Newcastle United's top goalscorers for England: Which Magpie has scored the most for the Three Lions?
Who has scored the most goals for England while actively representing Newcastle United?
Newcastle United have a long history with the England national team and right now, they have two players in Thomas Tuchel’s most recent squad.
Dan Burn received his first call-up in March at 32 years old, and the veteran defender was once again brought in for the October international break, joining winger Anthony Gordon in the squad. Despite his quality performances for Newcastle, Gordon has just one goal in 15 caps so far and with the 2026 World Cup racing into view, he’ll be desperate to add to that in order to cement his place in Tuchel’s starting XI.
If Gordon can score a few goals before heading to North America next summer, he’ll quickly climb up the all-time ranking for England goalscorers while active at Newcastle United. Who exactly is he chasing down on the list? Here are the top five.
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Which Newcastle United player has scored the most goals for England?
5. Peter Beardsley
- Caps: 25
- Goals: 3
Despite often being seen as a provider rather than a goalscorer, Peter Beardsley managed 119 goals across two spells with boyhood club Newcastle, ranking him sixth among their all-time goalscorers. Beardsley also enjoyed a respectable England career with nine goals in 59 caps. However, only 25 of those caps came while he was with the Magpies, during which the winger netted three goals. Beardsley is joined on three goals by Jock Rutherford and Ivan Broadis, who scored their goals in the pre-WW1 and pre-WW2 periods, respectively.
4. Malcolm Macdonald
- Caps: 14
- Goals: 6
‘Supermac’ was a force of nature for Newcastle, sitting one place above Beardsley in the club’s goalscoring charts with 121 in 228 games during the 1970s, reaching FA Cup and League Cup finals along the way. All 14 of Macdonald’s England caps came while at St. James’ Park, in which he scored six goals. However, five of those strikes came in one game when the Three Lions beat Cyprus 5-0 during Euro 76 qualifying - an ultimately unsuccessful campaign - though he did also bag in a 2-0 friendly win over West Germany.
3. Michael Owen
- Caps: 18
- Goals: 8
There was much excitement when Newcastle signed Michael Owen from Real Madrid in 2005, but that’s just when his hamstring injuries started to derail his career. Even so, the lethal striker still scored 30 goals in 79 appearances for the Magpies, often showing glimpses of his undoubted, Ballon d’Or-winning talent. That translated to the England scene, too, with eight of his 40 goals - sixth all-time for the nation - coming as a Newcastle player. That includes two dramatic late goals in a 3-2 friendly win over rivals Argentina.
2. Jackie Milburn
- Caps: 13
- Goals: 10
There aren’t many figures in Newcastle United history more legendary than Jackie Milburn. In fact, as the spearhead of a three-time FA Cup-winning side in the 1950s and with a stand named after him at St. James’ Park, you could argue he’s their most iconic figure ever. Milburn managed 13 caps for England between 1948 and 1955, at a time when there were simply fewer internationals and he had to compete against the likes of Nat Lofthouse, Stan Mortensen and Tommy Lawton.
Nevertheless, Milburn scored 10 goals for the Three Lions, including a hat-trick in a 4-1 win away in Wales in 1949. His final strikes were a brace as England beat Portugal 5-2 at Goodison Park in the ‘Festival of Britain Celebration Match’ in 1951.
1. Alan Shearer
- Caps: 35
- Goals: 20
If anyone holds a candle to Milburn, it’s Alan Shearer. The club’s record goalscorer, the only thing missing for ‘Big Al’ during his decade at St. James’ Park was the validation of a major trophy, though he did reach consecutive FA Cup finals in the late 90s. Shearer retired from international duty at just 29 years old after Euro 2000, meaning the Three Lions had to do without him at the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004, as he focused on prolonging his club career.
Even so, Shearer still sits joint-seventh alongside Lofthouse and Tom Finney on the England all-time goalscoring charts, with 30 goals in 63 caps. After a relatively slow start for his country - Euro 96 aside, just before he moved to his boyhood club - 20 of those goals came as a Newcastle player in just 35 caps.
Among Shearer’s most famous England goals during this period were strikes against Tunisia and Argentina at the 1998 World Cup and the winner against Germany in the Euro 2000 group stage - the only points England picked up in that tournament.
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