence is invaluable and can turn a good team into a great team.

Poachers rarely get involved in build-up play and their primary focus is finishing off the move by getting the all-important goal for their side. From Manchester United legend Ruud van Nistelrooy to modern day goal machine Erling Haaland, here are some of the biggest opportunists to ever play the game as we count down the 11 greatest poachers in the history of football.

Ranking factors:

• Goal record
• Longevity
• Legacy

11 Andy Cole

Notable clubs: Manchester United, Newcastle United

Arguably one of the most underrated players in the history of the Premier League, Andy Cole does not get the credit he deserves for his prolific goal-scoring record in the competition. In the 1993-94 season, Cole topped the charts in both goalscoring and assists while playing for Newcastle United, finishing the season with an incredible 34 goals and 13 assists.

It is his time at Manchester United that he will be most remembered for though, where he struck up a formidable partnership with Dwight Yorke and helped fire the Red Devils to their historic treble in the 1998-99 season. Cole’s 187 career goals in the competition make him the fourth-highest goalscorer in Premier League history.

10 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar

Notable clubs: Ajax, Schalke, Real Madrid

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar was considered one of the most prolific strikers in Europe, particularly during his time in the Eredivisie. Huntelaar caught the attention of Ajax after scoring 17 goals in 15 matches for Heerenveen in the first half of the 2005-06 season, before moving to the Dutch giants in January 2006.

After scoring 105 goals in 136 appearances across all competitions for Ajax, Huntelaar secured a move to Real Madrid, where he only spent half a season, but still managed to score an impressive 8 goals in his 20 games for the club. Although he never really made it at the very top level of football, the Dutchman continued his impressive goalscoring record throughout his career, notably netting 29 times in 32 games for Schalke in the 2011-12 Bundesliga season.

9 Raul

Notable clubs: Real Madrid

Raul is widely regarded as one of the smartest strikers of his generation. A technically-gifted and elegant striker who was capable of scoring spectacular goals, Raul was also notable for his sheer consistency of scoring, particularly throughout the late 90s and early 2000s.

The Spaniard was deeply respected by teammates and opponents alike and his scoring record stands up against the very best goalscorers in history. He is the third all-time highest scorer at Real Madrid, sixth-highest scorer in La Liga as a whole and fifth-highest in the history of the Champions League. Raul is not just a Real Madrid legend, but one of the greatest Spanish players to ever play the game.

8 Filippo Inzaghi

Notable clubs: AC Milan, Juventus

Filippo Inzaghi was not blessed with technical ability or elegant skill, but he made the most of his astute understanding of the game to become an all-time great goalscorer. Spending most of his time playing on the shoulder of the last defender, Inzaghi used his lightning pace and intelligent movement to steal a yard on his opponents and get in on goal.

With the vast majority of his play taking place in the penalty area, Inzaghi was a true poacher and his goalscoring ability allowed him to have a hugely successful career. The sharp-shooting striker won three Serie A titles and two Champions Leagues during his club career, as well as winning the World Cup with Italy in 2006.

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7 Michael Owen

Notable clubs: Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle United, Manchester United

Michael Owen’s blistering pace and composure in front of goal made him one of the most dangerous strikers in Europe when he broke through at Liverpool as a teenager in 1997. Owen scored 118 goals in 216 Premier League games for Liverpool before transferring to Real Madrid in 2004.

His time at Real Madrid, and subsequent spells at Newcastle United, Manchester United and Stoke, were hampered by niggling injuries that prevented Owen from ever recapturing his peak form. But the 2001 Ballon d’Or winner will always be remembered for his time at Liverpool as one of the most devastating finishers the Premier League has ever seen.

6 Ruud van Nistelrooy

Notable clubs: Manchester United, Real Madrid, PSV Eindhoven

A remarkable 77 goals in 90 appearances for PSV Eindhoven was enough to alert the Elite European football clubs to the prolific scoring ability of Ruud van Nistelrooy. The Dutchman lived up to the hype around him by delivering at the top level during spells at Manchester United and Real Madrid.

Widely regarded as one of the most clinical finishers of his generation, van Nistelrooy finished as top scorer in three separate Champions League campaigns while at Man United and is the competition’s sixth-highest goalscorer of all time. He also won two La Liga titles at Real Madrid and scored 64 goals in 96 appearances for the Spanish giants.

5 Erling Haaland

Notable clubs: Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund

Despite his relatively young career, Erling Haaland has already established himself as one of the greatest goalscorers the sport has ever seen. His physical stature and lethal finishing has made him the most intimidating centre forward in the modern game.

Haaland’s goalscoring prowess was evident from an early age, most notably his nine goals in a single game for Norway at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup. His relentless goalscoring at Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City has already earned Haaland a plethora of individual records, including scoring the most goals in a Premier League season (36 goals) during his first year in the competition.

4 Hugo Sanchez

Notable clubs: Real Madrid, Athletico Madrid

Widely regarded as the best Mexican footballer to ever play the game, Hugo Sanchez was one of the most prolific goalscorers of his generation. Fondly remembered for his time in La Liga playing for Ateltico Madrid, Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano, his tally of goals ranks him as the fifth-highest goalscorer in the history of the league.

Although he was capable of scoring spectacular goals, the legendary Mexican’s incredible goal record is largely due to his intelligent movement in the penalty area and his ability to find the net with limited touches of the ball. During the 1989-90 La Liga season, Sanchez scored 38 goals for Real Madrid which remarkably all came from first-time finishes.

3 Gary Lineker

Notable clubs: Leicester City, Everton, Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur

Gary Lineker is arguably the first name that springs to mind when you think of goal poachers. With the overwhelming majority of his goals behind scored from inside the penalty area, Lineker was one of the most consistent goalscorers that English football has ever produced.

Lineker holds the distinction of being the only player to finish as top scorer in England with three different clubs – Leicester City, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur. He also found success playing on the continent with Barcelona, as well as at international level. He currently ranks as the fourth-highest goalscorer for England with 48 goals over 80 appearances.

2 Romario

Notable clubs: PSV, Barcelona

Greatly admired by his peers, Romario is considered an all-time great of the game. Football icon and Barcelona legend Johan Cruyff, who coached Romario, has gone on record as saying that the Brazilian is the greatest player he ever coached and described him as a ‘genius of the goal area’.

The prolific striker had a decorated career in his home country of Brazil and in Europe with PSV and Barcelona, winning various league titles and cups thanks to his impressive goalscoring record. Romario also won two Copa Americas and the 1994 World Cup playing for Brazil, for whom he scored 55 goals in 70 appearances.

1 Gerd Muller

Notable clubs: Bayern Munich

Even up against the other prolific goalscorers on this list, Gerd Muller’s record stands out as something truly special. His longevity and consistency in finding the back of the net for both club and country sets him apart from many of the other world-class strikers that are talked about in high regard.

During his 15 seasons with Bayern Munich, Muller scored 570 goals in 613 over all competitions. He also averaged over a goal a game playing for West Germany, scoring 68 goals in 62 games. The legendary German is also one of only nine players to win a World Cup, a Champions League and Ballon d’Or.

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 25.09.24.