Which Footballers Managed to Scored The Majority of Their Career Goals in a Single Match?

Recently, Jeremy Ngakia found the net twice for his club against Oxford United to take his career goals total to three from 116 professional matches,” wonders a curious fan. “Excluding players who scored only once, has anybody with over 100 matches achieved a higher percentage of their total goals in a one game?”

Denis Boone submits with the story of Matthieu Chalmé. “Defender Matthieu Chalmé appeared in 362 games during his playing days, mostly for Lille and Bordeaux,” Denis writes. “He scored four career goals, with a hat-trick scored during a solitary match. He scored all three in Lille’s victory at Ajaccio in March 2004, achieving the most unlikely of three-goal hauls.”

Those three well-taken goals in Corsica were the only ones he scored in 179 Lille appearances, while in 167 matches with Bordeaux, he scored once. Actually, twice including his own goal in the 2010 Coupe de la Ligue final against Marseille. Scoring 75% of his career goals in a single match takes Chalmé past Ngakia’s percentage (66.7%), but there’s a complication.

Chalmé hung up his boots at Bordeaux in July 2014 after a temporary move at Ajaccio, who likely remembered his brief purple patch a ten years prior. He came back to the game with amateur team his local club, playing seven games in half a year – and scoring one goal. That would drop Chalmé’s percentage of goals scored in a single game down to 60%, but it feels harsh to count against him for a post-career stint at semi-professional level.

A quick mention, too, for another French full-back: Lilian Thuram. Although the query relates to professional club play, many readers emailed in to highlight that the defender made 142 international caps and scored two goals in the same match – the 1998 World Cup semi-final against Croatia. Look, when you’re hot, you’re hot.

The Insubordination Files: Continued

Previously in this series we examined footballers who disobeyed their coaches. There are some more great stories, so let’s reopen the Disobedience Records for a second look.

Tottenham v Manchester City, Cup semi-final, the 1950s
“The Spurs captain, Blanchflower, altered tactics to the side during the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City while they were a goal down,” writes John Tumbridge. “Switching Norman from defense to attack, Spurs still lost and the coach, Anderson [no relation], dropped Blanchflower for the next match and removed him of the armband. Within a year Anderson left, Bill Nicholson took over, the captain returned and the rest is history.”

England v Albania, World Cup 1990 qualifier, April 1989
Adam Clark points out: “Paul Gascoigne scored his first England goal in this victory at Wembley after playing ‘all over the pitch’, as per coach Robson. The post-game comments are marvellous – a wonderful mixture of frustration, sarcasm and fatherly pride.”

Everton vs Spurs, FA Cup semi-final, 1994-95
“Everton’s last major trophy was the 1995 Cup, and it couldn’t have happened without a key figure,” writes Jim Hearson. “Coach Royle? No. Goalscorer in the final, Paul Rideout? Close, but no. Keeper Neville Southall? Not him. The hero was mercurial striker Amokachi, who substituted himself on during the match with Tottenham, netting two to secure Everton a place in the Wembley showpiece against United.”

Recounting the story to the BBC, the striker said: “Rideout got a knock and fell ... I just approached Willie Donachie and told him ‘The gaffer says you need me on’.” The manager was understandably furious at the moment, but more forgiving at the end: “He entered the dressing room and hugged me, gave me his hand and said: ‘Well done, son, but never try that again.’”

Sporting v Barcelona, Champions League group stage, 2008-09
“While playing for Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona against Sporting, Thierry Henry decided to change flanks. He quickly scored to ensure Barça went in 1-0 up at half-time. Guardiola’s reaction? He substituted Henry for disobeying orders.”

Free-kick flurries

“Being a Hammers supporter, I’m increasingly having to look at past seasons for positive memories,” weeps Liam Corbett. “While recently doing so, I saw that Dimitri Payet scored six free kicks in the 18 cherished months that we enjoyed him. I’m curious if there is a more prolific free-kick taker in a comparable span?”

An example exists: Beckham scored 27 free-kicks in his time at Manchester United, including eight over several months between 2000. His best period at the club includes the identical timeframe: from 1999-2000, he netted ten set-pieces – including two raspers against the West Ham. Sorry, Liam.

If it helps, there’s a footballer currently on West Ham’s books who can outdo Payet’s record: Ward-Prowse. The set-piece maestro had two great runs with his former club, netting seven set-pieces between November 2019 and February 2021 across two pandemic-interrupted campaigns. He then hit another six dead-ball beauties in a 10-month spell between April 2022 and February 2023.

Knowledge archive

“A friend who follows Southend insists the club once featured in a league match at Wembley? Is he joking?” queried a reader in April 2012.

Surprisingly, he wasn’t. The team were one of two teams – Brentford being the second – to face Orient in Division Three (South) at Wembley back in the 1930s, owing to ground improvement work at Orient’s Lea Bridge Stadium. Their official website takes up the story:

Following a league match against Torquay (a victory for Orient), Torquay representatives complained about the boundary fence being too close to the pitch. The Football League was requested to inspect the ground and concluded that alterations had to be made before further matches could be held; suddenly the Orient found themselves without a stadium. Hard to believe, the national stadium was suggested and the O’s actually hosted two matches in 1930 against Brentford and Southend, winning 3-0 and 3-1 respectively. Even now the Orient is the only Football League side to have hosted matches at the iconic venue!

After that of course, Tottenham joined Orient in playing temporarily at the stadium, albeit in the top flight. Lately, discussions about the Gunners upgrading the Emirates – and moving to the Wembley while the work is carried out – has surfaced.

Your Input Needed

“Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored four goals and was sent off in Gabon’s 4-3 win over Gambia recently,” writes a reader. “Which other players have seen red after netting a hat-trick or more?”

“During Austria’s huge win of San Marino, all starting attackers and midfielders who began the game got a goal, an assist or both,” queries Paul Savage. “Is there another side achieved this feat?”

“Among all footballers who have a monument outside the ground of their ex-team, who played the fewest games for that club?” asks Masai Graham.

“Interestingly, Tomasson is the first manager to be sacked by {Sw