Manchester United are one of the biggest and most successful clubs in world football and they have seen some all-time greats don their jersey throughout their illustrious history.
But who were some of the best goal scorers to ever play for the Red Devils?
Wayne Rooney is widely regarded as one of the best players of his generation and holds the record for most goals scored for Man Utd.
His 253 goals in 559 appearances for the club during his 13-year spell at the club from 2004 produced multiple memorable moments. The England international won the golden boy award in 2004 and was inducted in the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2022.
Sir Bobby Charlton, the former Ballon d’Or and World Cup winner, sits second in the all-time top goalscorer list for Manchester United with 249 goals. He held the record for most goals scored until Rooney broke the record in 2017.
The illustrious Denis Law completes the podium with an impressive 237 goals in just over 400 appearances in all competitions.
Getty
Ryan Giggs had a really long career at Manchester United and is their all-time record appearance maker with 963 games played for United, during which he scored 168 goals, placing him at 7th position in United’s all-time goal scorers list. Giggs was the only player to score in each of the first 21 years of the Premier League.
Paul Scholes completes the top 10 with 155 goals scored during his 20 year long career at United. He made the third highest number of appearances at the club (718) during his time and is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders of our times.
Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo is the only active member in the top 20 with 142 goals scored in 339 appearances in his two stints at the club. He is just 9 goals behind lethal Dutchman Ruud van Nistelrooy, who scored 150 during his time at United.
Former Man United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, scored 126 goals in 366 appearances and his late winner to complete the treble for United against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final is forever etched in Man Utd’s folklore.
Here are the top 20 all-time goalscorers for Manchester United in full.
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 | 121 | 349 | 2015- |
| 20 | Sandy Turnbull | 101 | 247 | 1907-1915 |
| 21 | Joe Cassidy | 100 | 174 | 1893-1900 |
| =21 | George Wall | 100 | 319 | 1906-1915 |
