Ref! Ref! Can you guess who is the most substituted English Premier League player ever?

Published 07 November 2025

When the referee blows the whistle, and the linesman lifts the substitution board, which player’s number are you most likely to see shining in the red light?

Well, of course that depends on the league – but in the English Premier League (EPL), one player stands out (literally), and that’s Theo Walcott (UK).

The former professional winger and striker was a junior star, becoming the English national team’s youngest-ever senior football player at 17 years and 75 days on 30 May 2006. He made his debut for the EPL just a few months later in August when he joined Arsenal from Southampton, and he spent his career with those two clubs and Everton between 2006 and 2023.

Yet despite many successful years representing England at the 2006 World Cup and the Euro 2012 – as well as being Arsenal’s top scorer in the 2012-2013 season – Theo also has an interesting Guinness World Records title for the most substituted player in the English Premier League.

The athlete was replaced in 168 games during his 19 seasons in the EPL, taking the record from Manchester United's Welsh wing-wizard Ryan Giggs with his 134 substitutions during his league career.

However, all things considered, having substitutions in a football game is a relatively new experience. The first substitution at a FIFA World Cup occurred on 31 May 1970 during a game between the Soviet Union and Mexico, when player Anatoliy Puzach replaced Viktor Serebryanikov at half-time. That game also witnessed the first-ever World Cup yellow card.

And make no mistake – having a fresh pair of legs come into the match can be incredibly rewarding.

In fact, a replacement player can make an immediate difference, especially in the case of Nicklas Bendtner (Denmark), who holds the record for the fastest football (soccer) goal in the Premier League by a substitute.

While playing for Arsenal against Tottenham Hotspur on 22 December 2007, Nicklas scored just six seconds after he was substituted, with a stunning header from a corner kick.

Another EPL substitute player also had an impressive start to his game on 11 February 2015 – Manchester United defender Chris Smalling (UK).

In a game versus Burnley at Old Trafford, the defender – who had previously only scored six goals in his previous 162 games – replaced an injured Phil Jones in the fifth minute of the game. However, he headed in his first goal with his first touch of the game just 22 seconds later, and would go on to score a second headed goal in stoppage time of the first half as he connected with an Angel Di Maria cross – making this the first time a substitute had scored multiple goals in the first half of a game.

Chris claimed the crown for the most goals in the first half of a football (soccer) English Premiership League match by a substitute, while former Manchester United player Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (Norway) holds the title for the most goals in the second half, with four.

And if you want to know more about individual players going on to make football history, just check out our 2026 Football Edition of Guinness World Records, which features our Top 100 greatest footy records of all time.

Header image: Cosmin Iftode / Shutterstock