Rangers FC top scorers of all time
Rangers Football Club, also called Rangers FC, are the 2009 Scottish champions who remained one of the great institutions of British football. Read on to find out about the Rangers FC top scorers of all time.
is a Scottish football club based in Glasgow and currently plays in the Scottish Premier League.
The club was founded in 1873. Rangers have a long and fierce rivalry with
Celtic; The rivalry between the two teams, also known as Old Form, is considered by some to be the biggest derby in the world. Rangers were relegated to Scotland 4 in 2012 due to bankruptcy, but returned to the Scottish Premier League in 2016.
In the following, we will briefly review the history of Rangers FC, then we will provide a list of the
Rangers FC top scorers of all time
, and then share the personal and professional backgrounds of each of these highest goal scorers in Rangers FC of all time.
Rangers FC top scorers of all time
Before we get into the list of top scorers in Rangers FC of all time, we will have a brief look at the honors and goalscrores' records of Rangers FC.
Honors of Rangers FC
Among the
domestic honors
of Rangers FC we can mention: Scottish first-tier League Championships: 54 times; Runners-up: 32 times; Scottish second-tier League Championships: Once in 2015–16; Scottish third-tier League Championships: Once in 2013–14; Scottish fourth-tier League Championships: Once in 2012–13; Scottish Cup: 33 times; Runners-up: 18 times; Scottish League Cup: 27 times; Runners-up: 8 times; Scottish Challenge Cup: 1 in 2015–16; Runners-up: Once
And among the
European honors
of Rangers FC we can mention: European Cup Winners' Cup: Once in 1971–72; Runners-up: 2 times in 1960–61, 1966–67; UEFA Cup: Runners-up: Once in 2007–08; UEFA Super Cup: Runners-up: Once in 1972
Rangers FC is a Scottish club which is commonly known by its unofficial name "Glasgow Rangers". They are a very honorable club in the world, since they are the second-most decorated club in the history of football with 115 trophies won, behind only the Egyptian club Al- Ahly, who currently stands in the top with 118 titles.
They have won the Scottish League title on 54 occasions, meaning they hold the record of most domestic league titles won by a club. Rangers FC have also won 33 Scottish Cups, 27 Scottish League cups, which is also a record, as well as UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1972.
Moreover, they have achieved the domestic treble 7 times, a joint record with their eternal rival in the country, Celtic. Glasgow Rangers was founded in 1872, which makes them the fourth-oldest club in Scotland.
When Rangers FC were placed in the fourth tier of Scottish football league system in 2012 due to a financial crisis, they achieved 3 championships in 4 years to be back to the Premiership in 2016, and became the only Scottish club to have won every possible domestic title.
Many players have represented the "Gers" over the club's 149 years of history, and played the vital role in making the club not only one of the two biggest clubs in Scotland, but one of the most successful trophy-winning clubs in the whole world. Among those players, goal scorers have made the most memorable moments for the fans.
Rangers FC top scorers of all time:
The Rangers FC Top scorers of all time, who are all Scottish, are listed below with a summary of their career with the "Light Blues".
Andy Cunningham (joint record, 182)
Full name: Andrew Cunningham
Date of birth: 31 January 1891
Place of birth: Galston, Scotland
Date of death: 8 May 1973 (aged 82)
Place of death: Glasgow, Scotland
Playing position(s): Forward
Andrew Cunningham (31 January 1891 – 8 May 1973) was a Scottish footballer. His position was striker. He joined Rangers in 1915 and stayed there for 14 years. After serving as a Lieutenant in the royal field artillery during the first World War, Cunningham established himself in the Gers team in 1918-19season.
As one of the top scorers in Rangers FC of all time, he made 389 appearances for the Light Blues, and scored 182 goals that make him the 10th player in the list of highest goal scorers in Ranger FC of all time.
