Goal looks at Manchester United’s top 20 all-time scorers…
Manchester United is one of the world’s greatest and most successful football teams, and they have had some all-time greats wear their jerseys throughout their historic history.
But who were some of the top goal scorers in Red Devils history?
Wayne Rooney is largely recognized as one of the finest players of his age, and he owns the Man United goal-scoring record. During his 13-year tenure at the club, he scored 253 goals in 559 games, creating several unforgettable moments. The England international was named Golden Boy in 2004 and entered the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2022.
Sir Bobby Charlton, a former Ballon d’Or and World Cup winner, is Manchester United’s all-time leading goalscorer with 249 goals. He held the record for most goals scored until Wayne Rooney broke it in 2017.
Denis Law rounds out the podium with an astounding 237 goals in little over 400 games across all competitions.
Ryan Giggs had a long career at Manchester United and is the club’s all-time appearance maker with 963 games played for United, during which he scored 168 goals, ranking him seventh on the club’s all-time goal scorers list. Giggs was the only player to score in each of the Premier League’s first 21 seasons.
Paul Scholes rounds out the top ten with 155 goals in his 20-year United career. During his career at the club, he made the third most appearances (718) and is largely recognized as one of the finest midfielders of our time.
Five-time Winner of the Ballon d’Or Cristiano Ronaldo is the only active player in the top 20, having scored 142 goals in 339 games over his two spells at the club. He is only 9 goals behind the lethal Dutchman Ruud van Nistelrooy, who scored 150 goals for United.
Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored 126 goals in 366 appearances, and his late winner against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final to secure the triple for United is indelibly carved in Man Utd legend.
Table of Contents
Here is the complete list of Manchester United’s top 20 all-time scorers.
Manchester United’s top 20 goalscorers of all time
| Position | Player | Goals | Matches | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wayne Rooney | 253 | 559 | 2004-2017 |
| 2 | Bobby Charlton | 249 | 758 | 1956-1973 |
| 3 | Denis Law | 237 | 404 | 1962-1973 |
| 4 | Jack Rowley | 211 | 424 | 1937-1955 |
| 5 | Dennis Viollet | 179 | 293 | 1952-1962 |
| =5 | George Best | 179 | 470 | 1962-1974 |
| 7 | Joe Spence | 168 | 510 | 1919-1933 |
| =7 | Ryan Giggs | 168 | 963 | 1991-2014 |
| 9 | Mark Hughes | 163 | 467 | 1983-1986, 1988-1995 |
| 10 | Paul Scholes | 155 | 718 | 1994-2011, 2012-2013 |
| 11 | Ruud van Nistelrooy | 150 | 219 | 2001-2006 |
| 12 | Stan Pearson | 148 | 343 | 1937-1954 |
| 13 | David Heard | 145 | 265 | 1961-1968 |
| 14 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 145 | 345 | 2003-2009, 2021- |
| 15 | Tommy Taylor | 131 | 191 | 1953-1958 |
| 16 | Brian McClair | 127 | 471 | 1987-1998 |
| 17 | Ole Gunnar Solskjaer | 126 | 366 | 1996-2007 |
| 18 | Andy Cole | 121 | 275 | 1995-2001 |
| 19 | Marcus Rashford | 109 | 329 | 2015- |
| 20 | Sandy Turnbull | 101 | 247 | 1907-1915 |
| 21 | Joe Cassidy | 100 | 174 | 1893-1900 |
| 21 | George Wall | 100 | 319 | 1906-1915 |
