Ronnie Rooke

Ronnie Rooke
Personal information
Full name Ronald Leslie Rooke
Date of birth (1911-12-07)7 December 1911
Place of birth Guildford, Surrey, England
Date of death 9 June 1985(1985-06-09) (aged 73)
Place of death Bedford, Bedfordshire, England
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position Centre forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1931–1933 Guildford City 19 (20)
1932–1933 Woking 25 (29)
1933–1936 Crystal Palace 18 (6)
1936–1946 Fulham 287 (247)
1946–1949 Arsenal 88 (68)
1949–1950 Crystal Palace 45 (26)
1951–1954 Bedford Town 136 (96)
1954–1956 Haywards Heath Town 71 (67)
1956–1957 Addlestone 23 (13)
1959–1961 Bedford Town 50 (22)
Total 762 (594)
International career
1942 England (wartime) 1 (0)
Managerial career
1949–1950 Crystal Palace (player-manager)
1951–1953 Bedford Town (player-manager)
1954–1956 Haywards Heath Town (player-manager)
1956–1957 Addlestone (player-manager)
1959–1961 Bedford Town (player-manager)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ronald Leslie Rooke (7 December 1911 – 9 June 1985) was an English footballer who played as a centre forward. During his three decades' playing career, he scored at least 934 goals in 1030 official matches, among which more than 768 league goals at all levels. According to the RSSSF, he is the best league goalscorer of all time, and the fourth overall behind Erwin Helmchen, Josef Bican and Cristiano Ronaldo.