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England head to Qatar in November to participate in their 16th World Cup. They won the tournament once in 1966 but have fallen short in the years since then. Many fans hoped that the golden generation of David Beckham, John Terry, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard would end the drought, but it was not meant to be. The club rivalries at the time hampered unity within the national squad.
England now have an interesting team under Gareth Southgate who will hope to get the Three Lions to the second title.
In this article we will look at the top five goal scorers for the England national team. These are legendary players who have enjoyed illustrious careers, and while most are retired, there is one that might break the record during the World Cup.
#5 Jimmy Greaves - 44 goals
Jimmy Greaves, at his peak, was one of the best strikers in world football. He made 57 appearances for England, scoring 44 goals, and was one of the players on the team which won the World Cup in 1966. He scored 124 and 220 goals for Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur respectively, and also had a stint at AC Milan.
Greaves never won the English league title despite being such a prolific goal scorer, but he did win the Serie A with AC Milan in 1962.
.He was one of those rare players who played for both Chelsea and Tottenham and was appreciated by both fanbases. The legendary Greaves passed away in 2021.
#4 Gary Lineker - 48 goals
Gary Lineker made 80 appearances for England and scored 48 goals. With England, he finished fourth in the 1990 World Cup and was a key player for the team. Lineker played for teams like Leicester, Everton, and Tottenham in the English league and won an FA Cup with Tottenham. Lineker also played for Barcelona and is loved at the Catalonian club.
Despite having such a glorious career, he failed to win any league titles, and his trophy wins were restricted to domestic cups and one European Cup Winner's Cup with Barcelona.
Post-retirement, Lineker has enjoyed a brilliant career in punditry, most famously with the show Match of the Day. An elegant player during the peak of his career, he ultimately fell short of winning football's biggest prizes.
#3 Sir Bobby Charlton - 49 goals
Sir Bobby Charlton is one of the legends of the game and has made 105 appearances for England, scoring 49 goals. He spent most of his career at Manchester United, winning multiple league titles, domestic cups, and one European Cup. He was one of the few survivors of the Munich air disaster in 1958 which forced Manchester United to rebuild as a club.
When the disaster took place, he was 20 years old, and to go on and have such a glorious career and shoulder the expectations of a legendary football club is an extraordinary feat.
He was also part of the England team that won the World Cup in 1966 and was a key figure of the team. More of a midfielder than a forward, it was his leadership and not scoring prowess that made him stand out.
#2 Harry Kane - 51 goals
Harry Kane is England's current figurehead and one of football's top strikers. He has scored 51 goals in 75 appearances for England and will no doubt break the record before he retires. The national team has done well in tournaments in recent years and last year fell just short at the Euros, losing the final to Italy. Kane has spent his entire club career at Tottenham till now.
Despite the numerous individual awards that he has received, Kane is yet to win any kind of trophy with club or country. The drought is a consequence of his loyalty to Tottenham, although he did try to leave for Manchester City last summer.
Kane is a modern-day striker in that he can both create for others as well as finish with aplomb.
#1 Wayne Rooney - 53 goals (England record)
The current record holder for most goals for England is Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney. Rooney began his career at Everton before signing for United in 2004. At United under Sir Alex Ferguson, he has won all that there is to win in English and European football. For England, he made 120 appearances but was part of that infamous golden generation that failed to win trophies.
Rooney was not the tallest player, but he had a great leap, and combined with technical prowess and physicality, he dominated defenses for years.
Injuries caused his career to peter out towards the end, but in his prime, he was unplayable and lethal within the box. Rooney is currently the manager at DC United and spent some time as manager of Derby County as well.
