“Last month, Jeremy Ngakia found the net twice for Watford against Oxford to take his career goals total to three from 116 senior club appearances,” asks a curious fan. “Not counting players who only scored one goal, is there anyone with 100+ appearances managed a greater proportion of their career goals in a one game?”
Denis Boone writes in with the tale of French defender Chalmé. “French right-back Matthieu Chalmé appeared in 362 games during his career, mostly for Bordeaux and Lille,” Denis writes. “He scored four career goals, with three of them scored during a solitary match. Chalmé netted all three goals in Lille’s 3-0 win 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 games for Lille, while in 167 matches with Bordeaux, he scored once. Actually, twice including his self-scored goal in the 2010 League Cup final against Olympique Marseille. Netting three-quarters of his total goals in one game takes Chalmé past Ngakia’s mark (66.7%), but there is a fly in the ointment.
Chalmé hung up his boots at his club in July 2014 after a loan spell at Ajaccio, who presumably recalled his brief purple patch a ten years prior. He came back to the game with amateur team Lège Cap-Ferret, featuring seven times in half a year – and scoring one goal. This reduces his ratio of goals scored in a single game down to 60%, but it feels harsh to count against him for a post-retirement jaunt at semi-professional level.
A quick mention, too, for a different French defender: the legendary Thuram. While the original question concerns club careers, plenty of you wrote in to point out that the defender made 142 international caps and netted twice in the same match – the 1998 World Cup semi-final against the Croatian team. Look, when you’re hot, you’re hot.
Players Defying Managers: Part II
Previously in this series we looked at players who defied their managers’ instructions. There are some more great stories, so we’re revisiting the Disobedience Records for a another review.
Tottenham v Manchester City, Cup semi-final, the 1950s
Tottenham’s skipper, Danny Blanchflower, made changes to the team during the FA Cup semi-final against City while they were a goal down,” writes John Tumbridge. “Moving Maurice Norman from centre-half to up front, they ultimately lost and the manager, Anderson [not that one], benched the captain for the next match and removed him of the captaincy. Within a year Anderson left, Nicholson took over, Blanchflower was reinstated and the rest is history.”
England v Albania, World Cup qualifying, April 1989
Adam Clark points out: “Paul Gascoigne netted his maiden international goal in this victory at Wembley after playing ‘all over the pitch’, according to manager Bobby Robson. The post-match interview are priceless – a wonderful mixture of annoyance, irony and fatherly pride.”
Everton v Tottenham, FA Cup semi-final, the 1990s
The Toffees’ most recent silverware was the 1995 FA Cup, and it couldn’t have happened without one man,” begins a contributor. “Manager Joe Royle? Nah. Final scorer, Rideout? Almost. Keeper Southall? Not him. That man was mercurial striker Amokachi, who substituted himself on during the semi-final against Spurs, scoring twice to earn the Toffees a spot in the final against Manchester United.”
Telling the tale to the media, the striker said: “Rideout was injured and went down ... I just approached Willie Donachie and said ‘The gaffer says you need me on’.” Royle was rightly angry at the moment, but more forgiving at the end: “He came into the locker room and hugged me, shook my hand and said: ‘Well done, son, but never try that again.’”
Sporting vs Barça, European match, 2008
During his time with Guardiola’s Barça against Sporting, Henry took it upon himself to switch wings. He soon netted to ensure Barça went in 1-0 up at the break. The coach’s response? He hooked Henry for ignoring his instructions.”
Set-Piece Specialists
“Being a Hammers supporter, I’m increasingly having to look at previous years for positive memories,” laments Liam Corbett. “Upon reviewing, I saw that Payet scored six free kicks in the 18 cherished months that we enjoyed him. Just wondering if there is a more prolific free-kick taker in a comparable span?”
One comes to mind: David Beckham scored 27 free-kicks in his spell with United, including eight in as many months between 2000. His most prolific 18-month spell at Old Trafford covers the same period: from May 1999 to November 2000, he scored 10 direct-free-kicks – including two raspers against the Hammers. Sorry, Liam.
If it helps, there’s a player currently on West Ham’s books who can better Payet’s statistics: Ward-Prowse. The set-piece maestro enjoyed two purple patches with his former club, scoring seven free kicks between November 2019 and February 2021 across two Covid-affected seasons. He then added six more superb free-kicks in a 10-month spell between 2022-2023.
Historical Trivia
“A Southend-supporting friend insists the club once featured in a league match at the national stadium? Is he joking?” asked Stuart Jacks in April 2012.
Surprisingly, he wasn’t. Southend were one of two teams – Brentford being the second – to face Clapton Orient in Division Three (South) at the stadium back in 1930, owing to ground improvement work at their home ground. Club records explain further:
After a game against Torquay United (a victory for Orient), officials from the Devon club objected to the perimeter fence being too close to the pitch. The Football League was duly asked to inspect the ground and agreed that alterations had to be made before further matches could be held; suddenly the club found themselves without a stadium. Hard to believe, Wembley was suggested and the Orient actually played two league games in 1930 against Brentford and Southend United, securing two victories. To this day the club is the only Football League side to have played home games at Wembley Stadium!
After that of course, Tottenham joined Orient in becoming residents at the stadium, albeit in the top flight. In recent weeks, talk of Arsenal renovating their stadium – and moving to the national stadium while the work is carried out – has emerged.
Can you help?
“Aubameyang netted four times and was red-carded in Gabon’s 4-3 win over Gambia last week,” notes Seb in Berlin. “Who else have been dismissed after scoring at least three goals?”
“During Austria’s huge win of San Marino, every outfield player who began the game scored or assisted,” queries Paul Savage. “Is there another side managed this?”
“Of all of the players who have a statue outside the ground of their ex-team, who played the fewest games for that team?” wonders a fan.
“Interestingly, Tomasson is the first manager to be sacked by {Sw
