Scoring own goals is somewhat of an occupational hazard for defenders and down the years some have been unluckier than others when it comes to the embarrassment of putting the ball through your own net.
Here’s our rundown of the players who have scored the most own goals in Premier League history.
5 – Frank Sinclair (Six Own Goals)
Sinclair is often ridiculed for his comedy own goals while playing for Leicester City, particularly as he managed the feat on two consecutive weekends back in 1999 with two completely misplaced headers in the final minute of both games.
First of all he handed Arsenal a 2-1 win at Highbury when he somehow nodded into his own net from close range and then the next weekend he inexplicably did virtually the same thing at home to former club Chelsea to secure the Londoners an unlikely draw. An overhit back-pass to Ian Walker at Middlesbrough also features on his own goal highlights reel although to be fair to Sinclair the ball did sit up perfectly on that occasion for him to guide it past his own keeper!
He’s not the only player to score six own goals in the Premier League, though, with Jonny Evans, Wes Brown and Ryan Shawcross also having that unfortunate number of OG’s attached to their records.
4 – Phil Jagielka (Seven)
Jagielka is a well respected and dependable centre-back, who is still playing at the age of 39 in the Championship with Stoke City. ‘Jags’ made 254 league appearances for Sheffield United, before joining Everton in 2007 for who he went on to play 322 times in the top flight. He scored 14 goals at the right end for the Toffees, including a stunner to earn them a point at Anfield in the Merseyside derby in 2014, but he also racked up seven own goals throughout his career, with his most recent coming last April when he put through his own net to give Leeds a 2-1 win over Sheffield United at Elland Road.
Jagielka managed to accrue an impressive 40 caps for England as well but, on his fourth appearance for the Three Lions in August 2010, he also suffered the embarrassment of scoring an own goal at Wembley against Hungary.
3 – Martin Skrtel (Seven)
One of two Liverpool players on the list, Skrtel had the unhappy knack of scoring own goals fairly regularly during an eight-year spell at Anfield between 2008-16.
Four of the the Slovakian centre-back’s own goals came in a single season during the 2013-14 campaign – which was a record at the time that has since been equalled by Brighton’s Lewis Dunk. A particular low-point came in a game against Swansea City that year when he scored at the wrong end past Simon Mignolet and also gave away a penalty, although Liverpool did ultimately manage to come out on top, winning 4-3.
Skrtel, who managed a decent 16 league goals for the Reds at the right end, also scored own goals against Tottenham, Fulham, Hull City, West Ham United and Newcastle United.
2 – Jamie Carragher (Seven)
Liverpool stalwart and one-club man Carragher has now forged a successful career as a TV pundit after finally hanging up his boots in 2013 after making 737 senior appearances for the Merseysiders.
After scoring on his first league start against Aston Villa at Anfield in 1997, Carragher only managed another three goals throughout his career so he has the unfortunate accolade of scoring more own goals, with his tally of seven.
Manchester United fans will remember well their trip to Anfield in September 1999 when Carragher scored two own goals in front of the Kop to ensure the Red Devils came away with a 3-2 victory against their north-west rivals. He’s not the only player in Premier League history to score past his own keeper twice in one game, though, with Michael Proctor repeating the trick for Sunderland against Charlton in 2003 and Stoke City’s Jonathan Walters doing the same thing against Chelsea in 2013.
1 – Richard Dunne (Ten)
The king of Premier League own goals is Richard Dunne. The Republic of Ireland international incredibly managed to make it to double figures when he put through his own net for three of the clubs he played for, Manchester City, QPR and Aston Villa.
His first OG for City came in calamitous fashion against West Brom in December 2004 when a long ball deflected off him from outside the box and dribbled past a perplexed David James.
His infamous own goal record masks the fact that Dunne was an outstanding defender who read the game brilliantly and he was named City’s Player of the Year four years in a row between 2005-08.
In what has probably been a question in plenty of pub quizzes, the own goal record is not the only unwanted one Dunne holds. He’s also at the top of the list when it comes to who has been sent off the most times in the Premier League after he was shown red eight times in his 19-year career, along with Patrick Vieira and Duncan Ferguson.
