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.
The 10 greatest Rangers players of all time – ranked
Rangers have had plenty of legendary players turn out for them over the years.
ByRoss KilvingtonNov 29, 2024
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.
Player
Goals scored
Ally McCoist
355
Bob McPhail
261
Jimmy Smith
249
Jimmy Fleming
220
Derek Johnstone
210
Ralph Brand
206
Willie Reid
195
Willie Thornton
194
Robert Hamilton
184
Andy Cunningham
182
Billy Simpson
163
Jimmy Millar
162
Davie Wilson
157
Tommy Cairns
154
Alec Smith
152
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.