Victims of friendly fire.. Players who scored more own goals than their own goals

In a striking irony, the history of the game has witnessed cases of defenders whose goal tally in league competitions ended up with more own goals than the goals they scored for their teams, according to data reported by the British newspaper "The Guardian" and the website "GiveMeSport".

Bill Balmer.. 8 own goals against one goal

The Englishman Bill Balmer stands out among the players whose names have been linked to this irony, after scoring 8 own goals from open play during more than 300 matches he played in an Everton shirt at the beginning of the twentieth century.

In contrast, Balmer scored only one goal for the English team, which came from a penalty kick, making his goal tally a rare irony in football records.

Luigi Zannier.. Double the own goals

Italian defender Luigi Zannier scored 3 league goals during his career with several clubs, including Milan, Padova, and Catania, but he scored 6 own goals, which is double his goals for the teams he represented.

Zannier stood out during the fifties and sixties of the last century, and played for a number of Italian clubs, including Atalanta, Verona, and Milan, with whom he won the local league title once.

Riccardo Ferri.. An irony in the Italian League

Italian defender Riccardo Ferri spent the largest part of his professional career with Inter Milan between 1981 and 1994, before moving to Fiorentina for two seasons, then retiring from football in 1996.

During his appearances in the league in an Inter shirt, Ferri scored 6 goals, compared to 8 own goals, with his negative record exceeding his goals scored in the competition.

However, the picture changes when calculating all tournaments, as Ferri added 3 goals for Inter in the Coppa Italia, which makes the superiority of his own goals limited to local league competitions.

Francis Benali.. One positive goal against two own goals

Englishman Francis Benali played about 379 matches during his professional career, during which he wore the Southampton shirt most of the time, in addition to limited appearances with Nottingham Forest.

The defender scored one goal for his team, during a 2-1 victory over Leicester City in the English Premier League in the 1997-1998 season, but he scored two own goals in the Southampton net.

The first own goal came against Oldham in the 1993-1994 season, and the second during a confrontation with Manchester United in the 1999-2000 season, making his negative record double his scored goals.

Jamie Carragher.. 7 own goals in a Liverpool shirt

Englishman Jamie Carragher defended the colors of Liverpool throughout his career with the first team, from his promotion in 1996 until his retirement in 2013, and played more than 700 matches in various competitions.

Despite his status as one of the most prominent defenders in the club's history, Carragher scored 4 goals for Liverpool, compared to 7 own goals, according to the figures in the report.

Among the most prominent of those moments was his scoring of two own goals in one match against Manchester United at Anfield on September 11, 1999, when Liverpool lost 2-3.

Carragher also scored an own goal in the 2006 FA Cup final against West Ham United, in a match that ended in a 3-3 draw, before Liverpool clinched the title on penalties.

Sven van Beek.. 8 own goals in the Dutch League

Dutch defender Sven van Beek is considered one of the names that stood out in the own goal records in the Dutch League, after spending about 12 seasons in the competition with the clubs Feyenoord, Willem II, and Heerenveen.

During 193 league matches, Van Beek scored 5 goals for the teams he played for, compared to 8 own goals, with his negative record exceeding his positive tally.

The Dutch defender moved to the Qatari club Al-Shahania in July 2024, coming from Heerenveen, to continue his professional career outside the Dutch League.