“Everybody would agree that a chance should be a goal. If I got five chances, I scored five goals – if I got seven then it was seven.”
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Josef Bican
Josef "Pepi" Bican was an Austrian and Czech professional footballer who played as a striker. He is regarded by some to be the greatest goalscorer in the history of the sport. He is considered by RSSSF as the third-most prolific goalscorer in history after Erwin Helmchen and Cristiano Ronaldo, with over 950 goals scored in 624 official matches. He scored 591 goals in 301 official games for Slavia…
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sports · Austrian-Czech footballer (1913–2001) · association football player · association football coach · athlete · also Josef Bican, Pepi Bican, Bican
Born 25 September 1913 · Died 12 December 2001 · Q352017
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2026· 3 entries
Public attention spiked: 2,686 Wikipedia readers in one day, 5.6× the usual 478, with 0 article edits.
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Public attention spiked: 8,539 Wikipedia readers in one day, 17.9× the usual 478, with 0 article edits.
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2023· 1 entry
The Sun: Josef Bican was ‘Czech Cristiano Ronaldo’ who would cost £300m today, but Portugal star still well off his 1,468 goals
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2021· 3 entries
MyJoyOnline: Ronaldo’s latest slice of history disputed: Czech FA claims Josef Bican scored 821 goals
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Sky Sports: Cristiano Ronaldo: Czech FA claims Juventus striker has not broken Josef Bican's goalscoring record
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Daily Post Nigeria: Josef Bican scored 821 goals not 759 – Czech football federation rejects Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal record
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2014· 1 entry
Sportskeeda: Josef Bican and his forgotten records
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2013· 1 entry
By Lionel Messi (21 games in La Liga, the Spanish league)
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2002· 1 entry
heraldscotland: Josef Bican: world's greatest goalscorer
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2001· 2 entries
Died 2001-12-12.
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The IFFHS (based on RSSSF statistics) declared Bican with 643 league goals, the most prolific scorer of the 20th century
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2000· 1 entry
The IFFHS awarded Bican the "Golden Ball" in recognition of his status as the greatest goalscorer of the 20th century
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1998· 1 entry
Bican was given a "Medal of Honour" by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) for being among the world's most successful top division goalscorers of all time
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1968· 1 entry
Where he had some success taking them from Division 4 to Division 2
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1955· 1 entry
As the all-time top goalscorer in the Czechoslovak First League with 447 goals
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1953· 1 entry
Played for SK Slavia Prague (1953–1955) — 29 appearances, 22 goals.
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1952· 3 entries
Won: Czechoslovak Second League with Hradec Králové (1952).
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Won award: Czechoslovak Second League top scorer (1952).
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Played for FC Hradec Králové (1952–1953) — 26 appearances, 53 goals.
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1950· 1 entry
Won award: Czechoslovak First League top scorer (1950).
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1949· 3 entries
Won award: Czechoslovak Second League top scorer (1949).
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Won: Czechoslovak Second League with Sokol Vítkovice Železárny (1949).
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Played for MFK Vítkovice (1949–1951) — 58 appearances, 74 goals.
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1948· 2 entries
Won award: Czechoslovak First League top scorer (1948).
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Won: Czechoslovak First League with Slavia Prague (1948).
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1947· 2 entries
Won: Czechoslovak First League with Slavia Prague (1946–47).
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Won award: Czechoslovak First League top scorer (1946–47).
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1946· 1 entry
Won award: Czechoslovak First League top scorer (1945–46).
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1945· 1 entry
Won: Liberty Cup with Slavia Prague (1945).
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1944· 3 entries
Won award: Czechoslovak First League top scorer (1943–44).
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Won: Central Bohemian Cup with Slavia Prague (1944).
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Won award: Top scorer in European leagues (1943–44).
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1943· 4 entries
Won award: Top scorer in European leagues (1942–43).
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Won award: Czechoslovak First League top scorer (1942–43).
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Won: Central Bohemian Cup with Slavia Prague (1943).
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Won: Czechoslovak First League with Slavia Prague (1942–43).
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1942· 4 entries
Won award: Top scorer in European leagues (1941–42).
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Won: Czechoslovak Cup with Slavia Prague (1941–42).
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Won award: Czechoslovak First League top scorer (1941–42).
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Won: Czechoslovak First League with Slavia Prague (1941–42).
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1941· 5 entries
Won award: Czechoslovak First League top scorer (1940–41).
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Won award: Top scorer in European leagues (1940–41).
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Won: Central Bohemian Cup with Slavia Prague (1940–41).
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Won: Czechoslovak Cup with Slavia Prague (1940–41).
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Won: Czechoslovak First League with Slavia Prague (1940–41).
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1940· 4 entries
Won award: Czechoslovak First League top scorer (1939–40).
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Won: Czechoslovak First League with Slavia Prague (1939–40).
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Won award: Top scorer in European leagues (1939–40).
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A journalist for Slavia Prague wrote, "Bican is undeniably one of our best footballers
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1939· 3 entries
Won award: Czechoslovak First League top scorer (1938–39).
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Played for Czechia men's national football team (1939–1939) — 2 appearances, 6 goals.
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Played six games scoring nine goals, for the Bohemia league team in 1940–1944 he played eight games scoring 11 goals, for Prague from 1938 to 1948 he played 12 games scoring 11 goals and Ostrava in 1950–51 he played t
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1938· 4 entries
Won: Mitropa Cup with Slavia Prague (1938).
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Won award: Czechoslovak First League top scorer (1937–38).
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Won: Eduard Benes Cup with Czechoslovakia (1938).
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Played for Czechoslovakia men's national association football team (1938–1949) — 14 appearances, 12 goals.
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1937· 3 entries
Won: Austrian Championship with Admira Wien (1936–37).
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Where he stayed until 1948, and became the club's all-time top goalscorer
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Played for SK Slavia Prague (1937–1948) — 221 appearances, 427 goals.
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1936· 3 entries
Won: Austrian Championship with Admira Wien (1935–36).
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An author in the Austrian newspaper Montagblatt, wrote: "The most mentioned player on the field was undeniably Bican, not only because of his transfer issues, but also for his truly remarkable performances
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However he was still allowed to play for them
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1935· 2 entries
Won: Austrian Championship with Rapid Wien (1934–35).
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Played for Admira Wacker (1935–1937) — 26 appearances, 18 goals.
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1934· 1 entry
Won award: Austrian championship top scorer (1933–34).
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1933· 2 entries
Josef signed a contract to play a game for Wiener, in which they beat Phonix Schwechat 6-2, with Josef scoring 4
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Played for Austria men's national football team (1933–1936) — 19 appearances, 14 goals.
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1932· 1 entry
Josef scored 51 goals in 42 games for Rapid Vienna
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1931· 4 entries
For Rapid Vienna's Reserve team, Josef scored 30 goals in 16 games
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Played for SK Rapid Wien (1931–1935) — 62 appearances, 78 goals.
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When Bican first joined Rapid Vienna, he received 150 schillings, but, by the age of 20, Rapid wanted to keep him so much that they paid him 600 schillings
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Would start playing for Farbenlutz and would not even train
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1925· 1 entry
At the age of twelve, Bican was already playing in the youth set-up of Hertha Vienna, his father's beloved club, and also where his idol, Matthias Sindelar had begun his career
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1921· 1 entry
After refusing an operation to treat an infected kidney due to injury sustained during a football match
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1913· 1 entry
Born 1913-09-25.
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