These defenders were expert not only in defense but also in attack, one scored more than 250 goals.

Football fans around the world are crazy about the FIFA World Cup 2026. In this tournament being jointly hosted by America, Canada and Mexico, 48 teams have entered for the title. Only during the World Cup, the fans who follow football keep their eyes on the goal scorers i.e. the strikers. At the same time, they do not pay that much attention to the contribution of the defenders. In such a situation, today we will talk about some such defenders in the history of football, in front of whom even the attacking midfielders look pale. Let us know about the top-5 defenders who have scored the most goals.

Ronald Koeman

Former Netherlands legend Ronald Koeman scored 253 goals in 763 professional matches. Koeman was often played as a sweeper, giving him the freedom to play forward. He also took penalties and free-kicks for several clubs. He scored 19 goals each for Barcelona in both the 1989–90 and 1993–94 seasons. His most important goal for Barcelona came in 1992. Koeman scored a free-kick in extra-time against Sampdoria to give Barcelona its first European Cup win.

Daniel Passarella

Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi are considered Argentina’s greatest players but there is no doubt that Daniel Passarella is the best defender the Latin American country has ever produced. Under the captaincy of Passarella, Argentina won the 1978 World Cup on its home ground. He was also a part of the team that became world champion in 1986. Passarella scored a total of 175 goals in his professional career. Despite being less than six feet tall, he scored many header goals and was also very dangerous from the penalty spot.

Also read: Why is the world considering Spain as a contender for the FIFA World Cup 2026?

Fernando Hierro

Spain’s Fernando Hierro scored 163 goals in his professional career. He is counted among the legendary players of Real Madrid. He scored 127 goals for Real Madrid. In the list of players who have scored the most goals for this club, he is ahead of many legendary centre-forwards. His best season at Real Madrid was 1991–92. That season, the centre-back scored an impressive 26 goals in 53 matches. Hierro also scored 29 goals for Spain, including goals in three different World Cups.

James Tavernier

England’s James Tavernier has scored 153 goals in his career. This penalty-taking player joined Scottish club Rangers in 2016 for a fee of just 200,000 euros. In these 10 years, Tavernier has emerged as a Rangers legend. The full-back, who has become the highest-scoring defender in British football history, played a key role in taking Rangers to the 2022 Europa League final with his penalty-kicking abilities.

Also read: Brazil was saved from losing to Morocco, Vinicius saved shame

laurent blanc

French defender Laurent Blanc scored the ‘golden goal’ against Paraguay in the 1998 World Cup. He scored 153 goals in his professional career. Blanc started his career as an attacking midfielder and scored several goals from the penalty spot. Blanc played for the French club Montpellier for a long time. He scored 84 goals in 267 matches for this club.