10 Greatest Leeds United Strikers Ever
Leeds United is one of the biggest and most popular football clubs in England. They have a huge fanbase and a rich history. Many great players have played for the club, including some of the deadliest goalscorers. In this article, let us have a look at some of the greatest Leeds United strikers ever.
Based on the number of goals scored, frequency, contribution to the team and consistency, here are the ten greatest Leeds United strikers ever.
10. Tony Yeboah
Apps – 62
Goals – 32
Tony Yeboah spent two seasons at Elland Road between 1995-1997. He is considered one of the most prominent and prolific goal scorers in Ghanaian and African football history. Twelve league goals from 16 starts helped Leeds into a UEFA Cup berth but the following campaign was even more spectacular.
He scored a series of notable goals. Stunners against Liverpool and Wimbledon won him consecutive Goal Of The Month awards; the former also scooped Goal Of The Season. He also scored a hat trick in Monaco, that made him the toast of Europe. Sadly, it didn’t last. He got injured in March 1996 and never regained his form.
9. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Apps – 87
Goals – 42
The Dutch striker joined Leeds United from Boavista in 1997. He spent the next two seasons at Elland Road, where he was the top scorer for the club on both occasions. He scored an impressive 22 in 37 starts in his first season. In 1998/99, he finished joint top scorer in the Premiership (alongside Owen and Yorke) with 18 goals.
However, he and his agent were dissatisfied with the contract offered by the club, and though he still had two years to run on his existing deal he was sold to Atletico Madrid.
8. Joe Jordan
Apps – 220
Goals – 48
Joe Jordan was a strong, fearless and committed player, with the skill to match, and good aerial abilities. Seen as the successor to Mick Jones, Jordan joined the club in 1970 from Morton. 1973/74 proved to be Jordan’s breakthrough — he won the title with Leeds and starred in Scotland’s World Cup campaign.
The Lilywhites’ march to the 1975 European Cup final saw Jordan become the most sought-after centre-forward in Europe but he didn’t leave for three more years when Man United made a record £350,000 bid.
7. Lee Chapman
Apps – 174
Goals – 80
Howard Wilkinson signed Lee Chapman from Nottingham Forest for £400,000, halfway through the 1989-90 season. Chapman was part of the Leeds team that won the Second Division title and promotion to the First Division in 1990. He went on to be the club’s top scorer in every full season he spent at the club.
He left the club in 1993 for Portsmouth but did return for a short spell in 1996, where he only played two games without scoring. Overall, he is one of the greatest Leeds United ever.
6. Mark Viduka
Apps – 166
Goals – 72
Mark Viduka was prolific, never dropping below double figures during his four-season stay. He was signed from Celtic in 2000, he took no time in settling down at Elland Road.
Strong both in the air and incredibly skilful on the ball for a big man, Viduka’s contribution to United’s Champions League campaign sky-rocketed his value, with the big European clubs asking about his availability. However, as financial peril loomed over the club, Viduka was sold to Middlesbrough in 2004.
5. Charlie Keetley
Apps – 169
Goals – 110
Keetley’s goal-scoring ratio is one of the best in Leeds’ history. He played for the club between 1927-34. During the 1927–28 season, Keetley scored 18 goals in just 16 games, announcing his arrival at Elland Road.
He was the club’s top goal-scorer in three seasons—1928–29, 1930–31 and 1931–32. In his last full season with the club, he suffered from injury and lack of form, scoring 7 times in 16 appearances. He is regarded as one of the greatest Leeds United strikers ever.
4. Tom Jennings
Apps – 174
Goals – 117
Signed by manager Arthur Fairclough from Raith Rovers in 1925, Jennings is Leeds’ fourth-highest goalscorer of all time. He played all games in the 1925-26 season, scoring 26 goals in the process. In the following season, he scored 9 more and missed just one game all season. Despite all that, Leeds were relegated that season.
They were promoted again the next season, with Tom being the joint-highest goalscorer for the club. He is probably the best Scottish striker ever to play for his country.
3. Mick Jones
Apps – 312
Goals – 111
Jones was one half of a lethal partnership with Allan Clarke, unselfish, great in the air, and hard-working. Jones spent eight years with the club between 1967 and 1975, scoring 111 goals in 312 appearances.
A £100,000 buy from Sheffield United, he quickly repaid the fee, scoring the winner in the 1968 Fairs Cup final. The next season he finished top scorer for the club as they won the 1969 Championship title. He scored 14 times as Leeds won the title again in 1974, going on a 29-match unbeaten run in the process.
2. Allan Clarke
Apps – 364
Goals – 151
A goal-poacher supreme, Clarke was renowned as one of the most clinical finishers around. Clarke scored 151 goals in 359 appearances, earning himself the nickname ‘Sniffer’ for his ability to sniff out a chance.
He spent nine years at Leeds and during that time they won the Fairs Cup, the FA Cup and the league title. Leeds were also runners-up in the European Cup in 1975, as well as twice losing in the FA Cup final and finishing second in the league on three occasions.
A knee injury signalled the end of his top-flight playing career before he joined Barnsley as player-manager in 1978.
1. John Charles
Apps – 327
Goals – 157
The Gentle Giant, as he was known, began life at Elland Road as a centre-half. He quickly established himself as one of the best defenders the game had due to the way he married his technical ability with his physical presence.
At the start of the 1952-53 season, however, Charles was given a new role in the team as he was asked to play upfront. He adapted just as quickly as he had done when he broke into the first team as a defender in 1949. He proceeded to score 108 league goals over the next four seasons, including 42 in just 39 games in the 1953-54 campaign.
His form brought him to the attention of Italian giants Juventus who paid a British record fee for him in 1957. After five successful years in Turin – he returned to Leeds, who were then being managed by Don Revie.
Charles holds the scoring record in a season for Leeds United with 42 league goals in 1953-54. He made 327 league and cup appearances for Leeds scoring 157 goals.
Can’t believe you haven’t mentioned Peter Lorimer Leeds best player iaby far.
He was an attacking midfielder not a striker. He is mentioned in our list of ‘Greatest Leeds Players Ever’