Moreover, the elegant striker helped the Govan Club win 7 Scottish League titles and one memorable Scottish cup in 1928, where they won the trophy after 25 years by beating their eternal rival, Celtic, in the historic final match with a result of 4-0, sending the blue half of the 118,000 fans that had convened into incredible wild celebration.
After eventually winning the trophy he wanted the most, he left Rangers at the age of 38 to join the English Club
New Castle United, where he established 2 major records; He became the then oldest player make debut in the English football League, and went on to became the first ever player-manager in the history of English football when he took charge of New Castle United in 1930.
He Won the English FA Cup in 1932 as their manager, and won 105 of his 251 matches as New Castle's manager. Furthermore, he represented his country's national team on 12 occasions and scored 5 goals. An Excellent inside-forward with absolute expertise in scoring, Cunningham was also a great goal creator.
Moreover, he had adeptness in positioning as well as having astonishing close ball control. He is also a member of Rangers hall of fame, for being one of the
Rangers Fc top scorers of all time
, and one of the greatest Light Blues' players ever.
Robert C. Hamilton (joint record, 182)
Full name: Robert Cumming Hamilton
Date of birth: 13 May 1877
Place of birth: Elgin, Scotland
Date of death: 1948 (aged 70–71)
Place of death: Elgin, Scotland
Playing position(s): Striker
Robert Cumming Hamilton (13 May 1877 – 1948) was a Scottish international footballer, most notable for his ten-season association with Rangers.
Robert Hamilton was the first player to reach 100 goals with The Gers, and when he left the club in 1908 he was their all-time top scorer. Robert Cumming Hamilton is mostly remembered for his 10-season spell with the Gers, and stands in the 9th place in the ranking of Rangers FC top scorers of all time.
He played for the club from 1897 until 1907, and scored a total of 182 goals for the Light Blues in 209 competitive appearances and 310 goals in all matches (including friendlies).
Moreover, the potent scorer holds the record of scoring the most goals in derbies against Celtic with 35 goals. One of the most memorable seasons for the Ranger fans which earns Robert Hamilton immortality in their minds was the 1898-99season where Hamilton played in every single match, was the top scorer, like another 8 seasons, as well as being the captain of the Rangers team that won the League title.
He achieved 3 further League titles as well as 2 Scottish Cups in 1898 and 1903. He was a brilliant prolific goal scorer with a knack of scoring from long range shots that was the club's top scorer for 9 consecutive seasons, was being the Scottish League top scorer on 6 occasions.
Moreover, Hamilton has scored 15 goals in only 11 appearances for Scottish national team. Later on, he spent a second spell with the Rangers in 1908 after spending a short time for the English Club
Fulhamand winning the Southern League title.
William Thornton (188)
Full name: Willam Thornton
Date of birth: 3 March 1920
Place of birth: Winchburgh, Scotland
Date of death: 26 August 1991 (aged 71)
Playing position(s): Striker
William Thornton MM (3 March 1920 – 26 August 1991) was a Scottish footballer and manager. Thornton's entire senior playing career was spent with Rangers, and Thornton is considered to be one of the greatest players in the club's history.
Willie Thornton was a one-club man who spent the entirety of his 18-year career with Rangers FC. He is regarded as one of the greatest players in the club's history, and is the 8th player in the list of the top scorers of Ranges FC of all time.
Willie Thornton commenced an incredible association with the club when he joined the club as a player at the age of 16. He was a superb goal scorer that scored 188 goals in 303 appearances for the Gers, and helped them win 4 Scottish League titles, 3 Scottish Cups and 2 League Cups.
His career with the Light Blues was interrupted by a Second World War declaration and he went to serve in the British Army in North Africa and Italy, and his brave and heroic acts earned him a prestigious military medal.
He came back to competitive football after 6 years of war in an amazing act, and resumed his astonishing partnership with Willie Waddell in fascinating the fans. Rangers FC became the first team to win the domestic treble when they completed it in 1949-50season with the Willie Thornton and Waddell duo.
