Crazy but True

For today’s article, I thought I’d share some of the most unbelievable — yet completely true — facts from the world of football. This time, we’re diving into the weird and wonderful world of own goals. And where better to start than with possibly the most astonishing own-goal incident in the history of the game?

On 31 October 2002, in Toamasina, Madagascar, AS Adema defeated Sol Emyrne (SOE) by an eye-watering 149–0. This match holds the world record for the highest scoreline in any association football game, as recognised by The Guinness Book of Records. The catch SOE deliberately lost the match in protest over refereeing decisions in a previous four-team playoff. Instead of playing competitively, they repeatedly scored own goals — 149 of them — in a silent, chaotic protest. Before this, the record stood at 36–0, when Arbroath thrashed Bon Accord in a Scottish Cup match in 1885.

If we’re talking speed, the fastest recorded own goal took just six seconds. Pat Kruse, playing for Torquay United against Cambridge United in 1977, unfortunately etched his name into football trivia history with that lightning-fast mishap.

For sheer distance and unintentional beauty, Lee Dixon’s 40-yard back-pass in 1991 remains unforgettable. Playing for Arsenal at Highbury against Coventry, Dixon calmly collected a square ball in midfield, looked up, and floated what turned out to be a perfect lob — over his own goalkeeper, David Seaman. A moment of unintentional brilliance.

Not all own goals are humorous or bizarre — some are tragic. Andrés Escobar, the Colombian defender, accidentally deflected a cross into his own net against the USA during the 1994 World Cup. Upon returning home, he was fatally shot by a disgruntled fan. A chilling reminder of the dangerous extremes of football fanaticism.

Post-war, seven players have scored own goals for England while wearing the national shirt. Notably, Mike Pejic and Colin Todd both did so in a 2-0 defeat to Scotland during the 1974 Home Internationals. The most recent came from Tony Adams, who scored in a friendly against the Netherlands in 1988.

Since the turn of the century, only five players have scored own goals in an FA Cup Final, and interestingly, three of them scored for both teams:

Bert Turner (Charlton) – Charlton 1–4 Derby, 1946

Tommy Hutchison (Man City) – Man City 1–1 Tottenham, 1981

Gary Mabbutt (Tottenham) – Tottenham 2–3 Coventry, 1987

Des Walker (Forest) – Forest 1–2 Tottenham, 1991

Mabbutt and Walker are tied in the unwanted honour of scoring FA Cup Final winners — for the opposition.

Now, to score one own goal might be deemed unfortunate. Two is arguably careless. But three? That was the feat (or misfortune) of Jorge Nino of Democrata in a Brazilian league match in 1982.

In international football, Sandro Salvatore of Italy scored two own goals in a 2-2 friendly against Spain in 1970, and Lim Tong Hai of Singapore managed the same in a 1993 SEA Games match against Myanmar. Perhaps most bizarre of all, Chris Nicholl of Aston Villa scored four goals in a match against Leicester in 1976 — two for Villa, and two for Leicester!

There was also controversy at the 1994 World Cup when Italy’s goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca made a notable blunder in a group stage match against Norway. Some speculated the error might have been deliberate to avoid tougher opposition in the next round — though this remains unproven and widely debated.

As for the Premier League, over 1,000 own goals have been scored since its inception. But which players top the all-time list of unfortunate scorers?

Premier League Players With the Most Own Goals:

10 own goals: Richard Dunne

7 own goals: Martin Škrtel, Jamie Carragher, Phil Jagielka, Lewis Dunk

6 own goals: Jonny Evans, Séamus Coleman, Frank Sinclair, Ryan Shawcross, Wes Brown

5 own goals: Michael Duberry, Rio Ferdinand, Henning Berg, Zat Knight, Federico Fernández, Scott Dann, John O’Shea, Phil Neville, Richard Rufus, Neil Ruddock, Gareth McAuley, Ben Mee, Craig Dawson

As you can see, own goals don’t discriminate — even internationals and top-flight players aren’t immune. They bring a cocktail of emotions: jubilation if it benefits your team, or devastation when it’s your own side that suffers. Sometimes, it feels even sweeter than a ‘real’ goal — and other times, it’s a nightmare that lives on in highlight reels forever.

One thing's for sure — when it comes to own goals, truth really is stranger than fiction.