Celtic top scorers of all time
Many great strikers have played for Celtic in their rich history. They have had some greatest strikers the world has ever seen. Read on to learn more about Celtic top scorers of all time.
Founded in 1887,
Celtic Football Clubis a professional football club based in Glasgow, Scotland. The club's first game was a friendly against
Rangers FCin 1888, and since then there has been a long-running rivalry between the two teams that remains to this day.
The rivalry between the two teams, also known as Old Firm, is considered by some to be the biggest derby in the world.
In the following, we will briefly review the history and honors of Celtic club. Then we will provide a list of
highest goal scorers in Celtic of all time
, and will share the personal and professional backgrounds of each of these top scorers in Celtic of all time.
Before we get into the list of Celtic highest goal scorers of all time, we will have a brief look at the history and honors of Celtic Club.
As mentioned, Celtic Football Club was founded in 1887 in the eastern part of Glasgow, Scotland and now competes in the Scottish Premier League.
The team's first game in 1988 was a friendly against Rangers, which ended 5-2 in Celtic's favor. This match started a fierce and fanatical rivalry between the two teams that continues to this day.
The derby between the two teams is called Old Firm and is considered by many to be the biggest derby in the world.
The golden age of Celtic was in the 1960s and '70s. During these years, they won nine consecutive league titles and in 1967 won the European Club Cup.
The uniform of the Celtic football team has been designed using white and green colors from the beginning of its establishment until now. Horizontal stripes were added to the garment in 1903, and the design has remained unchanged since then.
With a capacity of 60,411, Celtic Stadium is Celtic Park, the largest football stadium in Scotland.
Celtic F.C. is a Scottish club which was founded in 1887 in the Eastern part of Glasgow. They played their first game in 1988, against Rangers, which was the beginning of one of the fiercest rivalries in the world of football that has continued to this day.
Speaking of glory, only 5 clubs have managed to win more than 100 trophies, and Celtic is one of them. "The Hoops" has won 51 Scottish League titles, 40 Scottish Cups, 19 Scottish League Cups and the European Champion Clubs' Cup in 1967, becoming the first British club to have achieved the trophy.
Furthermore, Celtic was the very first club in the Europe that won the treble, by winning the Scottish League title, the Scottish Cup and the European all together in 1966-67 season. The feat was later replicated by 6 other clubs.
Additionally, "The Bhoys" have also reached the final of 1970 European Cup as well as 2003 UEFA Cup final. However, they lost in both of them.
The derby between Celtic and their eternal rival, Rangers, also known as the "Old Firm", is said to be one of the greatest and fiercest derbies in the world.
Celtic could not have reached their honors without the contribution of the brilliant players they had on the pitch, including strikers. Through the years, numerous attackers have worn the green-and-white shirt of Celtic, scored enough goals for their names to be put in the list of highest goal scorers in Celtic of all time and have rewritten the club's history book.
Celtic top scorers of all time:
In the following article, we represent some brief overviews about the careers of the mentioned top scorers in Celtic of all time.
Kenny Dalglish (173)
Full name: Kenneth Mathieson Dalglish
Date of birth: 4 March 1951 (age 70)
Place of birth: Glasgow, Scotland
Height: 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Playing position(s): Forward
Sir Kenneth Mathieson Dalglish MBE, born 4 March 1951, is a Scottish former football player and manager. During his career, he made 322 appearances for Celtic and 502 for Liverpool and earned a record 102 full caps for the
Scotland national teamscoring 30 goals, also a joint-record.
Dalglish is widely considered as one of the best British strikers of all time, one of the best Scottish players ever and stands 10th in the list of Celtic highest goal scorers of all time.
Within his career, Dalglish has only played for 2 clubs; Celtic and Liverpool, and has become a legend in the history of both clubs. He spent 11 luminous seasons with Celtic, scored 173 goals in 338 matches and helped them to the conquest of 4 Scottish League titles, 4 Scottish Cups as well as 1 Scottish League Cup.
Moreover, he was crowned the Scottish League top scorer in 1975-76 season with 24 goals. Regarded as one of the
Celtic top scorers of all time
, he made his way to the hearts of the Celtic fans due to his astonishing performances for the club on the pitch and his contribution in winning numerous titles during his spell with Celtic.
