Football
Unluckiest Players in Premier League History (Most Own Goals)
Few moments in football are as hard to bear as an own goal, the ultimate nightmare of a defender. Unlike a missed opportunity by a striker or a blunder by a goalkeeper, an own goal feels like a stinging humiliation, replayed endlessly and often remembered long after the match has ended. More often than not, it's bad luck: a deflection off the shin, a desperate slide to keep the ball out of reach of an opponent, or a missed header under pressure. However, for some players, especially those with long and eventful careers at the heart of defence, the number of own goals can accumulate over time.
Richard Dunne of QPR scores an own goal past Alex McCarthy//Getty Images
Rather than a sign of incompetence, it often shows how deeply involved they were in the game's big moments. From Premier League stalwarts to international veterans, these own-goal scorers have been forever remembered, to their own misfortune. Oops!
SB Market Index: How We Evaluate the Premier League's Unluckiest Defenders
This evaluation combines a statistical analysis of their total own goals with media and fan perception to provide a comprehensive ranking of the players most associated with this record.
Industry Insights
A curated analysis from top 10 football and sports media sources measures how prominently each of these players is featured in discussions of the "most own goals in Premier League history."
Industry Insights
| Source Name | Richard Dunne | Lewis Dunk | Phil Jagielka | Martin Škrtel | Séamus Coleman | Ryan Shawcross | Jonny Evans | Wes Brown | Jamie Carragher | Frank Sinclair |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier League Official Site – "All-Time Own Goal Stats" | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Sky Sports – "The Premier League's Unwanted Records" | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| talkSPORT – "Ranking the Kings of the Own Goal" | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| The Guardian – "A Tribute to Richard Dunne" feature | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bleacher Report – "Ranking the PL's Unluckiest Players" | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Goal.com – "Who has scored the most own goals in PL history?" | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| ESPN – "The Premier League's Own Goal XI" | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Planet Football – "A Shaggy-Dog Story about Frank Sinclair" | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 90min – "The Top 10 Own Goal Scorers in PL History" | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Reddit r/soccer – "Funniest/Worst Own Goal" threads | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total Mentions | 9 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 8 |
SB Score
| Player | Own Goals | SB Score |
| Richard Dunne | 9 | 1.000 |
| Lewis Dunk | 7 | 0.778 |
| Phil Jagielka | 7 | 0.778 |
| Martin Skrtel | 7 | 0.778 |
| Séamus Coleman | 6 | 0.667 |
| Ryan Shawcross | 6 | 0.667 |
| Jonny Evans | 6 | 0.667 |
| Wes Brown | 6 | 0.667 |
| Jamie Carragher | 6 | 0.667 |
| Frank Sinclair | 6 | 0.667 |
This score is calculated based on the total number of own goals scored in the Premier League (100% weightage). The raw stats are used to calculate the final SB Score.
SB Market Index
| Rank | Player | SB Score | Industry Insights | SB Market Index |
| 1 | Richard Dunne | 1.000 | 9 | 7.400 |
| 2 | Martin Skrtel | 0.778 | 8 | 6.556 |
| 3 | Frank Sinclair | 0.667 | 8 | 6.533 |
| 4 | Lewis Dunk | 0.778 | 7 | 5.756 |
| 5 | Jamie Carragher | 0.667 | 7 | 5.733 |
| 6 | Phil Jagielka | 0.778 | 6 | 4.956 |
| 7 | Ryan Shawcross | 0.667 | 4 | 3.333 |
| 8 | Wes Brown | 0.667 | 4 | 3.333 |
| 9 | Séamus Coleman | 0.667 | 3 | 2.533 |
| 10 | Jonny Evans | 0.667 | 3 | 2.533 |
Richard Dunne: The Undisputed King of the Own Goal
When it comes to the Premier League’s most coveted ‘prize’, no one beats Lord Richard Dunne. Our SB Market Index puts him at the top of the list, thanks to his unrivalled tally of nine own goals and his presence in every media discussion on the subject. With the highest SB score and the strongest Industry Insights total, Dunne has become synonymous with the own goal in Premier League history.
A robust and reliable centre-back throughout a long career at Manchester City, Aston Villa and elsewhere, Dunne was rarely out of action. This constant involvement, last-minute clearances, lunging clearances and blocked shots under pressure, explains why he has so often found himself on the wrong side of fortune. While no defender dreams of holding such a record, Dunne's name is cemented in league folklore as the undisputed king of own goals, a reminder that even the most dedicated defenders can be betrayed by the bitter bounce of the ball.
The Notorious Finishers: Skrtel and Sinclair
Martin Škrtel and Frank Sinclair may not be at the top of the figures table, but their high scores on SB Industry Insights show how vividly they are remembered for their unfortunate contributions to Premier League folklore. Both defenders have become iconic in the category not just for their own goal frequency but also for their memorable nature.
Škrtel, a fearless presence in Liverpool’s defence, has scored seven own goals in the league, often in high-profile matches that have stuck in the minds of fans. His deflection past Pepe Reina against Manchester City in 2012 and another costly intervention against Chelsea ensured his name became a regular feature in the ‘own goal’ headlines.
Frank Sinclair’s reputation was sealed by a series of spectacularly unlucky moments during his time at Leicester City. His unfortunate deflection into his own goal against Middlesbrough in 2002 and another moment of horror against Sunderland were so famous that they became an internet meme.
The Modern and the Memorable: Dunk and Carragher
Lewis Dunk and Jamie Carragher are in very different chapters of Premier League history, but both have become synonymous with this reputation for being unstoppable.
Dunk, the long-serving Brighton captain, is the most important active player on the list, with seven own goals to his name. His presence here is less down to sheer bad luck and more to his style of play: a constant defender in the middle of the action, diving to crosses and blocking shots. This approach sometimes leads to unfortunate challenges, and then goals. However, his leadership and efficiency for Brighton ensure that these moments are remembered with a mixture of frustration and admiration, as part of the price of being a dedicated centre-back in the modern game.
Carragher, on the other hand, is etched in Premier League folklore with six own goals, all for Liverpool, the only club he ever represented. His famous goal against Manchester United at Anfield in 1999 remains one of the most talked about examples, replayed whenever own goal compilations appear on YouTube. For those who want to make Carragher's day difficult, these embarrassing moments are always a reminder.
Conclusion on the Premier League's Unluckiest Players
Our model clearly shows that Richard Dunne is the Premier League's all-time leading goalscorer. With a record nine own goals and near-universal recognition from both the press and fans, he is firmly established at the top of this unique and undesirable list.
However, as the cases of Dunne, Martin Škrtel, Frank Sinclair, Lewis Dunk and Jamie Carragher show, this record often comes less from mistakes and more from tireless involvement in defensive battles. The more a player throws himself into challenges, blocks and deflections at the highest level, the greater the risk of the ball going into the wrong goal. No defender dreams of holding this distinction, but it remains a by-product of long and dedicated careers spent right at the heart of the action.
With a strong background in journalism and years of experience in sports commentary, Dragoș Șoneriu has written about every aspect of sport, from match reports and features to tactical analyses and investigative pieces. A lifelong Arsenal fan, he dreams of seeing his beloved team lift the Premier League trophy. Outside of work, Dragoș collects anything football-related, from stickers and mugs to vintage shirts and scarves.