Which Soccer Players Managed to Scored Most of Their Professional Goals in a Solitary Game?
“Last month, Watford defender Ngakia found the net twice for his club against Oxford United to take his career goals total to three from 116 senior club appearances,” wonders Peter Skilton. “Not counting players who scored only once, has anybody with 100+ appearances achieved a higher percentage of their career goals in a single match?”
Another reader submits with the story of Matthieu Chalmé. “French right-back Chalmé played 362 professional matches during his playing days, mostly for Bordeaux and Lille,” he explains. “He netted four goals in total, with a hat-trick coming in a solitary match. Chalmé netted all three goals in Lille’s victory at AC Ajaccio in 2004, achieving the surprising of three-goal hauls.”
That memorable hat-trick in Ajaccio were the sole goals Chalmé managed in 179 games for Lille, while in 167 matches with Bordeaux, he found the net one time. Actually, twice including his own goal in the 2010 Coupe de la Ligue final against Olympique Marseille. Scoring 75% of his career goals in a single match puts Chalmé ahead of Ngakia’s mark (two-thirds), but there is a fly in the ointment.
Chalmé retired at his club in 2014 after a loan spell at the Corsican club, who presumably recalled his short burst of form a decade earlier. He did return to football with amateur team Lège Cap-Ferret, playing seven games in six months – and scoring one goal. That would drop Chalmé’s percentage of goals scored in a single game down to three-fifths, but it feels harsh to count against him for a post-career stint at amateur football.
A quick mention, too, for another French full-back: Lilian Thuram. While the original question concerns professional club play, plenty of you wrote in to point out that Thuram made 142 France appearances and netted twice in the same match – the World Cup semi-final against the Croatian team. Sometimes, form is everything.
Players Defying Managers: Part II
In last week’s Knowledge we examined footballers who defied their managers’ instructions. There are some more fantastic examples, so let’s reopen the Disobedience Records for a another review.
Spurs vs City, FA Cup semi-final, 1955-56
“The Spurs captain, Blanchflower, made changes to the team during the cup match against City while they were losing 1-0,” recalls a correspondent. “Switching Norman from centre-half to attack, Spurs still lost and the manager, Anderson [not that one], benched the captain for the next match and removed him of the armband. Within a year Anderson was out, Bill Nicholson became manager, the captain returned and the rest is history.”
England v Albania, World Cup 1990 qualifier, 1989
Another fan notes: “Gazza netted his maiden international goal in this 5-0 win at the national stadium after playing ‘all over the pitch’, according to manager Bobby Robson. The post-match interview are marvellous – a great blend of annoyance, sarcasm and fatherly pride.”
Everton v Tottenham, Cup semi, the 1990s
The Toffees’ most recent silverware was the 1995 FA Cup, and it wouldn’t have been possible without one man,” begins a contributor. “Manager Joe Royle? No. Final scorer, Paul Rideout? Almost. Goalkeeping colossus Neville Southall? Nope. The hero was mercurial striker Daniel Amokachi, who substituted himself on during the match with Tottenham, netting two to secure Everton a place in the Wembley showpiece against United.”
Telling the tale to the BBC, the striker said: “Rideout got a knock and fell ... I just went to Willie Donachie and said ‘The gaffer says you need me on’.” The manager was rightly angry at the moment, but kinder at the end: “He entered the dressing room and hugged me, shook my hand and said: ‘Well done, son, but never try that again.’”
Sporting vs Barça, European match, 2008
“While playing for Guardiola’s Barça against Sporting Lisbon, Thierry Henry took it upon himself to switch wings. He soon netted to give Barcelona the lead at the break. Guardiola’s reaction? He hooked Henry for disobeying orders.”
Set-Piece Specialists
“Being a Hammers supporter, I’m increasingly having to look at previous years for some enjoyment,” weeps a fan. “While recently doing so, I noticed that Dimitri Payet netted six set-pieces in the 18 cherished months that we enjoyed him. I’m curious if there is a more productive set-piece expert in a similar time period?”
One comes to mind: David Beckham netted 27 direct kicks in his spell with United, including eight over several months between 2000. His best period at the club includes the same period: from 1999-2000, Beckham netted ten set-pieces – including two brilliant strikes against the Hammers. Sorry, Liam.
If it helps, there’s a player now at West Ham who can better Payet’s statistics: James Ward-Prowse. The dead-ball specialist had two great runs with Southampton, netting seven set-pieces between 2019-2021 across two Covid-affected seasons. Ward-Prowse then hit another six superb free-kicks in a 10-month spell between April 2022 and February 2023.
Knowledge archive
“A friend who follows Southend claims the club once played a league game at Wembley? Is he having me on?” queried a reader in 2012.
Ludicrously, he wasn’t. The team were among two clubs – the Bees being the second – to play against Orient in Division Three (South) at Wembley back in the 1930s, owing to ground improvement work at their home ground. Club records takes up the story:
After a game against Torquay United (a victory for Orient), Torquay representatives 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 further matches could take place; suddenly the club found themselves homeless. Incredible as it seems, Wembley was suggested and the Orient actually played two league games in 1930 against Brentford and Southend United, winning 3-0 and 3-1 respectively. Even now the Orient is the sole league team to have played home games at Wembley Stadium!
After that of course, Spurs followed Orient in playing temporarily at Wembley, albeit in the top flight. Lately, talk of the Gunners upgrading the Emirates – and relocating to the national stadium while the construction occurs – has surfaced.
Your Input Needed
“Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang netted four times and was sent off in Gabon’s 4-3 win over Gambia recently,” notes Seb in Berlin. “Which other players have seen red after scoring at least three goals?”
“In Austria’s 10-0 demolition of the minnows, every outfield player who began the game scored or assisted,” asks another correspondent. “Has any other team managed this?”
“Of all of the players who have a monument at their club’s stadium of their former club, who played the fewest games for that club?” asks Masai Graham.
“Remarkably, Tomasson is the initial coach to be sacked by {Sw