He was an expert in scoring with headers. Moreover, he has played in 7 matches for Scottish national team. A true legend of the Glasgow Rangers, he continued his contribution to the cub after his retirement until his death in 1991, as assistant coach to two managers including his long-known friend Willie Waddell and Davie White, and then became the custodian of the famous trophy room of the club.
The loyal forward is deservedly one of the best Rangers FC of all time by establishing himself as one of the Rangers FC highest goal scorers ever.
Willie Reid (195)
Full name: William Reid
Date of birth: 3 May 1884
Place of birth: Baillieston, Scotland
Date of death: 1 May 1966 (aged 81)
Place of death: Baillieston, Scotland
Playing position(s): Striker
William Reid (3 May 1884 – 1 May 1966) was a Scottish international football player and manager, who played as a striker.
Willie Reid is the 7th player with the most goals on the list of Rangers FC top scorers of all time. He joined the Light Blues in 1909 and stayed there for 11 years. Reid was the club's best scorer for 6 seasons in a row between 1910 and 1916.
He won 2 Scottish League titles with the Gers in 1911 and 1912 before the First World Cup interrupted his career. He served as a gunner in the Royal Field Artillery 52nd Lowland division in the WW1. He added one more League title to his previous 2 trophies, by winning the title again in 1920 with the Rangers.
Furthermore, Reid is the 4th all-time top scorer of the top division league of Scotland with 275 goals, 188 of which have been scored for Rangers FC. He is indeed a notable player for the Light Blues fans since he is a member of the
all-time top goal scorers in Rangers FC history
.
Furthermore, he scored 10 goals in 8 appearances for Scottish League XI and 4 goals in 9 matches for Scottish national team.
Ralph Brand (206)
Full name: Ralph Laidlaw Brand
Date of birth: 8 December 1936 (age 85)
Place of birth: Edinburgh, Scotland
Playing position(s): Striker
Ralph Laidlaw Brand, born 8 December 1936, is a Scottish retired footballer, who played as a striker for Rangers, and latterly,
Manchester City,
Sunderland,
Raith Rovers, and
Hamilton Academical.
Brand is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the Govan club and is one of the
Rangers FC top scorers of all time
by scoring 206 goals in 317 appearances for the Light Blues.
Ralph Brand stands third in the Rangers post-war top scorers list behind Derek Johnstone and Ally McCoist, and 6th in the list of Rangers FC highest goal scorers of all time. The "Goal Machine" is the only player to have scored in 3 successful Scottish Cup final matches, with regard to the fact that one of these finals went to a replay, and he scored in that one as well.
He won 4 Scottish League titles, 4 League Cups and 3 Scottish cups with the Gers, including the domestic treble in 1964. Brand has played in 7 finals for Glasgow Rangers, scored 6 goals and has never been on the losing side.
He had a real eye for goal with excellent balance, astonishing pace and even though he was not tall, he was reliable in the air as well. However, because of the presence of Denis Law who possessed the No.10 of the national team, he was not given many opportunities to perform for the
Scottish national teamwith only 8 caps. He has scored 8 goals within those 8 appearances.
Moreover, the elegant striker has also played in 5 games for the Scottish League XI and has scored 8 times. He is indeed one of the best players in the history of the club, a well-endowed talented player who is one of the Rangers FC top goal scorers ever.
Derek Johnstone (210)
Full name: Derek Joseph Johnstone
Date of birth: 4 November 1953 (age 68)
Place of birth: Dundee, Scotland
Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Playing position(s): Defender / Striker
Derek Joseph Johnstone, born 4 November 1953, is a Scottish former football player and manager. He played mainly for Rangers during his career.
Johnstone was an amazing versatile player who is considered as one of the best players in the history of the Gers, and one of the Rangers FC top scorers of all time with scoring 210 goals in 546 appearances.
The legendary player was able to easily play as a central defender, central midfielder or as an attacker, that made him a very unique player.
