What Footballers Managed to Netted The Majority of Their Career Goals in a Single Match?
“Last month, Watford defender Ngakia scored twice for Watford against Oxford United to bring his total career goals to three from 116 professional matches,” asks a curious fan. “Not counting footballers who only scored one goal, is there anyone with 100+ appearances managed a greater proportion of their total goals in a single match?”
Another reader writes in with the story of Matthieu Chalmé. “French right-back Matthieu Chalmé played 362 professional matches during his career, mostly for Lille and Bordeaux,” he explains. “He scored four career goals, with three of them scored during a solitary match. Chalmé netted all three goals in Lille’s victory at AC Ajaccio in 2004, achieving the most unlikely of hat-tricks.”
Those three well-taken goals in Ajaccio were the only ones Chalmé managed in 179 games for Lille, while in 167 matches with Bordeaux, he found the net one time. Well, twice if you count his own goal in the 2010 Coupe de la Ligue final against Marseille. Netting three-quarters of his total goals in a single match takes Chalmé past Ngakia’s percentage (two-thirds), but there’s a complication.
Chalmé hung up his boots at Bordeaux in July 2014 after a temporary move at Ajaccio, who likely remembered his short burst of form a decade earlier. He did return to football with amateur team his local club, featuring seven times in half a year – and netting once. This reduces his ratio of goals scored in a single game down to three-fifths, but it seems unfair to penalise him for a post-career stint at amateur football.
A brief note, too, for another French full-back: Lilian Thuram. Although the query relates to professional club play, many readers wrote in to highlight that the defender made 142 France appearances and netted twice in the identical game – the 1998 World Cup semi-final against Croatia. Sometimes, form is everything.
Players Defying Managers: Part II
In last week’s Knowledge we examined footballers who defied their managers’ instructions. We have additional fantastic examples, so let’s reopen the Insubordination Files for a another review.
Tottenham v Manchester City, Cup semi-final, 1955-56
“The Spurs captain, Blanchflower, made changes to the team during the FA Cup semi-final against City while they were losing 1-0,” writes a correspondent. “Switching Norman from centre-half to attack, Spurs still lost and the manager, Jimmy Anderson [no relation], benched the captain for the next match and stripped him of the armband. Soon after Anderson left, Bill Nicholson took over, Blanchflower was reinstated and the rest is history.”
England v Albania, World Cup 1990 qualifier, 1989
Adam Clark points out: “Gazza netted his maiden international goal in this victory at Wembley after playing ‘all over the pitch’, according to manager Bobby Robson. The post-match interview are priceless – a wonderful mixture of annoyance, sarcasm and paternal pride.”
Everton v Tottenham, FA Cup semi-final, the 1990s
The Toffees’ most recent silverware was the 1995 FA Cup, and it couldn’t have happened without a key figure,” writes a contributor. “Manager Joe Royle? No. Goalscorer in the final, Paul Rideout? Almost. Keeper Southall? Not him. That man was unpredictable forward Daniel Amokachi, who substituted himself on during the match with Tottenham, scoring twice to earn the Toffees a spot in the final against United.”
Recounting the story to the media, the striker said: “Rideout got a knock and went down ... I just approached Willie Donachie and told him ‘The gaffer says you need me on’.” The manager was understandably furious at the moment, but kinder at the end: “He came into the locker room and embraced me, gave me his hand and said: ‘Well done, son, but never try that again.’”
Sporting vs Barça, European match, 2008
During his time with Guardiola’s Barça against Sporting Lisbon, Henry took it upon himself to switch wings. He soon netted to give Barcelona the lead at the break. Guardiola’s reaction? He substituted Henry for ignoring his instructions.”
Free-kick flurries
“As a West Ham fan, I’m often looking back at previous years for positive memories,” weeps a fan. “Upon reviewing, I noticed that Payet scored six free kicks in the precious year and a half that we enjoyed him. I’m curious if there is a more productive set-piece expert in a comparable span?”
An example exists: Beckham scored 27 free-kicks in his time at Manchester United, including eight in as many months between March and November 2000. His most prolific 18-month spell at Old Trafford includes the same period: from May 1999 to November 2000, he scored 10 direct-free-kicks – including two raspers against the West Ham. Sorry, Liam.
If it helps, there’s a player currently on West Ham’s books who can outdo Payet’s record: Ward-Prowse. The dead-ball specialist had two great runs with his former club, netting seven set-pieces between 2019-2021 across two pandemic-interrupted campaigns. He then hit another six superb free-kicks in a ten-month period between April 2022 and February 2023.
Historical Trivia
“A Southend-supporting friend claims the team once featured in a league match at the national stadium? Is he joking?” asked Stuart Jacks in 2012.
Surprisingly, he wasn’t. Southend were one of two teams – the Bees being the other – to face Clapton Orient in the third tier at the stadium back in the 1930s, owing to ground improvement work at Orient’s Lea Bridge Stadium. Club records takes up the story:
After a game against Torquay United (which the O’s won), officials from the Devon club objected to the perimeter fence being too near to the pitch. League officials was requested to check the stadium and agreed that alterations had to be made before any more games could take place; abruptly the Orient found themselves without a stadium. Hard to believe, Wembley was suggested and the O’s actually played two league games in that year against Brentford and Southend, winning 3-0 and 3-1 respectively. To this day the club is the only Football League side to have played home games at Wembley Stadium!
Since then of course, Spurs followed Orient in becoming residents at Wembley, albeit in the top flight. Lately, talk of Arsenal renovating their stadium – and relocating to the national stadium while the work is carried out – has emerged.
Can you help?
“Aubameyang netted four times and was sent off in Gabon’s victory over the Gambia last week,” notes Seb in Berlin. “Which other players have been dismissed after scoring at least three goals?”
“In Austria’s 10-0 demolition of the minnows, all starting attackers and midfielders who began the game got a goal, an assist or both,” asks another correspondent. “Is there another side achieved this feat?”
“Among all footballers who have a monument outside the ground of their ex-team, who made the least amount of appearances for that club?” asks Masai Graham.
“Interestingly, Tomasson is the initial coach to be fired by {Sw