He joined Liverpool in 1977 with a British football transfer fee record of 440,000 Pounds, and went on to stay at Anfield for 13 years, including 5 years as a player-manager. He played in more than 500 matches for the English Club in which he has scored 172 goals, which currently makes him the 7th-highest goal scorer in Liverpool of all time.
With Liverpool, Dalglish won 8 English League titles, 2 FA Cups, 4 English League Cups, 7 English Super Cups, 3 European Cups and a European Super Cup.
Dalglish has featured in 102 caps with Scottish national team, has scored 30 goals and has represented them in 3 World Cups. He is the most-capped player and the joint top scorer (alongside Denis Law) of his national team.
Furthermore, he finished 2nd in Ballon d'Or in 1983, was named the FWA Footballer of the year twice, the PFA Players' Player of the Year in 1982-83 and is an inductee in both English and Scottish Football Hall of Fame.
Jimmy McMenemy (178)
Full name: James McMenamin
Date of birth: 11 October 1880
Place of birth: Rutherglen, Scotland
Date of death: 23 June 1965 (aged 84)
Place of death: Glasgow, Scotland
Playing position(s): Inside forward
James McMenamin (11 October 1880 – 23 June 1965), usually known as Jimmy McMenemy, was a Scottish footballer who most notably played for Celtic from 1902 to 1920 and later served as assistant manager in the 1930s. He has been described by the club as "a true Celtic legend".
McMenemy, also nicknamed as "Napoleon" due to his resemblance in attitude-his leadership and striking strategies-as well as in appearance to Napoleon Bonaparte, is regarded as one of the best Celtic players of all time, and one of Celtic top scorers ever.
McMenemy is the 9th player in the list of Celtic all-time top scorers with 178 goals. He has played for the club for the years between 1902 and 1920, which was a pivotal era for the evolution of football.
Known as one of the
Celtic top goal scorers ever
, McMenemy played as an inside forward, and seemed to have an innate talent to become a brilliant footballer in his youth.
He went on to be a vital part of the squad and retained his position for almost 2 decades in which they won the Scottish Cup 11 times and the Scottish Cup on 6 occasions, as well as winning the Glasgow Cup 8 times.
Alongside being one of Celtic all-time top scorers, he is the club's oldest scorer (39 years and 56 days in 1919). McMenemy was known as The Master of Deceptive Moments due to his intelligent and delicate style of play, which exempted him from having to use his physical strength in his matches. He is widely said to be "A True Celtic Legend" for his loyalty and dedication to the club.
Moreover, he has made 12 appearances for Scottish national team, scoring 5 times as well as playing in 14 matches for Scottish League XI.
John Hughes (197)
Full name: John Hughes
Date of birth: 3 April 1943 (age 78)
Place of birth: Coatbridge, Scotland
Playing position(s): Outside left / Striker
John Hughes, born 3 April 1943, is a Scottish former footballer who played for Celtic,
Crystal Palaceand
Sunderland. Hughes was nicknamed 'Yogi', derived from the popular cartoon character Yogi Bear, said to be due to his large build.
The 8th player in the list of
all-time top goal scorers in Celtic history
is John Hughes. The Scottish man had a strong stature that earned him the nickname "Yogi" by the fans- which was inspired from a cartoon bear.
He has played for Celtic for 11 seasons, made 435 appearances and scored 197 goals. Hughes was a vital member of the squad that won the European Cup in 1967. The team is also known as "the Lisbon Lions". He earned the gold medal since he had played in a numerous decisive matches leading to that final, even though he could not play in the final match due to injury. Moreover, Hughes helped the team reach the 1970 European Cup once again, but they lost the match to the Dutch side
Feyenoord.
Although he primarily played on the wing rather than as a striker, he stands 8th in the list of Celtic top scorers of all time, which clearly demonstrates that he was a brilliant player with an eye for goal.
