10 players with the most goals for a single club

#6 Jimmy McGrory (Celtic) - 522 goals

Jimmy McGrory is one of a handful of players in the history of the sport to have scored over 500 goals for a single club.

The all-time Celtic top scorer has the most goals in club and international football by a British player. McGrory scored over 50 hat-tricks in his professional career, one of them being a double hat-trick (eight goals against Dumbermline in a Scottish league game in 1928).

The diminutive striker (5' 6") was unusually good in the air for his height. He was one everyone wanted in their team during the 1920s. He retired in 1938. McGrory passed away at the age of 78 in 1982.

#5 Josef Bican (Slavia Praha) - 534 goals

Josef Bican is one of the most prolific goalscorers in the game's history, especially in the 20th century. During a highly successful decade-long stint at Slavia Praha during the 30s and 40s, Bican amassed nearly 550 goals across competitions.

The all-time top scorer in Czech league history, Bican is said to have scored over 800 goals in official games.

In 2020, the late striker was awarded the 'Golden Ball' by IFFHS in recognition of the player top-scoring in a staggering 12 league campaigns. Bican played for Austria at the 1934 World Cup, but couldn't play in the 1938 FIFA World Cup for Czechoslovakia due to a 'clerical' error.

#4 Fernando Peyroteo (Sporting Lisbon) - 544 goals

Fernando Peyroteo was another prolific goalscorer in the 20th century, scoring almost 550 times for Sporting Lisbon between 1937 and 1949.

The striker won 11 major titles with the Portuguese giants and was the Portuguese league's top scorer on six occasions. Peyroteo's most prolific campaign for Sporting Lisbon in 1945-46 saw him score 56 goals across competitions.

In fact, such was his scoring prowess that even in his leanest scoring campaign, he still netted 37 times (twice). Peyroteo held the record for the quickest five-goal haul (22 minutes) in a European top-flight game before Robert Lewandowski lowered that mark by an astounding 13 minutes.

Unsurprisingly, Peyroteo averaged more than a goal per game during his legendary career. He once scored nine times in a match, a record haul in a game in Europe's top ten leagues.

The five-time Primeira Liga winner passed away at the age of 60 in 1978 after complications arising from the amputation of a leg.

About the author

Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 20 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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Edited by S Chowdhury