Goalscorer Betting
Goalscorer betting is wagering on a specific player to score, and it comes in three flavours: anytime (they score at any point), first (they score the opening goal of the match), and last (they score the final goal). Anytime is the forgiving one — every goal counts whenever it comes. First and last are tighter, more specific calls, which is why they pay more. The trap most casuals fall into is reaching for the bigger first-scorer price without clocking how much harder it is to land.
How books price the scorers
The price on a player comes down to how many goals they’re expected to be involved in, and that’s driven by a few real factors:
- Penalty takers carry shorter anytime odds — a guaranteed scoring route the rest of the team doesn’t have.
- Strikers over midfielders. The further forward and more central a player’s role, the more shots and the shorter the price.
- Minutes on the pitch. A nailed-on 90-minute starter is shorter than a player who might be subbed at 60 or only come off the bench.
- The opponent. A prolific striker against a leaky defence shortens; against a disciplined back line, he drifts.
A rough shape of where the markets sit for the same in-form striker in a winnable game:
| Market | Typical price | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| Anytime scorer | ~2.00 | One goal, any time |
| First scorer | ~5.00 | His goal is the match’s first |
| Last scorer | ~6.00 | His goal is the match’s last |
Why first scorer is usually the worse bet
First scorer looks like better value because the price is more than double the anytime line. It isn’t. For your player to score first, two things must happen: he scores, and nobody on either team scores before him. In a game that might see three or four goals, the odds of your man getting the very first one are genuinely small — the market just doesn’t reward that extra risk proportionally. A worked example: R50 on a striker anytime at 2.00 returns R100 if he scores in the 80th minute. The same R50 on him as first scorer at 5.00 returns R250 — but only if his is the opening goal. Score in the 80th after two earlier goals and the first-scorer slip is dead while the anytime slip pays. For most punters most of the time, anytime is the smarter line.
Reading a striker’s role
Don’t bet the name, bet the role. A striker who plays on the shoulder of the last defender in a side that creates chances is a different proposition from a target man in a team that rarely attacks. Ask: does he take the penalties? Is he the focal point or a runner feeding someone else? Does his team actually create, or does he survive on scraps? A 9 in a possession side that batters the box is worth backing; the same player in a team that defends for 90 minutes is a trap at any price.
The dead-cert trap
There is no dead cert in goalscorer markets. The biggest star in the league can play 90 minutes, have six shots, and not score — it happens constantly because football is low-scoring and luck-soaked. Backing a marquee name anytime at a cramped price because he always scores is how casuals bleed money: you’re paying over the odds for a coin-flip dressed up as a certainty. Treat every goalscorer bet as the genuine maybe it is, and stake accordingly.
Goalscorer betting pairs naturally with correct score for a scorecast, or with both teams to score when you fancy goals at both ends. These markets run live at Scorebet — browse the full set in the the full set of soccer bet types.
Frequently asked
What does anytime goalscorer mean?
You're betting that a chosen player scores at any point in the match — first goal, last goal or anywhere between. It's the most forgiving of the goalscorer markets because every goal the player gets counts, no matter when it lands.
Is first or anytime goalscorer better value?
Anytime is the smarter bet for most punters. First scorer demands not just that your player scores but that nobody scores before them, which is a much harder ask for a far smaller price increase than the extra risk deserves.
Do goalscorer bets pay if the player scores from a penalty?
Yes, in standard rules a penalty counts as a goal for goalscorer markets. Own goals don't count for any player. This is why nominated penalty takers carry shorter anytime prices than their open-play output alone would suggest.
What happens to a first-scorer bet if your player comes on after the opening goal?
Most books apply a substitute rule on first-scorer markets: if your player is on the bench when the first goal is scored, the bet isn't dead — it's usually settled as an anytime bet instead, paying out if he scores at any later point. Always confirm the operator's rule, because some void it outright. It's the safety net that makes a first-scorer punt on a likely sub less of a write-off than it looks.
Why is last goalscorer often the worst-value of the three scorer markets?
You can't know which goal is the last one until the final whistle, so the result is pure hindsight — a late substitute or a stoppage-time scrambler can steal it from your striker who's already done his job. The market prices in that randomness, but rarely generously enough for how unpredictable the closing minutes are. Of anytime, first and last, the last-scorer line is usually the one to leave alone.