What Footballers Managed to Netted The Majority of Their Career Goals in a Solitary Game?
Recently, Jeremy Ngakia scored twice for his club against Oxford to bring his total career goals to three from 116 senior club appearances,” wonders a curious fan. “Not counting footballers who scored only once, has anybody with 100+ appearances managed a higher percentage of their career goals in a single match?”
Denis Boone submits with the tale of Matthieu Chalmé. “Defender Matthieu Chalmé played 362 professional matches during his career, primarily with Bordeaux and Lille,” Denis writes. “He scored four career goals, with a hat-trick coming in a solitary match. Chalmé netted all three goals in Lille’s 3-0 win at Ajaccio in March 2004, achieving the surprising of three-goal hauls.”
Those three well-taken goals in Corsica were the sole goals Chalmé managed in 179 games for Lille, while in 167 for Bordeaux, he found the net one time. Actually, twice including his self-scored goal in the 2010 League Cup final against Olympique Marseille. Scoring 75% of his career goals in a single match takes Chalmé past Ngakia’s percentage (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 likely remembered his short burst of form a decade earlier. He came back to football with amateur team his local club, featuring seven times in half a year – and netting once. This reduces Chalmé’s percentage of goals in one match down to three-fifths, but it feels harsh to penalise him for a post-retirement jaunt at amateur football.
A quick mention, too, for another French full-back: Lilian Thuram. Although the query relates to club careers, plenty of you emailed in to highlight that the defender made 142 international caps and netted twice in the identical game – the 1998 World Cup semi-final against the Croatian team. Look, when you’re hot, you’re hot.
The Insubordination Files: Continued
Previously in this series we examined footballers who defied their managers’ instructions. There are some more great stories, so we’re revisiting the Disobedience Records for a second look.
Tottenham v Manchester City, FA Cup semi-final, the 1950s
Tottenham’s skipper, Blanchflower, altered tactics to the side during the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City while they were losing 1-0,” recalls John Tumbridge. “Switching Maurice Norman from defense to up front, they ultimately lost and the manager, Jimmy Anderson [not that one], dropped Blanchflower for the next match and removed him of the captaincy. Within a year Anderson left, Bill Nicholson took over, the captain returned and the outcome is legendary.”
England vs Albania, World Cup qualifying, April 1989
Adam Clark notes: “Gazza netted his maiden international goal in this victory at Wembley after roaming everywhere’, according to manager Bobby Robson. The post-match interview are priceless – a great blend of frustration, irony and fatherly pride.”
Everton v Tottenham, FA Cup semi-final, the 1990s
“Everton’s last major trophy was the 1995 Cup, and it couldn’t have happened without one man,” writes a contributor. “Manager Joe Royle? No. Final scorer, Paul Rideout? Close, but no. Goalkeeping colossus Southall? Not him. The hero was mercurial striker Amokachi, who substituted himself on during the semi-final against Spurs, scoring twice to earn the Toffees a spot in the final against United.”
Recounting the story to the media, Amokachi said: “Rideout got a knock and went down ... I just approached Willie Donachie and told him ‘The gaffer says you need me on’.” Royle was rightly angry at the moment, but more forgiving at the final whistle: “He came into the dressing room and hugged me, gave me his hand and said: ‘Well done, son, but never try that again.’”
Sporting vs Barça, European match, 2008
“While playing for Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona against Sporting, Henry decided to change flanks. He soon netted to ensure Barça went in 1-0 up at half-time. Guardiola’s reaction? He hooked Henry for ignoring his instructions.”
Free-kick flurries
“As a West Ham fan, I’m increasingly having to look at previous years for positive memories,” weeps a fan. “Upon reviewing, I saw that Dimitri Payet scored six free kicks in the precious year and a half 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: Beckham scored 27 free-kicks in his spell with United, including eight over several months between March and November 2000. His best period at the club includes the identical timeframe: from 1999-2000, Beckham scored 10 direct-free-kicks – including two brilliant strikes against the West Ham. Sorry, Liam.
If it helps, there’s a footballer now at West Ham who can better Payet’s statistics: James Ward-Prowse. The set-piece maestro enjoyed two purple patches with his former club, netting seven set-pieces between November 2019 and February 2021 across two pandemic-interrupted campaigns. Ward-Prowse then hit another six dead-ball beauties in a 10-month spell between 2022-2023.
Knowledge archive
“A friend who follows Southend claims the club once played a league game at the national stadium? Is he having me on?” queried a reader in 2012.
Ludicrously, he was correct. Southend were among two clubs – Brentford being the other – to play against Clapton Orient in Division Three (South) at the stadium back in the 1930s, owing to ground improvement work at Orient’s Lea Bridge Stadium. Their official website explain further:
After a game against Torquay United (which the O’s won), Torquay representatives complained about the perimeter fence being too near to the pitch. League officials was requested to check the stadium and agreed that changes were needed before further matches could be held; abruptly the Orient found themselves without a stadium. Incredible as it seems, Wembley was suggested and the O’s actually played two league games in 1930 against Brentford and Southend United, winning 3-0 and 3-1 respectively. Even now the club is the sole league team to have hosted matches at Wembley Stadium!
Since then of course, Tottenham followed Orient in playing temporarily at the stadium, albeit in the top flight. Lately, discussions about the Gunners upgrading the Emirates – and relocating to the national stadium while the work is carried out – has emerged.
Can you help?
“Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang netted four times and was red-carded in Gabon’s victory over Gambia last week,” notes Seb in Berlin. “Which other players have been dismissed after scoring at least three goals?”
“During Austria’s huge win of San Marino, all starting attackers and midfielders who started got a goal, an assist or both,” queries Paul Savage. “Is there another side achieved this feat?”
“Of all of the players who have a monument outside the ground of their ex-team, who made the least amount of appearances for that team?” asks a fan.
“Remarkably, Tomasson is the first manager to be fired by {Sw
