The Most Successful Goal Scorers In The Last Twenty Years In Manchester United History

A commonly-asked question in almost all Manchester United-related conversations is: ”which players have scored the highest goals in the past twenty years in Manchester United?” And this is not asked by football analysts alone, but also by punters who use bookies like Bet365 mobile. This question has been the topic of many football arguments and so we decided it is time to put it to rest once and for all.
For one, football statistics never lie, and in it lies the answers to this question. In this write-up, we will be bringing to you, in descending order, the top 5 Man United goal scorers in the last two decades. Here we go!

1. Wayne Rooney
2. Ruud Van Nistelrooy
3. Cristiano Ronaldo
4. Paul Scholes
5. Ryan Giggs

Wayne Rooney (253 Goals)

Coming first on the list is 37-years old Wayne Rooney who once played as Man United's forward for 13 years. After appearing in 559 club matches, he has an unbeaten track record of scoring 253 goals. This averages 0.45 per match.
In other words, it means Rooney scored almost one goal in every 2 matches he played for the Red Devils. In addition, besides being the top scorer in the past two decades, he is also the highest goal scorer of all time in Manchester United. Outstanding!

Ruud van Nistelrooy (150 Goals)

A young talent signed in 2001, Ruud van Nistelrooy was worth all the hype that surrounded his signing to Manchester United. In his relatively short term at the club, he was a very creative playmaker and goal-getter who appeared in just 219 matches during his career at Man U.
During this period, Nistelrooy, in his first three seasons, succeeded in beating Denis Law's all-time top scorer record in European competition. He also reached a total of 150 goals in only 219 appearances while starting fewer than 200 of these matches. Van Nistelrooy left Manchester United for Real Madrid in 2006.

Cristiano Ronaldo (144 Goals)

Popularly known as "World Best" or "Greatest Of All Time", C. Ronaldo's career skyrocketed from his first signing to Manchester United in 2003. He metamorphosed from an 18 years old player to an official best footballer on the planet in 2009. With him as a key player in the squad, Man United was catapulted to several domestic and European tournaments.
In Manchester United alone, he has scored an amazing 144 goals and is still counting. Ronaldo's 2007/08 campaign proved to be his best season to date as he scored a record 42 goals for Man U. Although he once left the club to explore the horizon, he returned in 2021 to play once again at his first club. He has now appeared in 341 matches in Manchester United between the years 2003 - 2009 and 2021 to date.

Paul Scholes (107 Goals)

In his whole football career, Paul Scholes played for Manchester United mostly as a striker. However, he was also an all-round playmaker who either played in the defensive, offensive or wide midfield position. From his signing to his early retirement, Scholes played in 718 matches and scored a total of 155 goals.
Currently, Scholes also comes fourth in the list of most goals scored in the last two decades. Between the years 2000 to 2013, he had 491 club appearances and scored a total of 107 goals. Scholes had to retire early because of a kneecap injury but till now, he is still a well-celebrated Manchester United legend.

Ryan Giggs (85 Goals)

Ryan Giggs is a phenomenal footballer who played his whole career at Manchester United. From his first signing in 1990 to his final appearance in 2014, he played in 963 matches and scored 168 goals. However, from 2000 to 2014, his total goals scored and appearances amounted to 85 and 563 respectively. And to date, this is still on the all-time of most goals scored in the last twenty years.
Giggs also holds the record for most matches played for Manchester United and no player comes close to beating this record. Less than two weeks after his last appearance as a footballer, he came around to be Manchester United's new assistant manager in 2014.

Conclusion