Vivian Woodward has now began to trend after an interesting claim was made about the football legend – one which should concern Tottenham’s Harry Kane.
It was the BBC who ignited the conversation after publishing a story about the man who was actually an architect by trade, while also playing for Tottenham in his widely successful career.
So, who is Woodward? And why should Kane be worried? Let’s take a look…
Vivian Woodward – England’s true record goalscorer?
Well, you may recall Kane being awarded a Golden Boot at Wembley on Sunday 26th March after netting his 54th England goal in a 2-1 win over Italy in Naples.
It saw him leapfrog Wayne Rooney’s tally of 53 goals to cement himself as England’s all-time record goalscorer.
Or so it seemed.
FC Clacton – one of Woodward’s old clubs – believe that he scored 90 goals for England before his death in 1954, with the Essex-based side still hunting for old memorabilia to reinforce their claims.
Norman Jacobs – a historian who wrote Vivian Woodward: Football’s Gentleman – believes the iconic figure actually scored 61 goals for England that were not officially recognised by the Football Association (FA).
Speaking about Woodward, Jacobs said: “In a day when it was a kick-and-rush type of football, he was very strategically minded. He was very astute. He would see the weaknesses in the opposition.
“He would – as the captain – organise and marshal his team. He was generally ahead of his time.”
Woodward is officially 10th on the list of England’s all-time record goalscorers with 29 goals in 23 appearances, behind the likes of Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, Jimmy Greaves and Michael Owen.
However – should the artefacts desired by FC Clacton be discovered – we could one day see Kane slip back to second in that list, with 61 of Woodward’s England goals technically lost in time, as things stand.