Man Utd has long been defined by attacking football and world class goal scorers. From the post war legends to Premier League stars, our history is built on names who could change the game with a single strike – although many frequently netted more than once per game. United’s top goal scorers have been responsible for iconic moments that have shaped the club’s identity.
The names on this list scored goals that carried us through triumphs and tragedies, secured league titles, domestic cups, and European championships, and inspired generations of supporters.
This is Manchester United’s top 10 goal scorers of all time.
10. Paul Scholes
- Appearances: 718
- Goals: 155
Everyone loves Scholesy. A midfielder with the instincts of a striker who was renowned for his long range efforts and perfect timing in the box. He scored some of the finest goals ever seen at Old Trafford, and some of the finest seen at other grounds too, including that volley at Villa Park.
Often credited as being the best midfielder to have ever played the game, Paul Scholes dropped back deeper and became more of a playmaker as he got older, so his goal scoring dropped off, but in his younger years as an attacking midfielder his goal tally was in the double figures each season.
9. Mark Hughes
- Appearances: 467
- Goals: 163
Across two stints with United, Mark Hughes was top or joint top scorer for six seasons – a record he shares with Wayne Rooney. He was crucial to Alex Ferguson’s early success, known for some spectacular strikes and for his physical presence.
He scored important goals too, such as the brace against Barcelona to win the 1991 European Cup Winners Cup, and the 1990 FA Cup which was Fergie’s first cup at the club. Known as Sparky, Hughes could find goals out of nowhere, but he could also find the ball from seemingly impossible positions and get on the end of it.
8. Ryan Giggs
- Appearances: 963
- Goals: 168
Ryan Giggs is Manchester United’s record appearance holder, and since he played on the wing, it stands to reason that he would be on this list. He has the lowest goals to games ratio at 0.17 goals per game, but scoring wasn’t his primary role. He is better known for his dazzling runs and dribbling skills, but he could score, and that incredible goal he scored against Arsenal, dribbling from inside his own half and taking on half their squad is proof of that.
One or two seasons aside, his goal tally was accrued surely and steadily rather than prolifically, but Giggsy racked up 168 goals nonetheless.
7. Joe Spence
- Appearances: 510
- Goals: 168
Modern day fans are unlikely to know much about Joe Spence. He was United’s star man between the wars, joining in 1919. There is no video evidence of him playing, but he is noted as having been a pacey and determined outside right, who gave United fans something to smile about during a difficult time for the club.
He might not have won many trophies, but he was the club’s top scorer for almost 20 years, and still earns a place on this list more than 90 years since he last kicked a ball for Manchester United.
6. George Best
- Appearances: 470
- Goals: 179
In many ways, George Best and Ryan Giggs were very similar players. Best had outrageous skill and a lethal eye for goal, as well as being known for going on some very impressive dribbles. He was a product of the Man Utd academy too, just like Giggsy. However, George Best was a more prolific goal scorer. He was only 22 when he scored is 100th goal for United.
He won the Ballon d’Or in 1968 and was the club’s first ‘celebrity’ in the modern sense of the word, probably best remember for the 1968/69 campaign where he scored 32 goals including one in the European Cup final which United won.
5. Dennis Viollet
- Appearances: 293
- Goals: 179
Although he has the same goal tally as George Best, Dennis Viollet’s goals to games ration is almost twice as high at 0.61 goals per game – the highest on this list – so he gets 5th place.
Viollet was one of the most prolific goal scorers of the Busby babes era. A quick and clinical finisher. He survived the Munich Air Disaster, and continued to perform exceptionally well, scoring a club record 32 league goals in the 1959/60 season. Somehow, despite this, Dennis Viollet is one of United’s most underrated greats, but he embodied the resilience it takes to be a Manchester United player.
4. Jack Rowley
- Appearances: 424
- Goals: 211
Jack Rowley joined United before WW2, but it was after the war ended that he really made his mark. He was 28 in 1945 when the league started again after the war, which is astounding really, because he scored the vast majority of his goals for us in his mid to late 30s – he was 37 when he left.
Known as a powerful finisher who was versatile in attack, Rowley played as Matt Busby’s main inside forward, regularly scoring 28-30 goals a season and winning silverware to boot. The opposite of a Busby babe perhaps, but Jack Rowley was a consistent performer who scored freely.
3. Denis Law
- Appearances: 404
- Goals: 237
One of the famous United trinity, and another Ballon d’Or winner, Denis Law is still the quickest to score 100 goals for the club, doing so in his first 110 games. t helped that he scored forty six goals in the 63/64 season and thirty nine goals the season after. He was never quite that prolific again, but Denis Law was a real predator in front of goal.
He had flair and instinct, a potent combination, and if it hadn’t been for a string of knee injuries in the 1970s, he might well be the club’s top goal scorer today.
2. Sir Bobby Charlton
- Appearances: 758
- Goals: 249
Yet another academy graduate, a Ballon d’or winner, and Munich air disaster survivor, Sir Bobby Charlton is arguably the player most synonymous with Manchester United, even today. He spent 17 years at the club, going through some of the best and worst moments in our history.
Throughout his time, Sir Bobby Charlton was more than just a goal scorer. Yes he had a powerful right foot – although he could score with either foot – and scored a huge number of goals for United, but Sir Bobby was a leader of men. A key figure in Matt Busby’s second great side, his presence made teammates feel confident and opposition players worried. His two goals against Benfica in the 1968 European Cup final are fan favourites.
1. Wayne Rooney
- Appearances: 559
- Goals: 253
The boy from Liverpool may not have started life as a Red, but my word he is one for life now. Wayne Rooney broke Sir Bobby’s goal record in 2017, his last season at the club, but by that point he was already a United legend.
Rooney was the complete forward. Incredibly strong, grounded, rarely got injured, he played with intelligence and a relentlessness that has rarely been seen before or since. He could score from anywhere, he was selfless, technically adept – the perfect forward.
Rooney won every major club honour with Man Utd, boasting a goal per game ratio of 0.45, but probably doesn’t get the credit he deserves away from the club. It took 44 years for someone to beat Sir Bobby Charlton’s goal record at Manchester United, and I think it could be twice as long before someone takes that honour from Wayne Rooney.