Will Jimmy McGrory’s 502 goals for Celtic ever be beaten?

Celtic are one of the most historic clubs in the history of the world game, having enjoyed a long tradition of winning silverware at home and abroad.

Many players have played a big part in the Hoops’ success by being prolific in front of goal. However, who are the most prolific players in the history of the Glasgow giants?

Jimmy McGrory (502 goals scored in 477 appearances for Celtic in all competitions)

The centre-forward joined the Hoops in 1922 and enjoyed a fantastic career with the Glasgow giants that lasted until 1937. During his 15-year spell with the club, he scored an incredible 502 goals in 477 competitive appearances.

The diminutive forward established himself as a club legend, helping the club win the Scottish top-flight title on three occasions during his playing days, as well as several other pieces of silverware.

McGrory became a manager after hanging up his boots, firstly at Kilmarnock, where he managed from 1937 until 1945. However, in 1945, he re-joined Celtic as boss and stayed with the Hoops until 1965.

Despite his long term as Celtic boss, McGrory guided the club to just one league title and two Scottish cups.

Bobby Lennox (301 goals scored in 599 appearances for Celtic in all competitions)

Lennox is a Celtic legend, having enjoyed two spells with the club from 1961-1978 and 1979-1980. The forward played for the Hoops for 16 seasons in his first spell, which was trophy-laden for the Glasgow giants.

After a short period with Houston Hurricane in the USA, Lennox returned to the club in 1979 for his second spell.

During his time with Celtic, he won an incredible 24 trophies, including 11 league titles, four League Cups and six FA Cups. However, the most famous triumph of his career came in the 1967 European Cup, when the Hoops recorded a 2-1 final victory over Inter Milan at Estadio Nacional in Lisbon.

Henrik Larsson (242 goals scored in 315 appearances for Celtic in all competitions)

The Swedish forward is a modern-day Celtic icon. Larsson joined the Hoops in 1997 from Feyenoord for a fee of around £650,000 after he had issues at the Rotterdam club. The fee proved to be a bargain one for the Scottish giants.

He spent seven years with the club, scoring an incredible 242 goals in 315 competitive appearances. His goals helped Celtic win the Scottish league title on four occasions, as well as two Scottish FA Cups.

Larsson won the Scottish Premier League Golden Boot in six of his seven seasons in Glasgow. He also won both the SFWA Footballer of the Year and SPFA Players’ Player of the Year in 1999 and 2001.

Jimmy Quinn (239 goals scored in 369 appearances for Celtic in all competitions)

The centre-forward joined Celtic in 1900 and stayed with the Glasgow club until 1917, scoring 239 goals in 369 competitive appearances. Quinn helped the Hoops to six Scottish league titles and five Scottish FA Cups.

Quinn was the first player to score two hat-tricks in Old Firm derby matches against arch-rivals Rangers. The only other player to achieve that feat since is former Rangers and Scotland forward Ally McCoist.

Stevie Chalmers (236 goals scored in 431 appearances for Celtic in all competitions)

Chalmers is another of the 1967 European Cup heroes. In fact, Chalmers scored one of the goals in the final against Inter.

The forward scored 236 goals in 431 appearances for the club. He joined the Hoops from lower league city rivals Ashfield in 1959.

As well as winning the European Cup with the Glasgow giants, Chalmers also helped the Hoops win four Scottish top-flight titles while winning the Scottish FA Cup on three occasions.

Sandy McMahon (200 goals scored in 261 appearances for Celtic in all competitions)

The forward joined Celtic in 1890 from Hibs at 20 and went on to score 200 goals in 261 competitive games for the Hoops.

McMahon was the first player in Celtic history ever to reach a century of goals for the Glasgow giants. His goalscoring achievements lead to the forward becoming the first-ever Celtic legend.

Patsy Gallacher (200 goals scored in 491 appearances for Celtic in all competitions)

The Irish inside-right joined the Hoops in 1911 from Clydebank Juniors and made his Celtic debut at 20 for the Glasgow club.

Gallacher was prolific in his 14 years with the Hoops, scoring a highly respectable 200 goals in 491 matches in all competitions.

During his time with Celtic, his goals helped the club to win six Scottish top-flight titles and four Scottish Cups. In 2019, Gallacher was inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame courtesy of his goalscoring feats.

John Hughes (197 goals scored in 435 appearances for Celtic in all competitions)

Nicknamed ‘Yogi’ after the famous cartoon bear due to his physique, Hughes joined the Hoops in 1959 from Shotts Bon Accord. Although he was part of the Celtic squad that won the 1967 European Cup, he missed out on the final against Inter because of an injury.

In his 12-year career with the club, Hughes scored 197 goals in 435 competitive appearances. During that time, he helped the Hoops win the Scottish top-flight title on four occasions, the Scottish Cup four times, and the League Cup on five occasions.

Hughes made eight international appearances for the Scotland national team from 1965 until 1969, scoring just one goal in the process.