Johnstone scored the winning goal against the prominent eternal rival, Celtic, in the 1971 League Cup final match at the age of 16, where became the hero of the hour, win his club a title after 4 years and ended a 5-year run of League Cup wins by Celtic.
Johnstone won 3 Scottish League titles, 5 Scottish Cups, 5 Scottish League Cups and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1972, with him playing as a center back in the final match against Dynamo Moscow at the age of only 18.
He played in 2 domestic treble winning sides in 1976 and 1978, played a pivotal role in achieving the success especially by playing regularly as a center forward in the first one and scoring 31 goals. Moreover, the brilliant player scored 38 goals, 25 of which in the championship, in the 2nd treble winning season of 1977-78.
Furthermore, he had captained the club for 3 years. In 1983 he moved to England to play for
Chelsea, but returned to Scotland 2 years later. The tall strong legendary player held a post-war record of League goals with 132 which was later broken by Ally McCoist.
Not only is Johnstone one of the
highest goal scorers in Rangers FC of all time
, but he is also one of the best headers in the history of the club and his country, and undoubtedly one of the greatest players to have worn the Gers shirt.
Jimmy Fleming (220)
Full name: James William Fleming
Date of birth: 5 December 1901
Place of birth: Dennistoun, Scotland
Date of death: 1969 (aged 67–68)
Height: 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Playing position(s): Centre forward
Jimmy Fleming, born in 1901 was a Scottish center forward who played for Rangers for 9 years from 1925 to 1943. He has arguably scored 220 goals for the Gers and stands 4th on the list of
top scorers in Rangers FC of all time
.
Fleming won 5 Scottish League titles and 3 Scottish Cups during his time with the club. Moreover, he is the record holder of most scored by a Rangers FC player in Scottish Cup matches with 44 goals. He played for
St Johnstone, Rangers, and
Ayr Unitedas a center forward.
In addition, he also holds the record of scoring the most goals in a single match for the Light Blues, by scoring 9 goals in 14-2 win against Blairgowrie in a Scottish Cup match. Fleming has also played in 3 matches for the Scottish national team and scored 3 goals.
Fleming made his Rangers debut against Dundee in October 1925 and scored in a 2–1 defeat at Ibrox and he played his last match in October 1934 against Queen of the South.
Fleming represented Scotland three times from 1929 to 1930, scoring three goals, two of which were scored in a 5–2 defeat by England at Wembley. He is definitely among the highest goal scorers in Rangers FC of all time.
Jimmy Smith (249)
Full name: James Smith
Date of birth: 24 September 1911
Place of birth: Slamannan, Scotland
Date of death: 5 December 2003 (aged 92)
Playing position(s): Centre forward
James Smith (24 September 1911 – 5 December 2003) was a Scottish professional footballer, who played for East Stirlingshire and Rangers. During his time at Rangers he scored 249 goals in 259 games.
Smith is the 3rd player on the list of the highest goal scorers in Rangers FC of all time by establishing an amazing ratio of goal per match; 0.96. He scored 249 goals in a total of 259 appearances for the Gers.
Smith was a natural goal scorer that helped the club won 8 Scottish League trophies and 2 Scottish Cups. He scored 21 goals in 21 appearances in season1930-31, 34 goals in 1932-33season including 4 hat-tricks.
Smith and his scoring partner, Bob McPhail scored a total of 72 goals combined in 47 matches as Rangers won the 1934 Scottish Championship. The legendary attacker scored 43 goals in 38 matches the following season of 1934-35. Rangers FC secured 2 of the 4 remaining League titles before the advent of World War and Smith was the top scorer of 3 of those 4 tournaments.
A genuine legend for the Light Blues, Jimmy Smith will forever be remembered as a player with a brilliant ability in scoring as one of the
Rangers FC highest goal scorers of all time
, and one of the best players to have ever performed at Ibrox stadium, with outstanding ability both on the ground and in the air.
