Everyone in this world has a role to play. And it is no different in the field of football either. Strikers are expected to score goals, goalkeepers to stop them. Defenders are commanded to protect the goalkeeper, but sometimes in life, we get bonuses.
When it comes to defenders, the bonus in question is goals. While having a defender who can prevent the opposition from scoring is every team’s dream, a defender who can score goals as well is opposition’s nightmare.
Right now, Sergio Ramos is among the foremost figures when speaking about the goal-scoring defenders, but he is not even among the top 7 of the highest of all time. Who are, then? Read below to find out…
#7 Franz Beckenbauer
‘Der Kaiser’ was a defender ahead of his time. He specialised in the sweeper role and remains one of its greatest ever exponents. The fact that he was the furthest outfield player from the opposition’s goal makes his goals stat look even more compelling.
The German legend was highly regarded for his genius-level intellect, passing precision, vision and defending, but it doesn’t stop there. He was also a prolific goal-scoring defender who led the great Bayern and Germany side of the 70s with vigour.
In a career that spanned for 19 years, Beckenbauer scored 108 times as a footballer, making him the 7th best scoring defender of all time.
#6 Roberto Carlos
Perhaps the greatest attacking left-back of all time, Roberto Carlos had a knack of scoring great goals. While defensively he might not have the best, there were and are only a few who could amount to the attacking prowess of the former Brazil international.
The World Cup winning defender had a great ability to marauding forward and channelling his movements into goal-scoring areas of the pitch. Add to that the fact he was a specialist free-kick taker and a marksman from long range, which meant that he would score some cracking goals every now and then.
With 113 goals in his long and illustrious careers, he sits at number 6 on this list of the highest scoring defenders of all time.
#5 Steve Bruce
Most fans of this generation will remember him for his time at Sunderland, not that it was a spell to be remembered for, though. However, once upon a time, he was one of the mainstays of Manchester United’s defence.
During the early 90s, he was at his goal-scoring best. Indeed, in the 1990-91 season alone, he scored 19 goals in total. While being a reliable penalty-taker, most of his goals came via smashing headers. Despite his excellence, he was never really selected by the national team but was a constant figure in the Red Devils’ lineup.
He scored a total of 113 goals in his career as a professional footballer.
#4 Graham Alexander
He might not be a household like most of the ones mentioned here, but Graham Alexander is someone whose penalty-taking ability allowed him to become one of the highest scoring defenders of all time. The former Scottish right-back played for numerous clubs like Scunthorpe United, Burnley, Luton Town and Preston North End.
And in his time as a player, he scored a mammoth 129 goals. The fact that he was the first spot-kick taker for the teams he played for meant that he could score a lot of goals. He has 40 international caps for Scotland as well. Strangely, however, he could never break the duck for Scotland.
#3 Fernando Hierro
Ah, the legendary Fernando Hierro. While Iker Casillas might have been Spain’s most successful captain, Fernando Hierro was certainly its grittiest one. His determination and courage made him revered among the fan base of even rival Barcelona and, to this day, Madrid couldn’t find a true replacement for their former captain.
It was not only his leadership or defensive skills that made him a fort at the back, but it was his ability to score from nowhere as he was a great header of the ball and was the primary spot-kick and free-kick taker at the club.
In his radiant career, he scored 163 goals to become Spain’s best ever goal-scoring defender.
#2 Daniel Passarella
They say that short players are not supposed to make good defenders, but Daniel Passarella breaks that convention into a million pieces. Despite being 5’8”, he had an astounding ability to score from headers. He was the perfect epitome of a defender: good tackler, intelligent, and a leader at the back.
Indeed, it was under his captaincy that Argentina won the 1978 World Cup. Scoring goals was the bonus trait in him as he scored a mammoth 175 goals in his glorious career and the best part of it was that most of it came from headers rather than direct set-pieces.
#1 Ronald Koeman
The ultimate goal-scoring defender of all time. These days, you see him manage Everton and shock the bigger teams by winning against them. But back when he was a player, he used to flabbergast teams with his astute knack of scoring goals.
He could play as a midfielder and a defender but was mostly deployed as a libero thanks to his unbelievable ability on the ball. In a career that saw him win many trophies, he contributed by scoring a record 253 goals, making him the highest scoring defender of all time.
And it seems unlikely that anyone can ever break the bar set by him.
