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The modern-day Championship was formed in 2004
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The average Championship salary is an estimated £29,000 per week
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Billy Sharp is the most prolific goal scorer in Championship history with 130 goals
Seasons as Championship Top Scorer
Since 2004, only two players have finished as Championship top scorer on multiple occasions. Sylvan Ebanks-Blake achieved the feat in consecutive seasons in 2007-08 and 2008-09, scoring 48 goals across the two campaigns.
Ebanks-Blake spent the first half of 2007-08 with Plymouth Argyle before joining Wolves, where he scored 51 goals in 101 Championship appearances across two-and-a-half seasons.
Aleksandar Mitrovic joined Ebanks-Blake with two seasons as top goal scorer in 2021-22. Mitrovic shared the goal-scoring lead with Ollie Watkins in 2019-20, with the pair tied on 26 apiece.
After one season in the Premier League, Fulham dropped back down to the Championship in 2021, and Mitrovic finished as top scorer for the second time in three seasons with 43 goals in 44 outings.
Most Goals In A Championship Season
Aleksandar Mitrovic’s dominant 2021-22 season was the most prolific in Championship history, shattering previous records.
Glenn Murray’s 30 goals for Crystal Palace in 2012-13 were the record until 2020-21, when he was overtaken by Ivan Toney, who netted 31 for Brentford.
Mitrovic blew both of those seasons out the water in 2021-22, netting 43 goals as Fulham topped the table.
The Serbian international has been a dominant force whenever he has featured in Championship odds. Over 126 second tier appearances, the former Newcastle striker has netted a whopping 96 goals.
Highest Scorers in Championship History
Daryl Murphy – 93
Daryl Murphy was a true Championship journeyman appearing for five different clubs in the second tier of English football.
Murphy had by far his best season in 2014-15 with Ipswich, when he found the net 27 times.
An Irish international with over 30 caps, Murphy never reached those heights elsewhere. He had just three other seasons with a double-digit goal tally.
Nahki Wells – 94
First breaking through with Bradford City in League One and League Two, Nahki Wells jumped up to the Championship with Huddersfield in 2013-14.
A foray into the Premier League with Burnley proved a step too far for Wells, who had two loan stints with QPR while on Burnley’s books.
He has since signed for Bristol City, but hasn't exactly been competing in Golden Boot betting. Wells hasn’t scored more than 13 goals in a Championship season since 2015-16.
Lukas Jutkiewicz – 95
Despite making Championship appearances for six clubs, there’s no uncertainty over which club Lukas Jutkiewicz is most closely associated.
Of his 443 appearances, 284 have come for Birmingham City. Jutkiewicz has been synonymous with Birmingham through some hard times.
His place on this list is secured through longevity rather than prolific finishing, though. No player in the top 20 scorers has needed more minutes per goal.
Troy Deeney – 95
An icon at Watford and now playing for his hometown club, Troy Deeney has featured in eight Championship seasons, scoring 95 goals in the process.
Deeney is one of the highest-profile footballers in the second tier.
Of course, his most famous moment actually came in the playoffs with the dramatic ‘do not scratch your eyes’ goal against Leicester in 2013.
Lewis Grabban – 112
Of the top 12 goal scorers in Championship history, Lewis Grabban has the best minutes-per-goal ratio.
Grabban played for eight clubs in the Championship, and had some short and unsuccessful spells in the Premier League.
His strongest seasons were with Bournemouth in 2013-14 and Nottingham Forest in 2019-20. In 2022, he moved to Al-Ahli. It seems unlikely he will return to English football to improve his Championship tally.
Chris Martin – 114
Like Grabban, Chris Martin has played for eight clubs in the Championship, a total which has been boosted by several loan moves.
Martin has been a regular in the second tier, providing a physical presence up top.
Averaging less than a goal every three matches, his numbers have never been particularly eye-catching, yet he’s clearly doing something right for so many clubs to take an interest.
Ross McCormack – 120
Winner of the Golden Boot in 2013-14 and twice named to Team of the Year, many will remember Ross McCormack for his failed big-money move to Aston Villa.
McCormack, though, had warranted such a fee after a string of excellent seasons with Leeds and Fulham.
His career never recovered after flopping at Villa Park. Loans to Australia and Scotland did not help he regain his previous form, and his international career also came to an end.
David Nugent – 121
The former record holder David Nugent was a consistent goal scorer in the Championship for a long time.
Nugent scored regularly for Preston and Leicester with some disappointing Premier League seasons in between.
In the latter stage of his career, Nugent was unable to replicate that sort of production with Middlesbrough, Derby and a second spell at Preston.
His 238 minutes per goal mark is not a fair representation of how clinical he was during his peak.
Jordan Rhodes – 123
Despite three consecutive seasons with 21 or more goals for Blackburn, Jordan Rhodes never won the Golden Boot.
He was sensational for a four-year stretch, which is when he accumulated the majority of this tally.
Since then, a return to Huddersfield Town and spells with Norwich and Sheffield Wednesday have not come close to that level.
Rhodes could yet finish his playing days atop this list, but it is a career of what might have been.
Billy Sharp – 130
The leading scorer in Championship history, Billy Sharp has appeared for six clubs in the division, finding the net 130 times.
His best season was in 2018-19 during his second stint with Sheffield United.
Sharp is the archetypal Championship striker. A reliable goal scorer outside the topflight, he never got the chance at the big time during his peak, and was not productive when he played in the Premier League in his thirties.
European All-Time Top Scorers:
*Credit for all photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