Hughes left Celtic in 1971 after 12 years, to experience playing football in England. He played for Crystal Palace for 2 seasons and moved to Sunderland in 1973 so as to play alongside his brother. However, he got injured in a very serious way in his very first appearance for the club, thus it left him no choice but to hang his boots at the age of 30, having played only for 15 minutes with Sunderland's shirt.
Furthermore, he has won 8 caps with Scottish national team and scored 1 goal. He has also netted 4 times in 6 matches for Scottish League XI.
Patrick Gallacher (200)
Full name: Patrick Gallacher or Gallagher
Date of birth: 16 March 1891
Place of birth: Milford, County Donegal, Ireland
Date of death: 17 June 1953 (aged 62)
Place of death: Scotstoun, Glasgow, Scotland
Height: 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Playing position(s): Inside-right
Patrick "Patsy" Gallacher (21 August 1909 – 4 January 1992) was a Scottish footballer who played for
Stoke City, Sunderland and the Scotland national football team as a striker.
With a total of 200 goals, Patrick Gallacher is the 6th player in the list of Celtic top scorers of all time (a joint record with Sandy McMahon). The Irish inside-right forward spent 15 years playing for the Hoops. Making his debut in 1911, he went on to appear in 491 matches for Celtic, and become one of the highest goal scorers in Celtic of all time.
At first, he was criticized for his frail and weak stature, but as the years went by, he proved that he did not need to by physically super strong to show his brilliant abilities on the pitch. Hence, he was given the nickname "The Mighty Atom" due to his astonishing performances for the club and yet, having a large body. He is deservedly known as one of the Celtic top scorers of all time, and one of the greatest players in the history of the club.
Gallacher achieved 6 Scottish League titles, 4 Scottish Cups and 4 Glasgow Cups with Celtic during his spell with the Bhoys.
Moreover, he was induced to Scottish Football Hall of Fame as a gratitude to his achievements in football.
Sandy McMahon (200)
Full name: Alexander McMahon
Date of birth: 16 October 1870
Place of birth: Selkirk, Scotland
Date of death: 25 January 1916 (aged 45)
Place of death: Glasgow, Scotland
Playing position(s): Forward
Alexander McMahon (16 October 1870 – 25 January 1916) was a Scottish footballer who spent most of his career with Celtic.
"Sandy" McMahon shares the 6th place in the list of
Celtic top scorers of all time
with the mentioned Patsy Gallacher, who has both scored 200 goals for the club. However, McMahon has scored this number of goals in only 261 matches, 230 fewer than Gallacher.
McMahon was a Scottish player who played as a forward. He played for the Glasgow club from 1890 to 1903. Furthermore, He had such a stunning dribbling ability and brilliant technique with the ball that made the fans intrigued to come and watch him play, as well as giving him the nickname "Prince of Dribblers".
Moreover, McMahon was extremely popular and loved by the fans. To clarify the point, according to the writer John Cairney, when the French President Patrice de Mac-Mahon passed away, and newspapers published this news with Glasgow news-vendors crying out" McMahon died!", everybody would buy the newspapers, assuming that the death news is about their beloved football star.
Moreover, as one of the highest goal scorers in Celtic of all time, he helped the club secure 4 Scottish League trophies and 3 Scottish Cups.
He has also represented his national team on 6 occasions and has scored 4 goals. Additionally, he has won 8 caps for the Scottish League XI 8 and has netted 4 times.
Stevie Chalmers (236)
Full name: Thomas Stephen Chalmers
Date of birth: 26 December 1935
Place of birth: Glasgow, Scotland
Date of death: 29 April 2019 (aged 83)
Playing position(s): Centre forward / outside right
Thomas Stephen Chalmers (26 December 1935 – 29 April 2019) was a Scottish footballer who played as a center-forward and spent the majority of his career with Celtic.
Thomas Stephen Chalmers is the 5th player in the ranking of Celtic top scorers of all time with 236 goals. He is also regarded as one of the greatest center-forwards in the club's history and one of the most notable ones, since he scored their winning goal in the 85th minute of 1967 European Cup final match against
Internazionale.
Regarded as one of the all-time top goal scorers in Celtic history, he has come a long way to fulfill his dreams as a footballer. He left school when he was 14, and switched between 4 clubs before joining Celtic in 1959.
