List of Bolton Wanderers F.C. records and statistics


is an English professional association football club based in Horwich, Bolton. The club was founded as Christ Church F.C. in 1874, making them one of the oldest football clubs in England, and turned professional in 1877, before joining the Football League as founder members in 1888. Bolton Wanderers currently play in League One, the third tier of English football. They were relegated from the top tier in 2012 but in their time as a professional club have played in all four professional English leagues.
This list encompasses the major honours won by Bolton Wanderers and records set by the club, their managers and their players. The player records section includes details of the club's leading goalscorers and those who have made most appearances in first-team competitions. It also records notable achievements by Bolton Wanderers players on the international stage, and the highest transfer fees paid and received by the club. The club's attendance records, both at The Reebok Stadium, their home since 1997, and Burnden Park, their home between 1895 and 1997, are also included in the list.
The club have won the FA Cup four times, but not since 1958, and have spent the majority of their history in the top flight of English football. Bolton also hold the record for the most years in the top flight of English football without winning the title; 73 years in total. The club's record appearance maker is Eddie Hopkinson, who made 578 appearances between his debut in 1952 and retirement in 1970, and the club's record goalscorer is Nat Lofthouse, who scored 285 goals in 503 games between 1946 and 1960.
All stats accurate as of end of 2018-19 season.

Honours

Domestic

League titles

All current players are in bold

Appearances

''Competitive matches only.
#NameCareerAppearances
1 1952–1970
2 1965–1980
3 1922–1937
3 1997–2012
5 1960–1975
6 1947–1965
7 1910–1931
8 1970–1983
9 1946–1960
10 1952–1966

Goalscorers

Competitive matches only.
#NameYearsTotal
1 1946–1960
2 1908–1927
3 1920–1928
4 1929–1937
5 1928–1947
6 1945–1955
7 1966–1976
8 1927–1932
9 1973–19811982–19831983–19841987–1988
10 1992–1997

International

This section lists all players who have played in a World Cup Finals game whilst playing for Bolton Wanderers F.C.
NameNationalityWorld Cup
Nat Lofthouse1954
Eddie Hopkinson1958
Tommy Banks1958
Jason McAteer1994
Per Frandsen1998
Mark Fish1998
Stig Tøfting2002
Youri Djorkaeff2002
Jared Borgetti2006
Radhi Jaïdi2006
Hidetoshi Nakata2006
Lee Chung-Yong2010
2014
Danny Shittu2010
Vladimír Weiss2010
Stuart Holden2010

European Championship participants

This section lists all players who have played in a European Championship Finals game whilst playing for Bolton Wanderers F.C.
NameNationalityEuros
Stelios Giannakopoulos2004
2008

Record transfer fees

Paid

Bolton Wanderers's record signing is Johan Elmander, who signed for the club from Toulouse for £8.2 million in June 2008. This beat the previous record of £8.0 million, which the club paid Fenerbahce for Nicolas Anelka in 2006
#NameFeeFromDateNotes
1 Johan Elmander£8.2m ToulouseJune 2008
2 Nicolas Anelka£8.0m FenerbahçeAugust 2006
3= Gary Cahill£5.0m Aston VillaJanuary 2008
3= Fabrice Muamba£5.0m Birmingham CityJune 2008
5= El Hadji Diouf£4.0m LiverpoolJune 2005
5= David N'Gog£4.0m LiverpoolAugust 2011
7= Grétar Steinsson£3.5m AZ AlkmaarJanuary 2008
7= Dean Holdsworth£3.5m WimbledonOctober 1997
7= Matthew Taylor£3.5m PortsmouthJanuary 2008

Progression of record fee paid

The club's first £1,000 transfer came in 1911, when they signed Alf Bentley from Derby County. They made their first £100,000 signing in 1978 with the transfer of Alan Gowling from Newcastle United for £120,000 and their first £1,000,000 transfer when they signed Gerry Taggart from Barnsley in 1995.
DatePlayerBought fromFee
1911 Alf BentleyDerby County£1,000
1920 David JackPlymouth Argyle£3,500
1921 Dick PymExeter City£5,000
1928 Jack McClellandMiddlesbrough£6,800
1948 Jim HernonLeicester City£14,850
1951 Harold HassallHuddersfield Town£27,000
1967 Gareth WilliamsCardiff City£50,000
1967 Terry WhartonWolverhampton Wanderers£70,000
1977 Frank WorthingtonLeicester City£90,000
1978 Alan GowlingNewcastle United£120,000
1978 Neil McNabTottenham Hotspur£250,000
1979 Len CantelloWest Bromwich Albion£350,000
1994 Fabian de FreitasFC Volendam£400,000
1995 Chris FaircloughLeeds United£500,000
1995 Gerry TaggartBarnsley£1,500,000
1997 Robbie ElliottNewcastle United£2,500,000
1997 Dean HoldsworthWimbledon£3,500,000
2005 El Hadji DioufLiverpool£4,000,000
2006 Nicolas AnelkaFenerbahçe£8,000,000
2008 Johan ElmanderToulouse£8,250,000

Received

The largest fee that Bolton Wanderers have received for one of their players was the £15million that Chelsea paid for the services of Nicolas Anelka during the transfer window of January 2008. Four years later, Bolton received their second largest transfer fee, also from Chelsea, for defender Gary Cahill.
#NameFeeFromDateNotes
1 Nicolas Anelka£15.0mChelseaJanuary 2008
2 Gary Cahill£7.0mChelseaJanuary 2012
3 Gary Madine£6.0mCardiff CityJanuary 2018
4= Jason McAteer£4.5mLiverpoolSeptember 1995
4= Alan Thompson£4.5mAston VillaJune 1998
6 Nathan Blake£4.25mBlackburn RoversOctober 1998
7= Saša Ćurčić£4.0mAston VillaAugust 1996
7= Claus Jensen£4.0mCharlton AthleticJuly 2000
7= Eiður Guðjohnsen£4.0mChelseaJuly 2000
7= Kevin Nolan£4.0mNewcastle UnitedJanuary 2009
7= Ali Al-Habsi£4.0mWigan AthleticJuly 2011

Club records

League Highs and Lows

Record wins

Below is Bolton Wanderers' record in Europe. As of 2008 they have appeared in the UEFA Cup twice, losing only two games in the process.