The Knowledge explores players with more own goals than career goals

The Guardian Sport • 1 min read • Latest: Oct 14, 2026, 7:00 AM

Last updated Oct 14, 2026

The Knowledge explores players with more own goals than career goals
Summary

The Guardian's Knowledge segment addresses the question of players who ended their careers with more own goals than goals scored for their teams. It highlights Southampton's Francis Benali, known for scoring one official goal and several notable own goals, though comprehensive statistics on his career are lacking. The piece invites readers to submit more questions or comments about football history and trivia.

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By the Numbers
  • •The Knowledge addresses own goals vs. goals scored in a career.
  • •Francis Benali scored only one goal for his team.
  • •Benali is known for several notable own goals.
  • •Readers are invited to contribute more questions about football trivia.
Latest Updates
  • 7:00 AMThe Guardian Sport — Have any footballers ended their career with more own goals than goals? | The Knowledge
What they're saying
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Plus: the earliest trophyless seasons, scoring off one’s backside (part II) and the origins of ‘shithousery’ Mail us with all of your questions and answers “How many professional players have ended their senior careers with more own goals than goals for their own team?” wonders Peter Clark. In the past we’ve looked at the players with the most own goals, but we haven’t looked at those who ended their professional career in debit. “Southampton cult hero Francis Benali scored only one ‘positive’ goal in his career and was legendary for banging in goal-of-the-month contenders at his own end, most notably a bullet header against Oldham in the 1993-94 season,” writes Daz Pearce. We could only find a couple of OGs for Benali, the other being against Manchester United in 1999-2000. But we were unable to find a comprehensive Southampton database, so there’s a chance we’ve missed some beauties. Continue reading...

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