He is now one of the most memorable players in the hearts and minds of the fans, not only because he was a part of the "Lisbon Lions" that won the most honorable glory in the history of the club, but he was the vital part in achieving the 1967 European Cup title by scoring the winning goal in the final match.
Chalmers spent 12 years playing for the Hoops, and has made 431 appearances for the club. He helped the to the conquest of 6 Scottish League titles, 4 Scottish League Cups, 3 Scottish Cups and the European Champion Clubs' Cup in 1967. Moreover, he has won 4 Glasgow Cups and was a part of the team that finished the 1967 Intercontinental Cup as runner-up.
Furthermore, Chalmers is an inductee to Scottish Football Hall of Fame, mainly because his place on the list of the
top scorers in Celtic of all time
. He has also featured in 5 games for Scottish national team, scoring 3 goals as well as playing for the Scottish League XI on 4 occasions.
Jimmy Quinn (239)
Full name: James Quinn
Date of birth: 8 July 1878
Place of birth: Croy, Scotland
Date of death: 21 November 1945 (aged 67)
Place of death: Croy, Scotland
Playing position(s): Centre forward
James Quinn (8 July 1878 – 21 November 1945) was a Scottish footballer who played for Celtic for 15 years, becoming one of the club's leading goalscorers of all time. He also represented Scotland.
With 239 goals, James Quinn still stands 5th in the list of Celtic top scorers of all time, almost 90 years after his retirement. He wore the Green-and-White shirt of the club for 15 years, and became a legend in the history of the club.
Quinn was a tall player with powerful and muscular stature, yet shy, modest and humble in character. It took a few years until he could prove himself as a mighty and pivotal player in the squad. But eventually he made his way into the hearts of the fans with his brilliance performances.
Deservedly regarded as one of Celtic highest goal scorers ever, Quinn scored 239 goals in a total of 369 appearances. Moreover, he was the first player ever to have scored 200 goals for Celtic.
Furthermore, the talented center-forward has won 6 Scottish League titles, 5 Scottish Cups, 1 British League Cup as well as 5 Glasgow Cups with the Bhoys.
His grandson with the very same name as his, played for the club many years later.
He will forever be remember as one of the genuine legends of Celtic in the history book of the club and his achievements with the club, as well as his memory will always be cherished.
Henrik Larsson (242)
Full name: Henrik Edward Larsson
Date of birth: 20 September 1971 (age 49)
Place of birth: Helsingborg, Sweden
Height: 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Playing position(s): Striker
Edward Henrik Larsson, born 20 September 1971, is a Swedish professional football manager and former player, who currently serves as an assistant manager of Barcelona. Playing as a striker, Larsson began his career with Högaborgs BK.
Henrik Larsson is considered one of the best Swedish Players ever, one of the best strikers in the history of Celtic and stands 3rd in the list of highest goal scorers in Celtic of all time with 242 goals in 315 appearances.
Larsson joined Celtic in 1997 and stayed with the club for 7 years. He won numerous individual and team titles during his spell with the Scottish Club. With him added to the squad, Celtic won 4 Scottish League titles, 2 Scottish Cups, 2 Scottish League Cups and reached the 2002-3 UEFA Cup final. However, they lost the match to the Portuguese side, Porto.
In addition to being one of the
Celtic top scorers of all time
, Larsson, individually, has achieved many awards as well. He has been named the Swedish Forward of the year on 4 occasions. He won the Guldbollen award twice, as the best male Swedish footballer of the year.
Additionally, he won the Scottish League golden boot as the top scorer 5 times, and won the European Golden Boot in 2001. Larsson was SFWA Footballer of the year in 1999 and 2001, SPFA Players' player of the year in 1999 and 2001, and won the Tidernas GuldBoll award as the all-time best Swedish football player in 2005, as well as the UEFA Golden Player award as the Greatest Swedish Footballer of the last 50 years in 2003.
Moreover, he is the all-time top scorer of the UEFA Cup/Europe League with 40 goals. Among the teams he has played in, there are
Barcelonaand
Manchester United. He managed to win the 2 LaLiga titles, 1 Spanish Super Cup and the Champions League with Barcelona, as well as 1 Premier League trophy with the Red Devils.
