Many have asked who England’s top goalscorers are without the inclusion of penalties after Harry Kane broke the record on Thursday night.
The Tottenham No.10 scored from the spot as England recorded a 2-1 win over Italy in Naples, leapfrogging Wayne Rooney to become the nation’s record goalscorer with 54 strikes in 81 appearances.
However – due to the fact 18 of Kane‘s goals have been penalties – many have wondered who England‘s top scorer is in regards to goals from open play.
So, who is England’s top goalscorer without penalties? Let’s take a look…
Top England Goalscorers Without Penalties
Well – if penalties were taken out of the equation – Sir Bobby Charlton would be England’s record goalscorer.
The 85-year-old scored 49 goals in 106 appearances for England from 1958 to 1970, with only three of those coming from the penalty spot.
Charlton sits third in England’s actual list of all-time top scorers as a result.
Ahead of him in second is Rooney with 53 goals in 120 appearances for the Three Lions.
However, seven of those were penalties.
Therefore, if spot kicks didn’t count, Rooney would also find himself on 46 non-penalty goals alongside Charlton, although the latter would technically be above him due to the fact his 46 goals came in fewer appearances.
Gary Lineker finds himself right behind the pair in our hypothetical list, as 44 of his 48 goals for England were scored from open play and not from the penalty spot.
If you were to take away Kane’s 18 penalties, he would only have 36 goals for England.
Of course, a goal is a goal, and Kane surely won’t care one bit about how he managed to break Rooney’s record.
Regardless of how the Tottenham talisman’s 54 goals for England were scored, it is an exceptional achievement for him to smash the record before even entering his thirties – hopefully, there are many more to come.
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