Top Goal Scorers For Wales Football Team All-Time: Wales has some amazing soccer players, especially strikers, who have scored a lot of goals for the national team. It shows how talented Welsh players have been over the years.
Recently, there have been new players who have shown their skills and contributed to the team’s success.
Top Goal Scorers For Wales Football Team All-Time
In this article, we’re going to talk about the top goal scorers for the Wales football team throughout history.
1. Gareth Bale
- Career Span: 2006–2022
- Matches: 111
- Goals: 41
- Average: 0.37
Gareth Bale is a top goal scorer for the Wales football team. He made his debut when he was just 16 years old in a match against Trinidad and Tobago in Austria.
Even though he could have played for the England national team due to his family background, Bale chose to play for Wales. He said it was an honor to represent Wales, and no one from England directly contacted him, only his agent.
Bale played a significant role in Wales’ Euro 2016 campaign, where he scored important goals, including a memorable free kick against Slovakia. Wales reached the semi-finals but were eliminated by Portugal. In the 2021 European Championships, Wales made it to the round of 16 but were defeated by Denmark.
During the 2022 World Cup, Bale scored a late penalty goal against the USA, earning Wales an important point in their first game.
2. Ian Rush
- Career Span: 1980–1996
- Matches: 73
- Goals: 28
- Average: 0.38
Ian Rush is the second-highest goal scorer for the Wales football team. He played in 73 international matches and scored 28 goals for Wales. Wales didn’t qualify for major tournaments during his time, but he did score the winning goal in a memorable Euro 1992 qualifier against Germany in 1991.
One of his notable achievements was a hat-trick he scored against the Faroe Islands in a 6-0 win during the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification in 1992. This was the first Welsh hat-trick in over 13 years and one of only 14 in the nation’s history.
Rush held the record for Wales’ top goal scorer until 2018 when Gareth Bale surpassed his record of 28 goals.
3. Trevor Ford
- Career Span: 1947–1957
- Matches: 38
- Goals: 23
- Average: 0.61
Trevor Ford is the third-highest goal scorer for the Wales national team. During his time playing for Wales, Ford scored 23 goals, including a memorable hat-trick against Belgium in 1949. He also scored twice against England on two occasions, as well as against Portugal, Switzerland, and Yugoslavia.
Ford’s 23-goal record for Wales was a significant achievement at the time, although his total number of appearances (38 caps) was lower than players like Ian Rush and Ivor Allchurch, who earned 73 and 68 caps respectively.
Unfortunately, Ford missed the opportunity to play in the 1958 FIFA World Cup, as he was serving a suspension from British football at that time and was not included in the Welsh squad for the tournament.
4. Ivor Allchurch
- Career Span: 1951–1966
- Matches: 68
- Goals: 23
- Average: 0.34
Ivor Allchurch is the fourth-highest goal scorer for Wales. He was a tall striker who was discovered by former Swansea Town (now Swansea City) player Joe Sykes. He joined Swansea in May 1947, but due to military service, he played his first professional match for the club in the Second Division on Christmas Day in 1949. He made a strong impression, especially in an FA Cup game against Arsenal, sparking rumors of a move to a top club.
Allchurch was not only a skilled goal scorer but also excelled in passing, which made him a valuable player. He played his first international match for Wales against England in 1951, where he showcased his talent.
Allchurch was known for his ability to shoot with both feet and quickly became a top performer for both Swansea and the Welsh national team.
5. Dean Saunders
- Career Span: 1986–2001
- Matches: 75
- Goals: 22
- Average: 0.29
Dean Saunders is the fifth-highest goal scorer for Wales, having played in 75 games for the national team and scoring a total of 22 goals.
One of Saunders’ notable achievements was in 1991 when he scored the winning goal in a 1-0 victory against Brazil in Cardiff. He played his final game for Wales on March 28, 2001, in a World Cup qualifier against Ukraine.
Among Welsh supporters, Saunders is highly regarded and is considered one of the best strikers of all time for Wales, ranking behind Ian Rush and Mark Hughes in terms of his impact on the team.
