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The modern-day Championship was formed in 2004
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Billy Sharp is the most prolific goal scorer in Championship history with 130 goals
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Find out the five players who have scored more Championship goals than anyone else below
It is blatantly stating the obvious but goals win football matches! And they are particularly important in our EFL Championship which offers a massive financial carrot via promotion to the Premier League.
Before I outline the most prolific Championship strikers of all-time, let’s take a quick look at the top scorers in 2025/26:
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19 - Joel Piroe, Leeds
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18 - Borja Sainz, Norwich
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18 - Josh Brownhill, Burnley
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15 - Josh Sargent, Norwich
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13 - Tommy Conway, Middlesbrough
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13 - Josh Windass, Sheffield Wednesday
Moving on to analyse the situation historically, these are the top five goal scorers since the Championship was rebranded in 2004….
Seasons as Championship Top Scorer
Since 2004, only two players have finished as Championship top scorer on multiple occasions. Sylvan Ebanks-Blake achieved the feat in consecutive seasons in 2007-08 and 2008-09, scoring 48 goals across the two campaigns.
Ebanks-Blake spent the first half of 2007-08 with Plymouth Argyle before joining Wolves, where he scored 51 goals in 101 Championship appearances across two-and-a-half seasons.
Aleksandar Mitrovic joined Ebanks-Blake with two seasons as top goal scorer in 2021-22. Mitrovic shared the goal-scoring lead with Ollie Watkins in 2019-20, with the pair tied on 26 apiece.
After one season in the Premier League, Fulham dropped back down to the Championship in 2021, and Mitrovic finished as top scorer for the second time in three seasons with 43 goals in 44 outings.
Most Goals In A Championship Season
Aleksandar Mitrovic’s dominant 2021-22 season was the most prolific in Championship history, shattering previous records.
Glenn Murray’s 30 goals for Crystal Palace in 2012-13 were the record until 2020-21, when he was overtaken by Ivan Toney, who netted 31 for Brentford.
Mitrovic blew both of those seasons out the water in 2021-22, netting 43 goals as Fulham topped the table.
The Serbian international has been a dominant force whenever he has featured in Championship odds. Over 126 second tier appearances, the former Newcastle striker has netted a whopping 96 goals.
Highest Scorers in Championship History
5th) Chris Martin - 114 goals
Norwich City, Crystal Palace, Derby County, Fulham, Reading, Hull City, Bristol City and Queens Park Rangers.
Martin is no longer a Championship player, but he's still banging in the goals in the Football League.
After receiving Player of the Month in League One a couple of seasons ago, Martin said: “I am confident I can continue to contribute so I don’t even think about my age! I hope to keep finding the back of the net when chances come my way. I just aim to score in every single match I play.”
4th) Ross McCormack - 120 goals
Cardiff City, Leeds United, Fulham, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest.
McCormack is currently playing his trade for Doncaster City FC in the Central Midlands Alliance League at the 11th level of English football.
Reflecting on his fruitful past spell gracing the second tier, McCormack said: “Playing in the Championship, you had no breathing space to recover from games.
“Even if you hit a hat-trick for your team on a Saturday, you just couldn’t let it sink in because you went into training on the Sunday and then immediately had another match to face in midweek. But I enjoyed it all.”
3rd) David Nugent - 121 goals
Preston North End, Portsmouth, Leicester City, Middlesbrough and Derby County.
Nugent retired after a brief loan spell with Tranmere Rovers in 2021.
He made his solitary England appearance whilst featuring in Championship predictions back in March 2007. Going on as a 79th minute substitute away to Andorra, Nugent scored in the final seconds.
He recalls: “It was a totally crazy international experience for me. I was at Preston at the time I got the call-up and no one expected it.
“Scoring for your country is top of the list for things you can do in football. I shot home merely a yard out and it was only against Andorra but no one can take that away from me. It was one of my childhood dreams which came true.”
2nd) Jordan Rhodes - 123 goals
Ipswich Town, Huddersfield Town, Blackburn Rovers, Middlesbrough, Sheffield Wednesday and Norwich City.
Rhodes hasn't played in the Championship for several years. He last appeared for Mansfield Town on loan in 2025.
1st) Billy Sharp - 130 goals
Sheffield United, Doncaster Rovers, Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Reading and Leeds United.
Nearing the end of his career, Sharp is no longer playing in the Championship. The veteran has an unrivalled record in the second tier, however, and remains top of the goal scoring charts.
*Credit for all photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
