Ronald Koeman is the leading light for an unlikely subcategory of footballers: goalscoring defenders. The Barcelona and PSV Eindhoven hero struck 253 goals in his career and that makes him the highest-scoring defender in football history – and he is certainly the gold standard when it comes to centre-backs scoring an abundance of goals.
The Premier League have never managed to have such a brilliantly potent centre-back as Koeman as, since its inception in 1992, football in England has largely been defined by skill-laden forwards who score as if it's going out of fashion.
Throughout the beautiful game, though, defenders are tasked with shutting out opposition forwards rather than marching up the pitch and getting their name on the scoresheet themselves. But, that said, there are still a select few who buck that trend – and GIVEMESPORT are here to list the top 20 goalscoring centre-backs in Premier League history.
Top 20 Goalscoring Centre-Backs in Premier League History – 20-11
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10 Robert Huth – 21 goals
robert huth
A three-time winner of the Premier League, many forget that Robert Huth began his career in England with Chelsea's first team – between 2002 and 2006. He failed to score a single goal for the Blues in 62 matches but managed to find his shooting boots, it seems, when he moved onto pastures new, moving from Stamford Bridge to join Middlesbrough.
His most potent season came in 2010/11 while playing for Stoke City, though, as the burly defender scored six goals and contributed a further three assists. Huth, born and raised in the German capital of Berlin, was never the most agile of defenders, it must be said, but his tally of 21 goals in 322 outings in England's top flight proves that he could be a threat at the sharp end of the pitch.
9 Sami Hyypia – 22 goals
Liverpool's Sami Hyypia
At times, Sami Hyypia looked impassable and his tally of 22 goals in the Premier League also proved that he could wreak havoc at the other end of the pitch. He played ten years for Liverpool between 1999 and 2009, which meant he missed out on winning the Premier League, but winning the Champions League in 2004/05 proved what the defensive-minded Finn was capable of.
Hyypia, who ended his career with 318 Premier League appearances under his belt, enjoyed his best goalscoring campaign in 2003/04 when he scored four times – but the goals, instead, flowed on a consistent basis. Although it doesn't matter in this discussion, he also popped up with 11 assists in the league during his spell at Anfield.
8 Laurent Koscielny – 22 goals
laurent koscielny
In terms of Arsenal centre-backs who are partial to a goal, you could bet your bottom dollar that 12th-placed Gabriel Magalhaes will overtake Laurent Koscielny's tally of 22 in the immediate-to-near future. That may depend on whether the Brazilian stays or leaves, but Koscielny – who played on the red half of north London 353 times between 2010 and 2019 – was the club's goalscoring trailblazer.
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Especially given that he played for the Gunners during a poor spell (especially by their current standards), Koscielny's tally is even more impressive. As expected, many of his goals came on the back of heading in set-pieces and his potency in the final third played a crucial role in key matches, including a decisive goal against Newcastle to secure Champions League qualification.
7 Matt Elliott – 22 goals
matt elliott
A name that may have fallen through the net of many fans, Matt Elliott scored 22 times in just shy of 200 (199, to be precise) Premier League appearances. Although the Scot played for the likes of Oxford United and Ipswich Town during his career, all of his top flight outings came for Leicester City between 1997 and 2004 as he established himself as a prolific defender.
Elliott, born in Wandsworth in 1968, scored seven of his 22 goals in the 1997/98 campaign, but he also notched six two seasons later in 1999/00, proving that he was able to keep up such a presence in the opposition box year-on-year. He was a vital cog in Martin O'Neill's Foxes and became renowned for his attacking threat from set-pieces.
6 Joleon Lescott – 22 goals
joleon lescott
Eight years after hanging up his boots as a two-time Premier League champion, Joleon Lescott is now spending his time being a pundit, but the odd cameo playing at Baller League in London proves that he hasn't lost his touch yet. In 288 appearances in England's primary division, he used his height to his advantage to score 22 goals.
A quintet of clubs in England's top flight (Everton, Manchester City, West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa, Sunderland) were lucky enough to possess his goalscoring prowess and eight goals for the Toffees in 2007/08 proved to be his best-ever season in front of goal, but he also scored seven times for City all while winning two titles in east Manchester.
5 William Gallas – 25 goals
Chelsea's William Gallas celebrates
There are not many players who can admit to having played for all of London's top three sides: Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. William Gallas, though, is the most famous member of that exclusive club and his lengthy stint in the capital, and he scored 25 goals in that time (12 for Chelsea, 12 for Arsenal and the solitary strike for Spurs).
Gallas, an 84-cap France international, was rather underrated thanks to the number of top centre-backs (John Terry springs to mind) he played alongside during his success in the Premier League and his aerial prowess, helping him towards a 25-goal tally, was a vital part of how he played the game. Not only that but he was surprisingly tidy with the ball at his feet.
4 Virgil van Dijk – 26 goals
virgil van dijk liverpool
Imperious ever since he arrived at Anfield from Southampton in January 2018, Virgil van Dijk may have impressed those who have watched him with his defensive nous... but he's equally impressive going forward. Able to time his jump to perfection before heading the ball past some of the best goalkeepers in the business, the Dutchman's tally now sits at 26.
Still behind the likes of John Terry and Ashley Cole in GIVEMESPORT's list of the best defenders in Premier League history, Van Dijk's all-round game is arguably superior to anyone else and his ability to score goals (with his best-ever return – five – coming in 2019/20) is just the tip of the iceberg when talking about the lofty 34-year-old.
3 Gary Cahill – 28 goals
Gary Cahill
Primarily tasked with keeping clean sheets for Chelsea, Gary Cahill's goalscoring brilliance has often been pushed to the side because he played next to Terry for so many years. Playing for the likes of Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace, too, Cahill was an unassuming defender and one that went about his business quietly; but that suited him.
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A stocky figure at the back, the one-time Champions League winner had no problem when latching onto deliveries into the opposition's box and that is evidenced by his 28-goal haul in 394 appearances. Six goals (in the 2016/17 season) was his most potent campaign in the final third and his goals helped Chelsea to yet another league title under Antonio Conte.
2 Ian Marshall – 33 goals
ian marshall
An unfamiliar name to many, perhaps, is Ian Marshall. But the numbers suggest that he is one of the most potent centre-backs to ever ply their trade in the Premier League, which began in 1992. At that time, Marshall was a rare breed of defender as he possessed such an eye for goal that he actually played a chunk of his career playing as a forward.
Most of his career, though, was spent in the middle of a back four – and so he qualifies here. He played for Oldham Athletic in the Premier League's first-ever campaign (1992/93) and went on to play eight of his final 12 seasons in England's primary division. In that timeframe, the Liverpool-born defender scored 33 goals, the second-most of any centre-back in the league's history post-1992.
1 John Terry – 41 goals
john terry chelsea
With 41 Premier League goals to boot, John Terry spent the majority of his career at Stamford Bridge with Chelsea – and he enjoyed plenty of success in that time – before spending the twilight period of a memorable career at Aston Villa. Born and bred in Barking, Terry was also bound to spend plenty of his career in the capital, but the number of goals he scored was never a given.
A threat in both boxes as a stalwart in the heart of Chelsea's back line, Terry's ability to leap and latch onto a cross allowed him to score plenty of headers from set-pieces. 2010/11 and 2011/12 saw him pop up with six goals in each season but, of course, as is the case with all defenders, much of his work was done in the other box. Still, he was a fantastic defender to rely on when a goal was needed.
Top 20 Goalscoring Centre-Backs in Premier League History – 10-1
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All statistics per Planet Football – correct as of 24/01/2026