Boxing Day football is a tradition in England that dates back more than 160 years, when Sheffield Football Club and Hallam Football Club met on December 26, 1860.

Sheffield, founded in 1857 and considered the oldest football club in the world, won the game 2-0.

It was not until the end of the First World War that the Boxing Day match became a regular fixture on the football calendar and has since become one of the most anticipated highlights of the English football season.

Every year, fans across the country flock to stadiums or gather in front of screens to watch festive matches that often bring dramatic moments, iconic performances and plenty of goals.

Ahead of this year’s big event, we’ve taken a look at the top 10 Boxing Day scorers from the following countries: Premier League history.

10

Frank Lampard

5 goals

Frank Lampard scored twice on three consecutive Boxing Days between 1999 and 2001 west ham united once chelsea.

His other two Boxing Day goals came for the Blues – a 3-2 win over neighbors Fulham in 2005 and a 2-0 win over West Bromwich Albion in 2008.

9

steven gerrard

5 goals

Despite Steven Gerrard’s long liverpool In his career, he didn’t score on Boxing Day until 2004, when he scored in the Reds’ 5-0 away win over West Brom.

In 2012, he scored his final goal on Boxing Day as Brendan Rodgers’ side were beaten by Stoke City, taking his total to five goals.

Gerrard’s best Boxing Day goal may have come in 2005, when Liverpool beat Newcastle United Anfield 2-0. former England The international latched on to a pass from Peter Crouch, took one touch into the penalty area and slotted the ball into the top corner.

8

Andrew Cole

5 goals

Andrew Cole scored for three different clubs on Boxing Day, with his first three goals coming against Manchester United 1990s. He also scored for Blackburn Rovers and United’s rivals Manchester City before hanging up his boots.

Cole’s Boxing Day target blackburn rangers One of the best Boxing Day goals in Premier League history was against Liverpool in 2002.

The Reds led 1-0 in the second half late in the second half when Cole chested Stephan Henjos’ clearance before firing a brilliant volley into the net from 30 yards.

7

Dimita Berbatov

5 goals

Three of Berbatov’s five Boxing Day goals in 2011 came on the day the Bulgarian striker scored a hat-trick in United’s 5-0 win over Wigan Athletic.

Park Ji-sung opened the scoring in eight minutes and Berbatov scored twice before half-time to make it 3-0. Antonio Valencia completed the scoring in the second half.

Berbatov also scored against Sunderland a year ago, while he also scored in a 1-1 draw with Southampton while playing for Fulham in 2012.

6

Jermain Defoe

6 goals

Jermain Defoe has scored 162 goals in the Premier League, ranking tenth in Premier League history.

Six of those goals came in 10 Boxing Day games – one against West Ham United and five against West Ham United tottenham hotspurincluding two 2-1 wins over Aston Villa in 2006.

Defoe also featured again on Boxing Day against Fulham and Villa, but has not added to his tally since 2012.

5

Thierry Henry

7 goals

Like Berbatov, three of Thierry Henry’s seven Boxing Day goals came on any given day.

arsenal In 2000, Henry scored a hat-trick in a 6-1 victory over Leicester City. The Frenchman also provided two assists on the day, to Patrick Vieira and Tony Adams. It was the first of Henry’s eight hat-tricks for Arsenal.

He also scored against Leicester City, Wolves and Fulham during his N5 spell, with the Gunners winning every time the King scored on Boxing Day.

4

Alan Shearer

8 goals

Given that Alan Shearer is the Premier League’s all-time leading goalscorer with 260 goals, it’s no surprise that he is also one of the Premier League’s top Boxing Day scorers.

In 1992, he scored twice against Leeds United and scored in two consecutive games on Boxing Day. Manchester City He went on to score four goals for Newcastle United after Christmas in 1994 and 1995.

“As a player I absolutely love playing over the Christmas period,” Shearer As told the Premier League’s official website back in 2018.

Particularly on Boxing Day games, he said: “When you drive to the stadium, whether it’s in your own car or on the team bus, it seems more like a party atmosphere. Everyone seems to be there Get ready. The atmosphere is a little different, very exciting and I’m enjoying it.”

3

Robbie Keane

8 goals

Robbie Keane had as many goals as Shearer on Boxing Day but had two fewer games.

One of the most memorable came against Arsenal in 1999, when the young Irishman scored the decisive goal to help Coventry City win an unforgettable 3-2.

When playing for Tottenham Hotspur in 2007, he also scored twice in a 5-1 victory over Fulham, which was the 100th goal of his Premier League career.

2

Robbie Fowler

9 goals

Robbie Fowler held the record for most Boxing Day goals until Harry Kane came along, with nine goals during his time at Liverpool, Leeds United and Manchester City.

Interestingly, Robbie Fowler scored for and against Leeds United on Boxing Day. In 1997, he scored two goals for Liverpool in a 2-0 victory over the Whites at Anfield.

Four years later, this time he scored a boxing day hat-trick as Leeds beat Bolton Wanderers 3-0 at Elland Road, and shortly after his controversial move he was back in white clothes.

1

Harry Kane

10 goals

Harry Kane is the top scorer on Boxing Day in the Premier League with 10 goals.

The former Tottenham Hotspur forward scored in the 2-2 draw with Brentford to break Fowler’s 2022 record.

Kane has scored in consecutive individual games on Boxing Day, making his run of seven games the longest such streak in Premier League history.