Top scorers in Manchester derby history: Erling Haaland to break the record? | OneFootball

The Manchester derby returns this weekend with the 199th edition of the fiercely contested rivalry between the two neighbours.

Enzo Maresca will take his Manchester City side west for the first time in his career while Michael Carrick is set to oversee his second derby, having beaten City last season.

All eyes will be on the big names, in particular Erling Haaland, who could make history if he has a very good game.

Here’s the top 10 goalscorers in Manchester derby history and where the Norwegian fits in.

10. Joe Spence – 8 goals in 14 games

Spence played his football in the post-WWI period and was at United for 14 years, making 510 appearances in that time.

He left the club as record scorer and appearance holder and bagged eight of those goals against City.

He did so in 14 games before leaving for Bradford in 1933.

9. Brian Kidd – 8 goals in 13 games

Kidd is unique on this list for he is the only player among the top 10 to have split his goals between both clubs.

The forward netted five during his seven years at United before adding a further three when he moved across the divide.

8. Erling Haaland – 8 goals in 10 games

The Norwegian is quickly rising up this list and should he score a hat-trick on Sunday, he will move joint level at the top.

All of Haaland’s eight goals have come in the league but he has not scored at Old Trafford since 2023.

7. Eric Cantona – 8 goals in 6 games

Cantona clearly loved playing against City as he scored an impressive eight goals in just six games against them.

The Frenchman only ever failed to score in one Manchester derby, his first, but from there he got at least a goal a game, including two in back-to-back games in the 1993-94 season.

Cantona scored against City more than he did any other team.

6. Colin Bell – 8 goals in 21 games

The City legend was not a prolific goalscorer against United but his longevity with the blue side of Manchester meant he racked up the goals.

He faced United 21 times in his career, scoring eight in that time with his best figures being a brace in two games.

5. Bobby Charlton – 9 goals in 27 games

Charlton faced City 27 times in his long United career but actually did not score too many goals until his latter years.

Having got three in his first 17 games against the local rivals, Charlton added another six in his final 10, including a brace at Old Trafford in 1960.

His record against City is satisfyingly split at nine wins, nine draws and nine defeats.

4. Sergio Aguero – 9 goals in 16 games

City’s all-time top scorer got nine of his 260 goals against United.

He scored in his first taste of the derby back in 2011 at Old Trafford as part of the 6-1 demolition.

That kickstarted a run that saw him score seven in seven and made him a feared sight for anyone of the red persuasion.

He faded a little in his later career, scoring just one in six, but his earlier work puts him high on this list.

3. Francis Lee – 10 goals in 19 games

City legend Lee was actually a bit slow going against the local rivals, failing to score in his first five games against them, but he certainly made up for lost time.

His first goal came in a 3-3 draw at Old Trafford in 1972 which was part of five consecutive Manchester derbies in which he scored in.

The best of those was a hat-trick at Old Trafford as part of a 4-1 win in 1970.

2. Joe Hayes – 10 goals in 17 games

Against no other team did Hayes score more goals than he did when facing United.

In 17 games, Hayes found the net 10 times, nine of which came in the league.

His best game came in 1955 when he scored two as City beat United 5-0 at Old Trafford.

1. Wayne Rooney – 11 goals in 31 games

Top of this list is Rooney who scored 11 Manchester derby goals in his United career.

Eight of them came in the league, with a further two in the FA Cup and one in the EFL Cup.

Those goals came in 31 matches against City with the local rivals being the team he has played the third most games against. Only Arsenal and Chelsea have faced Rooney more.

And of course, he is the author of arguably the most famous derby goal of all time after he scored a bicycle kick in 2011.