Rangers’ top 15 goalscorers of all time

Glasgow Rangers haven’t had a true out-and-out goalscorer in the squad since Kris Boyd departed nearly ten years ago after his second spell at Ibrox.

Alfredo Morelos may have scored 124 goals for the Light Blues, yet his link-up play and all-round game gave more to the team than just goals. It is no secret that the club require a striker who knows how to find the back of the net.

Throughout the club’s illustrious history, the Gers have produced many great natural goalscorers across every era.

We have taken a look at the top 15 goalscorers since the club was formed over 150 years ago.

15

Alec Smith

152 goals

Alec Smith spent 21 years at Rangers, scoring 152 goals for the club during that period. This came despite mainly featuring on the wing, creating plenty of chances for others, notably Robert Hamilton.

He won the Scottish Cup in 1897, 1898 and 1903, while playing an important role in the team that won four consecutive league titles between 1899 and 1902.

His 152 goals came in 481 appearances during his spell in Glasgow, which works out as a goal every three matches – a wonderful ratio.

14

Tommy Cairns

154 goals

Tommy Cairns joined Rangers in 1913 from St Johnstone, spending the next 14 years of his career at the club.

He won seven league titles with the Ibrox side, scoring a total of 154 goals in all competitions. Cairns also earned all eight of his Scotland caps during his spell with Rangers, scoring once against Wales in 1920, although he was never on the winning side in any of those matches for the national side.

13

Davie Wilson

157 goals

Davie Wilson made his debut for Rangers just shy of his 20th birthday, and over the next 11 years, the outside left made a lasting impression at Ibrox.

He was a big part of the team which dominated Scottish football in the early 60s, winning four league titles and five Scottish Cups between 1959 and 1966. Wilson would end up scoring 157 goals, despite playing on the wing for his entire career.

22 Scotland caps meant he was one of the finest attacking talents of his generation, and supporters of a certain vintage still remember him fondly.

12

Jimmy Millar

162 goals

Jimmy Millar originally played as a midfielder for the club, before Scot Symon moved him to centre-forward. He never looked back after that, scoring 162 goals for the Light Blues in 12 years.

Like Wilson, Millar was a key part of the successful side which shone in the first half of the 60s, while he formed a legendary partnership with Ralph Brand.

He is only the second player to score in two Scottish Cup finals for Rangers (Derek Johnstone being the other), while he scored 13 goals against Celtic.

11

Billy Simpson

163 goals

Billy Simpson spent nine years at Rangers, winning three league championship medals and the Scottish Cup, but it is his goalscoring exploits for which he will be remembered.

The Northern Ireland international joined from Linfield in 1950 and ended up scoring a remarkable 163 goals across 239 matches for the club – a strike rate of a goal every 1.4 matches.

There is no doubt the club could do with someone with this type of scoring rate in their current starting XI.

10

Andy Cunningham

182 goals

Andy Cunningham joined the Light Blues in 1915, transferring from Kilmarnock, and went on to establish himself as one of the finest forwards of his era.

Spending 13 years at Ibrox, Cunningham racked up goals – 182, to be precise – which were scored over 389 matches in Glasgow.

Seven league titles were won, but arguably his crowning glory was playing in the 4-0 victory over Celtic in the 1928 Scottish Cup final, Rangers’ first triumph in the competition for 25 years.

9

Robert Hamilton

184 goals

Robert Hamilton was the club’s first iconic striker. Two separate spells at Ibrox saw the player score 184 goals, winning four league titles and two Scottish Cups in the process.

He was also the club’s top scorer for nine consecutive seasons, while becoming Rangers’ all-time top scorer against Celtic in his spell at the club. Hamilton also scored 15 goals from just 11 appearances for Scotland, enough to rank him eighth on the list, despite his final match coming in 1911.

8

Willie Thornton

194 goals

Willie Thornton spent his entire 18-year playing career with Rangers, scoring 194 goals.

Considered one of the finest players in the club’s history, Thornton also spent time as an assistant in the late 60s, even taking caretaker charge of the team following Davie White’s sacking in 1969.

He finally left Ibrox in 1972 after a spell as assistant coach to William Waddell.

7

Willie Reid

195 goals

Willie Reid joined the Gers in 1909, remarkably making his debut in the Scottish Cup final. He spent the next 11 years in Glasgow, top-scoring in six consecutive campaigns for the club.

During this spell, Reid netted 195 goals in all competitions for Rangers, with 188 of those coming in the league. Reid remains the fourth-highest scorer in the Scottish top flight with 270 goals for four teams.

6

Ralph Brand

206 goals

Brand formed a stunning partnership with Millar during their respective stints at Ibrox as the duo terrorised defences up and down the country, with the club commemorating their connection on the big screen, as can be seen above.

Such was his form in front of goal, Brand is the third-highest post-war scorer for Rangers, netting 206 goals in all competitions. He also featured in seven major finals for the club, scoring six times while never finishing on the losing side.

11 trophies were won by the striker, although he finished on the losing side in the 1961 European Cup Winners’ Cup final.

5

Derek Johnstone

210 goals

Derek Johnstone endeared himself to the Ibrox faithful before his 17th birthday, scoring the winner in the 1970 League Cup final against Celtic.

Over the next 13 years, plus a second stint during 1985/86, Johnstone scored 210 goals for the club, winning 13 domestic honours. He even started the Cup Winners’ Cup final in 1972 against Dynamo Moscow, despite being only 18 at the time.

His post-war tally for the Gers is only behind Ally McCoist, indicating just how impressive he was in front of goal.

4

Jimmy Fleming

220 goals

Jimmy Fleming spent 11 years at Rangers between 1925 and 1934 and ended up scoring 220 goals.

Fleming holds the record for the most Scottish Cup goals scored by a Rangers player with 44, while his nine in one game against Blairgowrie in 1934 is also a record for most in a single match.

3

Jimmy Smith

249 goals

Jimmy Smith is the third-highest scorer for Rangers, netting an impressive 249 goals during his 18-year spell at the club.

He formed a devastating partnership with Bob McPhail, with the pair scoring 72 goals between them during the 1933/34 campaign. Two Scottish Cup medals were won along with a handful of league championships, and it looks like he will remain third on the list for quite some time.

2

Bob McPhail

261 goals

Bob McPhail spent 12 seasons at Ibrox, winning nine league titles and six Scottish Cup medals, yet these are not his greatest feats.

Indeed, scoring 261 goals is his finest work, with 230 of them coming in the league – a record which stood for over 50 years.

His partnership with Jimmy Smith was key to the club winning plenty of trophies and it is unlikely anyone will surpass his league goals tally anytime soon.

1

Ally McCoist

355 goals

Ally McCoist is an anomaly. His record of 355 goals for the Light Blues across 15 years won’t be beaten for quite some time, if ever. The Scot arrived in Glasgow in 1983, going to enjoy a trophy-laden spell with Rangers, which included winning nine league titles in a row between 1989 and 1997.

His 34 league goals during the 1991/92 season ensured he was the first Scot to win the European Golden Boot, a feat he repeated a year later, becoming the only player from the British Isles to win the award twice.

He didn’t feature as much during his last few years, yet still popped up to score when it mattered, with his goal in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup in 1998 against Celtic being one of his most emotional moments.

McCoist left Rangers in 1998, with his final goal coming in a Scottish Cup final defeat to Hearts. A legend in every sense of the word, McCoist’s tally may never be beaten.