Positions 5 through to 2 today:
5th) 16 goals:
Gunnar Gren (22 UFWC games, 1942-58)
Most famous as part of AC Milan’s formidable Swedish trio known as “Gre-No-Li”, Gren’s international career spanned 18 years. He starred in the Swedish teams that won gold at the 1948 Olympics, and reached the World Cup final on home territory ten years later. At club level, he won league titles with IFK Gothenburg and Milan. He died, aged 71, in 1991.
4th) 18 goals:
Gabriel Batistuta (23 UFWC games, 1992-98)
Argentina’s all-time top scorer, with 56 goals in total, “Batigol” spent most of his career with Fiorentina, although it was to be Roma that gave him his only Serie A title. On the international front, he won two Copa Americas. In 1998, he became the first player ever to score hat-tricks in two different World Cups. He currently lives in Australia.
2nd=) 20 goals each:
Steve Bloomer (17 games, 1895-1907)
Steve Bloomer remains a Derby County legend, more than a century since he made his debut. His goalscoring record was phenomenal for club and country alike. He scored 28 in just 23 games for England, and is the third highest scorer in the English top flight, after Jimmy Greaves and Dixie Dean. In 1906, he moved to Middlesbrough for £750, but returned to Derby four years later. He spent the First World War as a prisoner in Germany. He also played baseball for Derby! He died, in Derby, in 1938.
Hughie Gallacher (15 games 1925-35)
A contender for the accolade of greatest ever Scottish goalscorer, Gallacher was a star of the “Wembley Wizards” side that thrashed England 5-1 in 1928. In total, he scored 23 goals in 20 internationals. He spent most of his club career south of the border, with Newcastle and Chelsea amongst others. Standing a diminutive 5’5″, his no-nonsense approach often landed him in trouble, both on and off the pitch. In retirement, he struggled to find a niche for himself. He turned to alcohol and, in 1957, committed suicide on a railway line.