When his hung his boots in 1946, he went on to contribute to the club by serving as a trainer and a chief scout for 21 more years.
Bob McPhail (261)
Full name: Robert Lowe McPhail
Date of birth: 25 October 1905
Place of birth: Barrhead, Scotland
Date of death: 24 August 2000 (aged 94)
Place of death: Netherlee, Scotland
Playing position(s): Inside-left
Robert Lowe McPhail (25 October 1905 – 24 August 2000) was a Scottish professional footballer, who played for
Airdrieonians, Rangers and represented Scotland.
Mcphail is indubitably a striker to be chosen in any best ever XI of the Light Blues as one of the all-time top goal scorers in Rangers FC history by scoring 261 goals in 408 matches.
He spent 13 wonderful years at Ibrox stadium alongside winning 9 Scottish League title and 6 Scottish Cups, with the latter being a joint record with Celtic's players Jimmy McMenemy and Billy McNeill and his teammate Dougey Gray. The record does not seem to be broken in a near future or maybe, ever.
McPhail scored a total of 230 League goals in 354 appearances for the Gers, a record which stood on for 50 years until Ally McCoist broke it in 1927.
Furthermore, he was an absolutely fantastic striker with amazing eye for goal and showed his capabilities even before joining the Glasgow Rangers when he was playing for his former club, Airdrie, the club with which he won the Scottish Cup in 1924 at the age of 18.
His performances for Airdrie persuaded Rangers' authorities to sign the young talent for the notable fee of 5000 Euros in the April of 1927. Moreover, McPhail has played in 17 caps for Scottish national team and scored 7 goals. He is unquestionably one of the greatest players in the history of the Gers due to his impressive achievements as well as his scoring records.
Ally McCoist (355)
Full name: Alistair Murdoch McCoist
Date of birth: 24 September 1962 (age 59)
Place of birth: Bellshill, Scotland
Height: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Playing position(s): Striker
Alistair Murdoch McCoist, MBE, born 24 September 1962, is a Scottish former footballer who has since worked as a manager and pundit.
McCoist is one of the greatest players in the history of the Gers. He stands 1st in the list of
Rangers FC top goal scorers ever
and is one of the most decorated players in the history of the club.
The Scottish man joined Glasgow Rangers in 1983, and went on to have an astonishing 15-year spell with the Govan club in which he won numerous titles and broke many records.
In his glorious career as a "Light Blue", he helped the club won 10 Scottish League titles, none of which happened in-a-row from 1989 to 1997, and McCoist was one of the only 3 players to have been a part of every trophy winning sides, alongside Richard Gough and Ian Ferguson.
In addition, he has also won 9 Scottish League cups and 1 Scottish Cups with Rangers. He is the breaker of almost every striking record for the Gers. McCoist holds the record for both most League and European goals for Rangers.
Moreover, he was the first Scottish player to have achieved the European Golden BOOT, and went on to retain the award. McCoist was the club's top scorer during 9 seasons of his 15 total, and he finished the League as the top scorer on 3 occasions.
Furthermore, Ally McCoist has scored 28 hat-tricks for the Rangers, including his highest record of 5 in a single season that he did twice. However, he did not manage to succeed in breaking the great Robert C. Hamilton record of scoring the most goals in Old Firm games (Rangers VS. Celtic) where Hamilton has scored 35 goals while the best Ally could do was 27.
He is arguably the greatest striker in the history of the club, with excellent playing in the penalty area, outstanding anticipating abilities and great finishing skills that led him be in the right place in the right time and score many goals.
Moreover, he has also scored 19 goals in 61 matches for Scottish national team, alongside representing them in the 1990 FIFA World Cup. He left Rangers in 1998 after a luminous spell, to spend the last 3 years of his career with Kilmarnock.
Regarded as the first player in the list of Rangers FC top scorers of all time, he will surely stay in the minds of the Light Blues fans due to his seemingly-unbreakable scoring records.
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