Furthermore, he has gathered 106 caps with
Swedish national team, scoring 37 goals. He has represented his country's national team in 3 EUROs and 3 World Cups, including the 1994 World Cup where Sweden finished 3rd and won the Bronze medal.
Widely known as one of the most accurate scorers in the history of Scottish football and one of the top scorers in Celtic of all time, the intelligent striker is and inductee to the Scottish Hall of Fame.
Bobby Lennox (301)
Full name: Robert Lennox
Date of birth: 30 August 1943 (age 78)
Place of birth: Saltcoats, Scotland
Playing position(s): Outside Left
Robert Lennox, MBE, born 30 August 1943, in Saltcoats, Ayrshire, is a Scottish former professional footballer who played for Celtic and was a member of their 1967 European Cup-winning team, known as the Lisbon Lions.
Robert "Bobby" Lennox is the 2nd player in the list of
Celtic highest goal scorers of all time
. The Scottish man, who played as an outside left, spent a total of 20 years during 2 spells with Celtic.
With 301 goals in 599 appearances, Lennox only sees the legendary McGrory above himself in the ranking of Celtic top scorers of all time.
Lennox was a member of the famous team also known as "The Lisbon Lions" that won the European Cup in 1967. Moreover, with his presence in the Celtic squad, the club has won 11 Scottish League titles, 8 Scottish League Cups, 5 Scottish League Cups and reached the final match of the 1970 European Cup where they lost to the Dutch team, Feyenoord.
He was crowned the Scottish League top scorer in 1967-68season with 32 goals, and was unfortunate to be placed 3rd for the European Golden Boot award in the very same season.
In addition to being regarded as one of the Celtic top goal scorers ever, he was selected by the club's fans as a member of Celtic's all-time greatest players in 2002.
Furthermore, he has won 10 caps with Scottish national team and has scored 3 goals. Lennox was an innate-gifted player who was renowned for his lightning pace as well as his excellent control over the ball even in high-speed runs which allowed him to get past the defenders really easily and make scoring opportunities.
He was also inducted to Scottish Football Hall of Fame in 2005, as one of the greatest Scottish players ever, as well as one of the Celtic top scorers of all time.
Jimmy McGrory (502)
Full name: James Edward McGrory
Date of birth: 26 April 1904
Place of birth: Garngad, Glasgow, Scotland
Date of death: 20 October 1982 (aged 78)
Place of death: Glasgow, Scotland
Height: 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Playing position(s): Centre forward
James Edward McGrory (26 April 1904 – 20 October 1982) was a Scottish International football player, who played for Celtic and Clydebank as a forward, and then went on to manage
Kilmarnock, before returning to Celtic as manager after the end of the Second World War.
McGrory is the first player in the list of all-time top goal scorers in Celtic history. He has scored a total of 502 goals in only 477 appearances for the Hoops. Not only is McGrory Celtic's leading scorer of all time, he is also the all-time top scorer in the history of British Football top-flight Leagues with 550 goals.
In addition to having an astonishing pace, McGrory was a very clever striker who could turn typical situations into serious goal opportunities. Although the brilliant striker had a short stature, McGrory scored a great deal of goals with headers, especially, by hitting the ball with his head in a horizontal position, known as the bullet header, which became his signature during his time.
McGrory helped the club to the conquest of 3 Scottish League titles, 5 Scottish Cups, 4 Glasgow Cups and 4 Glasgow Charity Cups. The exhilarating career he had with the hoops, alongside his scoring records, has made him one of the most memorable players in the minds of the fans, and one of the symbols of the Scottish club.
Regarded as the number one player in the list of
Celtic all-time top scorers
, the legendary player, also nicknamed "Mermaid" and "Human Torpedo", is the record holder of scoring the most goals for Celtic in a single season with 57 goals.
Furthermore, he also holds the bright record of scoring the most hat-tricks in the history of British top-flight football leagues with the 55 hat-tricks he scored during his era.
He has also featured in 7 games for Scottish national team, and has scored 6 goals. Moreover, he has netted 6 games in 6 appearances for Scottish League XI.
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