“Last month, Watford defender Ngakia found the net twice for his club against Oxford United to bring his total career goals to three from 116 senior club appearances,” wonders a curious fan. “Not counting footballers who only scored one goal, is there anyone with 100+ appearances managed a greater proportion of their total goals in a single match?”
Another reader writes in with the tale of French defender Chalmé. “French right-back Chalmé played 362 professional matches during his playing days, mostly for Lille and Bordeaux,” Denis writes. “He netted four goals in total, with three of them coming in a solitary match. Chalmé netted all three goals in Lille’s victory at AC Ajaccio in 2004, achieving the most unlikely of hat-tricks.”
Those three well-taken goals in Ajaccio were the only ones he scored in 179 Lille appearances, while in 167 for Bordeaux, he scored once. Actually, twice including his own goal in the 2010 Coupe de la Ligue final against Marseille. Netting three-quarters of his total goals in one game takes Chalmé past Ngakia’s percentage (66.7%), but there’s a complication.
Chalmé hung up his boots at his club in July 2014 after a temporary move at the Corsican club, who presumably recalled his short burst of form a ten years prior. He did return to football with fifth-tier side his local club, playing seven games in six months – and netting once. This reduces his ratio of goals scored in a single game down to 60%, but it seems unfair to count against him for a post-career stint at amateur football.
A brief note, too, for a different French defender: the legendary Thuram. Although the query relates to club careers, plenty of you wrote in to point out that Thuram made 142 international caps and scored two goals in the identical game – the 1998 World Cup semi-final against Croatia. Look, when you’re hot, you’re hot.
The Insubordination Files: Part II
Previously in this series we examined players who disobeyed their coaches. We have additional fantastic examples, so let’s reopen the Insubordination Files for a second look.
Spurs vs City, FA Cup semi-final, 1955-56
Tottenham’s skipper, Blanchflower, made changes to the team during the cup match against Manchester City while they were losing 1-0,” writes John Tumbridge. “Switching Maurice Norman from defense to up front, they ultimately lost and the coach, Jimmy Anderson [not that one], benched the captain for the next match and stripped him of the armband. Soon after Anderson left, Bill Nicholson took over, Blanchflower was reinstated and the rest is history.”
England v Albania, World Cup 1990 qualifier, April 1989
Adam Clark points out: “Paul Gascoigne netted his maiden international goal in this victory at the national stadium after playing ‘all over the pitch’, according to manager Bobby Robson. The post-game comments are priceless – a great blend of annoyance, irony and paternal pride.”
Everton vs Spurs, Cup semi, 1994-95
The Toffees’ most recent silverware was the 1995 Cup, and it couldn’t have happened without a key figure,” begins Jim Hearson. “Coach Royle? No. Goalscorer in the final, Paul Rideout? Almost. Goalkeeping colossus Neville Southall? Not him. The hero was unpredictable forward Daniel Amokachi, who substituted himself on during the semi-final against Spurs, scoring twice to secure Everton a place in the Wembley showpiece against Manchester United.”
Telling the tale to the BBC, the striker said: “Rideout got a knock and fell ... I just went to Willie Donachie and said ‘The gaffer says you need me on’.” Royle was rightly angry at the moment, but kinder at the end: “He entered the dressing room and embraced me, gave me his hand and said: ‘Well done, son, but never try that again.’”
Sporting v Barcelona, European match, 2008
During his time with Guardiola’s Barça against Sporting Lisbon, Henry decided to switch wings. He soon netted to give Barcelona the lead at half-time. The coach’s response? He hooked Henry for disobeying orders.”
Free-kick flurries
“Being a Hammers supporter, I’m increasingly having to look at past seasons for positive memories,” weeps a fan. “Upon reviewing, I saw that Dimitri Payet scored six free kicks in the 18 cherished months that we had him. Just wondering if there is a more prolific free-kick taker in a similar time period?”
An example exists: Beckham scored 27 free-kicks in his spell with United, including eight in as many months between 2000. His best period at the club covers the identical timeframe: from 1999-2000, Beckham scored 10 direct-free-kicks – including two raspers against the Hammers. Sorry, Liam.
For consolation, there’s a player now at West Ham who can better Payet’s statistics: Ward-Prowse. The set-piece maestro had two great runs with Southampton, scoring seven free kicks between 2019-2021 across two pandemic-interrupted campaigns. Ward-Prowse then added six more dead-ball beauties in a ten-month period between April 2022 and February 2023.
Historical Trivia
“A Southend-supporting friend claims the team once played a league game at Wembley? Is he having me on?” asked Stuart Jacks in April 2012.
Ludicrously, he wasn’t. The team were among two clubs – Brentford being the other – to play against Clapton Orient in Division Three (South) at Wembley back in the 1930s, owing to stadium renovations at their home ground. Their official website explain further:
After a game against Torquay (which the O’s won), Torquay representatives complained about the boundary fence being too close to the pitch. The Football League was duly asked to inspect the ground and concluded that alterations had to be made before any more games could take place; abruptly the club found themselves without a stadium. Incredible as it seems, the national stadium was proposed 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 Orient is the sole league team to have hosted matches at Wembley Stadium!
Since then of course, Tottenham followed Orient in playing temporarily at Wembley, albeit in the Premier League. Lately, discussions about the Gunners renovating their stadium – and relocating to the Wembley while the work is carried out – has emerged.
Your Input Needed
“Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored four goals and was sent off in Gabon’s 4-3 win over Gambia recently,” notes Seb in Berlin. “Which other players have seen red after scoring at least three goals?”
“During Austria’s huge win of the minnows, all starting attackers and midfielders who started scored or assisted,” asks Paul Savage. “Has any other team achieved this feat?”
“Of all of the players who have a monument outside the ground of their former club, who made the least amount of appearances for that team?” asks Masai Graham.
“Interestingly, Tomasson is the initial coach to be fired by {Sw
