Which English Football Champions Had the Lowest Top Goalscorer?
In the current Premier League season, Arsenal's leading scorers, Viktor Gyökeres and Leandro Trossard, have netted just five goals each. This raises an intriguing question: which winners of England's top flight have had the lowest top goalscorer, both before and after the inception of the Premier League?
Premier League Era: Sharing the Goals
Arsenal's 40 Premier League goals this season have been distributed among 13 players, or 16 including own goals. Only Everton, Sunderland, and Wolves have a leading scorer with fewer than five goals. However, Arsenal's seven-point lead highlights a longstanding tradition where English champions often lack the golden boot winner in their squad.
This trend is evident in serial champions like Arsenal in the 1930s, Liverpool in the 1970s, Manchester United in the 1990s, José Mourinho's Chelsea, and Pep Guardiola's Manchester City between Sergio Agüero's peak and Erling Haaland's arrival. These teams excelled by spreading goals across their lineup.
For instance, Don Revie's Leeds United in 1973-74 saw four players reach double figures: Billy Bremner (10), Peter Lorimer (12), Allan Clarke (13), and Mick Jones (14). Similarly, Manchester United in 1995-96 had Eric Cantona leading with 14 goals, one of four in double digits.
In the Premier League, three seasons have seen the champions' top scorer net fewer than 15 goals. Frank Lampard scored 13 for Chelsea in 2004-05, and Ilkay Gündogan matched that for Manchester City in 2020-21.
Historical Records: Pre-Premier League Insights
Before the Premier League, top-flight football experienced phases where champions' top scorers routinely hit 30 goals, such as in 12 of the 14 seasons before World War II, including Dixie Dean's 60-goal campaign. Conversely, the 1970s saw eight consecutive seasons where top scorers struggled to reach 20 goals.
Kevin Keegan was Liverpool's top scorer with 12 in their 1976-77 championship win, and Nottingham Forest followed suit in 1977-78 with Peter Withe and John Robertson each scoring 12. The record for the lowest top scorer among champions dates back to 1901-02, when Sunderland's Jimmy Gemmell and Billy Hogg scored 10 goals each, a mark that has stood until now.
Other Football Curiosities
The article also touches on other fascinating topics, such as football legends' funerals broadcast on state TV, including George Best and Sir Tom Finney. Additionally, it explores record wins and losses in recent times, like Sheffield United's 8-0 defeat to Newcastle United in 2023, and amusing anecdotes about referees scoring goals in amateur matches.
Readers are invited to submit their own questions, covering areas like penalty shootouts, team form streaks, player loans, and goal difference disparities in leagues.
