Just who are the England Women Top 5 goalscorers? In this article, we will answer that question in detail.
The likes of Chloe Kelly, Alessia Russo and Lauren James will have plenty to play for on a personal and collective basis when England go all out for glory in the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
They won’t be short on motivation either, following on from last year’s stunning European Championship success but that is in the past. Recognition on the World stage is now within their grasp and they will have designs on going deep in the tournament.
As a strong team and one of the favourites to lift the trophy, England will need to deal with the pressure and expectation, once again. They will arrive in a different setting needing to prove their worth, following an underwhelming build-up to the World Cup.
However, there is more than enough quality in the squad to show what they are all about as they aim to improve on their 2019 performance when they lost to the USA at the semi-final stage.
After that disappointment, they also lost the third-place play-off to Sweden, falling to a 2-1 defeat.
Sarina Wiegman’s team can also look back to those who came before them, in terms of making an impact and scoring important goals for the Lionesses.
England Women Top 5 goalscorers
Here is a list of the all-time top-five England Women’s goalscorers.
Ellen White, 2010-2022. 113 appearances, 52 goals
Ellen White secured her legacy as England Women’s top goal scorer of all time with a hat trick against Latvia in 2021 when the Lionesses won 20-0. Yes, 20-0.
Her achievement is likely to stand for some time yet.
For England, she competed in three FIFA Women's World Cup tournaments, in 2011, 2015 and 2019, having made her debut back in March 2010 against Austria.
Kelly Smith, 1995-2014. 117 appearances, 46 goals
Kelly Smith was previously the top-scoring England woman of all time until she was overtaken by White.
She was a prolific scorer for Arsenal at club level, having featured for the Gunners across three separate spells, as well as having playing experience in the USA like many of her England teammates.
Her status as one of England’s top strikers is secured with her place on this list, with a key contribution made across a 19-year stint for the Lionesses.
Smith played in the 2007 and 2011 World Cups as well as the 2001, 2005 and 2009 editions of the World Cup.
Kerry Davis, 1982-1998. 82 appearances, 44 goals.
Kerry Davis isn’t a name that will be familiar with too many beyond devotees of the women’s game but she is a stalwart from a previous era.
Now 60, she is the oldest (former) player on this list but her contribution is just as important, given that it came in a time of far less prominence, resources and recognition for the women’s game. Her experience included appearances in the World Cup and European Championships.
She featured for teams such as Liverpool, Croydon and Napoli in her club career
Karen Walker, 1988-2003. 83 appearances, 40 goals
Next on the list in joint 4th place is Karen Walker, a striker who featured in three different decades for England.
Her debut is said to have come against an Italy B team in the Mundialito tournament, in July 1988. A tally of 40 goals from 83 appearances for the Lionesses speaks for itself and is worthy of recognition.
She played for 20 years for Doncaster Belles, before finishing her career with Leeds United.
Fara Williams, 2001- 2019. 172 caps, 40 goals
Fara Williams, an England icon, made her debut back in 2001 against Portugal.
She is also in joint fourth place, as the top goal scorer of all time for England Women, in addition to her current honour as the most capped England Women’s player.
She featured across four European Championships and three World Cups for England, but her contribution and impact go way beyond that as was highlighted in the Euro 2022 glory last year.
Williams was retired by then, but her all-time great status was reflected as Chloe Kelly, Lucy Bronze and Jill Scott ran towards her on the sidelines, where she was commentating on the game, with such vigour that they toppled her to the ground, such was the collective joy on that famous day.
