Football
The Longest Goal Ever Scored in Football
You might begin thinking about your favourite striker, or players like Wayne Rooney, Xabi Alonso and David Beckham, but you might be shocked to find out that the longest goal scored in football belongs to a goalkeeper – a goalkeeper from League Two! Alonso scored an absolute pearler against Newcastle and Beckham was immortalized after his strike against Wimbledon – but you would have to add around 35 yards to get close to the longest goal’s distance.
Tom King of Wolverhampton Wanderers//Getty Images
Okay, enough flirting with the topic – here it is. Who scored the longest goal? SportsBoom gives you all you need to know.
Have you Ever Heard of Tom King?
That’s right, the longest goal scored in football history belongs to goalkeeper Tom King. He scored from about 105 yards (96.01m) in a match for Newport Country against Cheltenham Town.
On the 19th of January 2021, King would score directly from a goal-kick during the match. Ironically, it wasn’t enough to win the game, he would later concede a goal as well, though the goal itself found its way into the Guinness Book of World Records.
Interestingly, the previous record was held by Asmir Begovic – another goalkeeper. His record would survive for a period of a little over seven years, and was a clearance during a Southampton attack which resulted in a goal for Stoke City.
Thankfully for Begovic, his name remains in the famous book and at least one record from that strike as surpassed the test of time. It remains the fastest goal ever scored by a keeper (coming just 13 seconds into the game).
Longest Goals in Football History
A look at the top five longest goals in football history.
Andy Lonergan
In 2004, Lonergan recorded a goal from his own box. The English keeper achieved the goal which saw his name etched into history in a Championship game against Leicester, scoring from 91m out and earning his side a valuable point.
Tim Howard
Largely considered an Everton legend, he has played a little around 414 games across all competitions for the Toffees. In a game against Bolton, Howard would clear a back pass and see it travel a touch over 91m into the opposing net. Respectfully, Tim wouldn’t celebrate the goal as he saw it as absolute luck.
Matias Dituro
In April 2017, Bolivar keeper, Matias Dituro, would slot the ball into an unguarded opposing net after the opposition keeper came up high to contribute to a last-minute penalty.
Thankfully, he saw his side win the game 3-1 and celebrated the goal with absolute fervor!
Asmir Begovic
An attempted clearance from Begovic would see him hold the record for the longest goal for seven years. In truth, his name was already cemented as a club legend at Stoke City – but this would have only endeared him to the Potter’s faithful even more.
Tom King
Well, as you now know – Tom is the King and the rest is history.
Ryan Liberty is an experienced sports writer whose articles have featured in some of the biggest sports publications in South Africa. With a strong understanding of all major sports and an in-depth understanding of betting, Ryan consistently delivers insightful content. He's also known for his ability to break down complex topics into engaging, reader-friendly pieces.