20 Years of NIFG - The Top 20s!
Day 19: Most Appearances by Northern Ireland Internationals in the Scottish Leagues
Games in all divisions of the Scottish Football League #SFL, Scottish Premier League #SPL and Scottish Professional Football League #SPFL since 1890
#GAWA #NornIron 20. Neil Lennon
40 #NornIron caps (1994-2002)
215 SPL appearances
2000/01-2006/07
Celtic

20 Years of NIFG - The Top 20s!

Day 18: Northern Ireland's Oldest Internationals
More details:
nifootball.blogspot.com/2006/11/good-o… 20. Jonny Evans
Age: 36 years, 157 days
Final #NornIron cap: 8th June 2024
Total #NornIron caps: 107 (2006-2024)

20 Years of NIFG - The Top 20s!

Day 17: Most Penalties Scored by Northern Ireland Internationals in English Football

(Data largely scraped from the ENFA website. If you know of a similar source for other countries, please let me know)

#GAWA #NornIron 20. David Healy
12 penalties scored
1999/00-2012/13
Preston North End, Leeds United, Bury
95 #NornIron caps (2000-2013)

20 Years of NIFG - The Top 20s!

Day 16: Northern Ireland's Most Capped Brothers

#GAWA #NornIron

For more visit:
nifootball.blogspot.com/2008/10/family… 20. The McCLATCHEYs
4 Ireland caps (1886-1895)
John (Distillery) 3 caps (1886)
Tommy (Distillery) 1 cap (1895)

20 Years of NIFG - The Top 20s!

Day 15: Northern Ireland Goalkeepers with Fewest Goals Conceded per 90 Minutes

#GAWA #NornIron 20. Allen McKnight
10 #NornIron caps (1987-1989)
1.40 goals conceded / 90 mins
14 goals / 900 minutes
@goaliemck1

20 Years of NIFG - The Top 20s!

Day 14: Most Appearances by Northern Ireland Internationals in European and International Club Competition

#GAWA #NornIron player's games in UEFA Champions Cup/League, Fairs/UEFA Cup/Europa League, Cup Winner's Cup, Conference League, Intertoto Cup, Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup or Intercontinental/Toyota Cup.

Video available here:

20 Years of NIFG - The Top 20s!

Day 13: Most Appearances by Northern Ireland Internationals in "Mainland" Europe

Games played by senior #NornIron caps for European clubs outside of the UK & Ireland. May also include some island states. 20. Ross McCausland
Aros Limassol (CYP)
2025/26 21 apps
5 #NornIron caps (2023-2024*)

20 Years of NIFG - The Top 20s!

Day 12: Top Scoring Northern Ireland Internationals for Irish League/NIFL Clubs

Historical stats for the Irish League are incomplete, but these are 20 of the highest scorers to have played domestically and been awarded senior caps by the Irish FA Players with a "+" are likely to have scored more than the tally shown.

If you can help bulk out any of these stats, please get in touch!

20 Years of NIFG - The Top 20s!

Day 11: Northern Ireland Internationals While Playing in Great Britain

Players who have won 5 or more "major" trophies while attached to clubs in England, Scotland and Wales.

View the video version here:


#GAWA #NornIron 20. Dave Craig
25 #NornIron caps (1967-1974)
5 trophies
(with Newcastle United)
FA Youth Cup 1961/62
Fairs Cup 1968/69
Anglo-Italian Tournament 1972/73
Texaco Cup 1973/74, 1974/75

20 Years of NIFG - The Top 20s!

Day 10: Longest serving Northern Ireland Internationals 20. Mal Donaghy
14 years, 26 days
91 #NornIron caps (1980-1994)

20 Years of NIFG - The Top 20s!

Day 9: Most Goals by Northern Ireland Internationals in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿English League Football

Top goalscoring senior (Northern) Ireland caps in the Football League (EFL) and Premier League since 1888. 20. Tommy Eglington
6 Ireland caps (1946-1948) / 24 Eire caps (1946-1955)
112 EFL goals (1946/47-1960/61)
Everton 76 gls
Tranmere Rovers 36 gls

20 Years of NIFG - The Top 20s!

Day 8: Most Clean Sheets by Northern Ireland's International Goalkeepers🧤 20. Bobby Irvine (1962-1965)
8 #NornIron caps / 2 clean sheets (25%)

20 Years of NIFG - The Top 20s!

Day 7: Most Goals by Northern Ireland Internationals in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Scottish League Football

Goals scored in all tiers of the Scottish Football League, Scottish Premier League and Scottish Professional Football League since 1890. 20. Charlie Tully
10 #NornIron caps (1948-1958)
30 goals
1948/49-1958/59
Celtic

20 Years of NIFG - The Top 20s!

Day 6: Northern Ireland Internationals with the Most Games as Manager in English & Scottish Football

#NornIron senior internationals to have managed clubs in the EFL/Premier League/Scottish Football League/SPL/SPFL, including all cup games. 20. Sammy McIlroy
88 #NornIron caps (1972-1986)
403 club managerial games (1997/98-2010/11)
33% wins
Macclesfield (also in non-league), Stockport County, Morecambe (also in non-league)

20 Years of NIFG - The Top 20s!

Day 5: Northern Ireland's Youngest Internationals 20. Shaw Gillespie (Hertford)
Debut: 27th February 1886
Age: 18 years, 35 days
Total Ireland Caps: 6 (1886-1887)

20 Years of NIFG - The Top 20s!

Day 4: 4th of July Secial!
Most Appearances by Northern Ireland Internationals in Major North American Soccer Leagues!

Including the American Soccer League (ASL), United Soccer Association National Professional Soccer League (NPSL), NASL and MLS. 20. Ronnie Blair
5 #NornIron caps (1974-1976)
18 appearances (1978 NASL)
Colorado Caribous

20 Years of NIFG - The Top 20s!

Day 3: Most Capped Northern Ireland Internationals

The players with the most appearances for Ireland/Northern Ireland since 1882. 20. Dave McCreery
67 caps
1976-1990

20 Years of NIFG - The Top 20s!

Day 2: Top Goalscorers in European Club Competitions

Goals by full Northern Ireland internationals in the UEFA Champions Cup/League, Cup Winners' Cup, Fairs/UEFA Cup/Europa League, Conference League, Super Cup & Intertoto Cup

#NornIron #GAWA 20. Michael Gault
1 #NornIron cap (2008)
3 European goals
Linfield, Ballymena United

To mark our 20th birthday I'll be posting up a random #NornIron related Top 20 every day of the month!

Day 1: MOST GAMES BY NORTHERN IRELAND INTERNATIONALS IN THE ENGLISH LEAGUES 20: Pat Rice
509 apps (1967/68-1983/84)
Arsenal and Watford

We all know, but for an incorrect off-side flag, #NornIron would've won the 1982 World Cup. I'd not be so bold as to say we'd definitely have followed that up with a Euro 84 win had we correctly qualified based on our H2H record vs West Germany but ... ... given our record against these teams, we'd definitely have made the semis. We beat Spain in Spain, we finished above Portugal in the 1982 qualifiers and did the double over of Romania in the 86 qualifiers ...

Can you Adam n Eve it? 30 years on from the Bermuda Triangle debacle, misfortune hits the #NornIron squad once again shortly after their arrival in France for Euro 2016...
... the #NornIron team coach is hijacked by French farmers after the Executive refused to serve frogs legs in the Stormont cafeteria, and the team held hostage...