Gary Lineker vs Teddy Sheringham: Stats Compared
Striker, England (born 1960, retired 1994) · Striker, England (born 1966, retired 2008)
Gary Lineker and Teddy Sheringham represent two answers to the same question: how do you define a great? Position shapes everything in football, and these two fulfilled very different briefs. Across his senior career Gary Lineker notched 330 goals in 567 appearances (0.58 per game), while Teddy Sheringham recorded 320 in 900 (0.36 per game). Assists were not reliably tracked for much of their careers, which makes the playmaking comparison an imperfect one; where records exist, Gary Lineker is credited with 0 and Teddy Sheringham with 130. Gary Lineker departs the game with 9 major pieces of silverware, including 1× Copa del Rey (1988); Teddy Sheringham with 4, including 1× UEFA Champions League (1999). As a striker Gary Lineker bent the role to a ruthless template; as a striker, Teddy Sheringham redefined it with explosive authority. The wider career context matters too: Gary Lineker peaked around 1986 after representing Leicester City, Everton, Barcelona, Tottenham, while Teddy Sheringham's defining level came around 1999 across Millwall, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Portsmouth, West Ham United, Colchester United. Arguments will run and run, which is exactly why the matchup endures.
190 words · comparison angle: role
Player profiles
Gary Winston Lineker (born 30 November 1960) is an English sports broadcaster, businessman, and former professional footballer who played as a striker. Regarded as one of the best players of his generation and one of England's greatest players, Lineker is the only player to have been the top goalscorer in England with three clubs: Leicester City, Everton, and Tottenham Hotspur. He also played for Barcelona in Spain, and won 80 caps for England.
“A model penalty-box striker whose timing and finishing were almost never wasted.”
A cerebral, late-developing striker, Sheringham scored the injury-time equaliser in Manchester United's 1999 Champions League final and remains the Premier League's oldest ever goalscorer.
“An intelligent, deep-dropping forward whose clever hold-up play and vision created space for quicker strike partners.”
Head-to-head stats
Career goals by season
Representative career seasons — goals per season for each player across their documented clubs.
Attribute radar
Attribute ratings are peak-era, 0–100. Different positions naturally skew the profile.
Attribute comparison
Trophy breakdown
- 1× Copa del Rey (1988)
- 1× UEFA Champions League (1999)
- 2× Premier League (1999, 2000)
- 1× FA Cup (1999)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 1978 Established himself at Leicester City
- 1982 Reached his defining peak
- 1986 Delivered a landmark season
- 1994 Retired from professional football
- 1984 Professional debut for Millwall
- 1999 Won UEFA Champions League with Manchester United
- 1999 Won FA Cup with Manchester United
- 1999 Reached the peak of his powers at Manchester United
- 2008 Retired after a final spell at Colchester United
- Finished his career with 320 goals in 900 appearances and 4 major honours. Finished his career with 320 goals in 900 appearances and 4 major honours.
The verdict
Reasonable people will disagree, but Gary Lineker wins out by a decisive margin on the weight of a weightier trophy cabinet.
Gary Lineker edges it (a decisive margin)
