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Top 26 leading goal scorers in First Division English football : 22- 17




The next set of players in the list contains two of whom have played in the Premier League. Here is the next set of players. 

21. Wayne Rooney - 208 goals


White Pele


Arguably the most recognisable names on this list, Wayne Rooney burst onto the scene as a 16-year-old. The Merseyside born lad made his league debut in 2002 for boyhood club Everton and scored an impressive 15 goals in two seasons before completing, then world-record fee for a teenager, a move to Manchester United.
At the Theatre of Dreams, Rooney formed an impressive partnership with a certain Cristiano Ronaldo as the Red Devils dominated the late 2000s. Rooney took on the goalscoring responsibilities once his Portuguese counterpart left for Real Madrid in 2009. The forward went onto spent eight more seasons at the Theatre of Dreams as he became the Red Devils all-time leading scorer.
Wayne Rooney ended his stay Manchester in 2017 to return back to his boyhood club Everton after winning five Premier League titles with the record English champions. On his return, the striker scored ten goals before moving to MLS side DC United the following season.
The only active player in this list, Wayne Rooney currently plays with Championship side Derby County after moving back to his homeland at the start of the year.
Wayne Rooney has currently 208 goals in 491 appearances - the second-highest goalscorer in the Premier League - and the highest goalscorer for the England national side and Manchester United.

21. Ronnie Alan - 208 goals


One of West Brom's greatest ever


One of the greatest ever players to play for the Baggies, Ronnie Alan joined the West Midlands side 1950 for a club-record fee of £20,000 from then non-league side Port Vale. Alan, who started his career as a wide player, standing at 5ft 8inch tall revolutionised the concept of target man as he formed a deadly partnership with Johnny Nicholls. 
Alan stayed at the Hawthorns for ten seasons and was their top scorer on five occasions before being sold to Third Division side Crystal Palace in 1961. The striker would never again play top division football after his move despite playing for four more years with the Eagles. 
In his ten seasons in the top division, Ronnie Alan scored 208 goals in 415 first division appearances. The forward sadly passed away in 2001 at the age of 72. 

20. Sir Geoff Hurst - 210 goals

The man who brought the World Cup back home


The hero for England during the 1966 World Cup Final, Geoff Hurst was arguably one of the most prolific scorers in the history of English football. The striker started his professional career in 1959 with boyhood club West Ham United.
After struggling to get into the starting lineup in his first two seasons, Hurst became a regular in the first-team. With Ron Greenwood at the helm and stern backbone of Hurst, Moore and Peters, the Hammers enjoyed one of their most successful periods.
Geoff Hurst spent 13 seasons with the Hammers scoring an impressive 180 goals in 411 league appearances before moving to Stoker City in 1972. At Stoke, the striker spent four seasons scoring 30 league goals in 108 appearances before moving West Brom. A season with the Baggies was followed by moves to Cork City and Seattle Sounders before calling it a day in 1976.
The England and West Ham legend spent sixteen seasons in the First Division scoring 210 goals in 519 appearances.

19. Dave Halliday - 211 goals


A goalscoring machine


A prolific goalscorer throughout his career, Dave Halliday started his career in Scotland in 1920 with Queen Park before moving to St Mirren. A move to Dundee increased his stature in the Scottish league as he dominated the defenders for four seasons.
Halliday made the move down south to join First Division side, Sunderland, in 1925. The striker continued from where he left off in Scotland as he scored a whopping 100 goals in 101 league appearances. He further added 56 more league goals in 65 appearances before moving to Arsenal in 1929. At London, Halliday found himself more on the reserve side as he made just 15 appearances for the Gunners despite scoring eight times.
The striker made the move to Manchester City the next season after struggling for first-team action at Highbury. The Scott added 47 more league goals to his tally in 76 appearances before leaving the Cityzens to join Clapton Orient (now called Leyton Orient) in 1935. Halliday ended his career two years later with non-league side Yeovil and Petters United (now called Yeovil Town).
During his 8 seasons in the First Division, Halliday scored an incredible 211 goals in 257 appearances.

17. Tony Cottee - 214 goals


Cottee played in all four tiers of English football

The first player in this list to have played in both the Premier League and the First Division. Cottee started his career in East London with West Ham United in 1982 in the First Division. The striker spent six seasons at Upton Park scoring 92 goals in 212 top-flight appearances before moving to Everton.
It was in Everton that Cottee was part of both the Premier League and the First Division. He spent four seasons in the First Division and two seasons in the Premier League before making his return to West Ham in 1994. The striker spent three more seasons at Upton Park on his return before moving to Malaysia.
Cottee once again made his move back to Premier League this time joining Leicester City in 1997. He spent three more seasons in the Premier League with the Foxes scoring 27 goals in 85 matches before moving to Norwich. In his last year, Cottee made an appearance in all four division of the English League (Leicester City - Premier League, Norwich City - First Division, Milwall - Second Division, Barnet - Third Division) before retiring in 2001.
Tony Cottee made 514 league appearances across eighteen season and scored 214 goals.

17. Billy Walker - 214 goals


One of the greatest player to ever don the famous jersey of the Clarets and Blues


Arguably the greatest player in the history of Aston Villa, Billy Walker played all his career for the famous Claret and Blues.  The striker joined the Villains in 1914 but didn't see much action due to the onset of the First World War.
Billy Walker made his professional debut in 1919 and quickly became an integral part of the first team. The striker spent the rest of his playing days at Villa Park till he hung up his boots in 1933. During his 14-year long career, Walker scored 214 league goals in 478 appearances. He still remains Aston Villa's all-time leading goalscorer. He is also the only player to have scored a hat-trick of penalties in a single match.
The striker passed away sadly in 1964 at the age of 67.


Also Read: Top 26 leading goal scorers in First Division football: 26-23

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