The Goal-den Month: October Revealed As Best Birth Month For English Football Success

• October babies are the most prolific scorers, netting almost twice as often as players born in June

• Chris is the top scoring name, despite featuring in 4,000 fewer matches than Davids

• Players called Michael born in September are destined to be own-goal machines

Parents dreaming of producing the next English football star should aim to give birth in October, and name their baby Chris or David, according to a new study into what makes the perfect footballer.

The research from Bookmakers.tv looked at every appearance made and goal scored in the Premier League and English Football League since the start of the 2000/01 season, finding October to be the most fruitful birth month for goal scorers.

The findings suggest that parents should therefore aim to conceive in January because 11% of all goals (10,299) are scored by players born in October.

Conversely, June babies are the poorest performers, scoring almost half as many goals as those born four months later (5,421).

Total goals by birth month

But, timing is crucial for parents as an early arrival would spell bad news for on-pitch luck, as those born in September have scored 326 own goals, which is 40 more than second place January.

And, despite only ranking fourth for total appearances, Michaels seemingly have their shooting boots on backwards, racking up 68 own goals all on their own. That’s more than any other name, despite playing 5,219 fewer games than the top appearance maker.

Top three own goals by month

Parents should also pay close attention to successful first names, with Chris (as in Wood or Sutton) leading the way with 1,927 goals, despite featuring in 4,264 fewer matches than players called David.

Top 10 scorers by first name

So, while Chris is the top name for grabbing headlines, parents content with their child merely getting on the pitch should opt for David or Paul. Davids (like Beckham and Bentley) have 22,988 English league appearances, while Pauls (such as Pogba and Scholes) have played 19,543 times in total.

Top five appearance makers by first name

The research also reveals that Frank Lampard’s 177 goals account for 70% of all goals scored by Franks, while Wayne Rooney’s 214 goals are responsible for 60% of all goals scored by his namesakes.

A spokesperson for Bookmakers.tv said: “There’s no such thing as a test-tube footballer, but this research is as close as it gets.

“So, if you’re reading the results of this study and are hoping to produce the next star of English football, we’d recommend holding off for 11 months in order to time things just right.”