Anytime Goalscorer Explained

Last updated: 28/08/2026

Your man scores in the 94th minute and you're up off the sofa.

Except it goes down as an own goal off the defender's shin. Or it's chalked off by VAR. Or he'd been substituted twenty minutes earlier and you'd forgotten.

Anytime goalscorer is one of the easiest bets to place and one of the easiest to misread at settlement. The rules only really matter once something odd happens, which is usually the moment you need them.

What is an anytime goalscorer bet?

Anytime goalscorer means backing a named player to score at any point during the match. One goal is enough for the bet to win, whenever it comes. It settles over 90 minutes plus injury time, and it's one of the most-used markets in football betting because it needs a moment rather than a scoreline.

How do anytime goalscorer bets work?

You pick a player. He scores. You win.

One goal does it, whether it's the first minute or the 96th. And scoring twice doesn't pay you twice, because the bet asks a yes or no question. If you want more than one goal to count for more, that's a different market, and there are a few of them further down this page.

The price reflects how likely a goal from that player is judged to be, so a centre forward for a heavy favourite is much shorter than a defensive midfielder for the away side. Betting odds explained covers reading those prices.

What counts as a goal?

Midnite settles anytime goalscorer on these rules.

Own goals are the one that stings. If your striker's shot takes a decisive touch off a defender and the goal goes down as an own goal, the bet loses. The market pays out on goals credited to your player, and an own goal is credited to the other team by definition.

Penalties count, as long as they're in the match. One converted in normal time or injury time counts like any other goal. A shootout penalty doesn't, because shootouts sit outside the settlement period.

Deflections come down to who gets awarded the goal. A shot that clips a defender on its way in still counts, as long as the goal is officially awarded to your player. If it's given as an own goal instead, it doesn't.

Disallowed goals don't count. Offside, a foul in the build-up, anything else. The ball hitting the net isn't what settles the bet, the goal being awarded is.

Does anytime goalscorer include extra time?

No.

Anytime goalscorer settles over 90 minutes plus injury time. Goals in extra time don't count, and neither do penalties in a shootout.

So in a cup tie that goes to extra time, the bet is already settled by the time the whistle goes on 90 plus stoppages. He can score twice in extra time and it changes nothing.

Worth checking on any knockout fixture, because it's the most common reason a goalscorer bet settles differently from how someone remembers the match.

What happens if your player doesn't play?

If your player takes no part in the match, the bet is void and your stake comes back. If he gets on at all, it stands. People regularly get the second half of that wrong.

If the player takes no part, the bet is void and your stake is returned. On the bench all game, pulled out in the warm-up, or not involved at all: stake back.

If the player comes on as a substitute, the bet stands. Even a minute of injury time counts as taking part. From that moment the bet is live and settles on whether he scores.

So a late substitute appearance isn't a get-out. It turns a void into a live bet, usually with very little time left for it to land.

Anytime, first and last goalscorer: what's the difference?

Anytime goalscorer needs your player to score at any point. The most forgiving of the three, and the shortest price.

First goalscorer needs him to score the opening goal of the match. Any other goal doesn't help.

Last goalscorer needs him to score the final goal, which you don't know until the whistle goes.

First and last ask for the timing as well as the player, which is why they're priced so much bigger.

What other goalscorer markets does Midnite offer?

Midnite prices a fair few beyond the three above, and they group by what they're asking for.

By number of goals

• 2+ Goals
• 3+ Goals

By period

• 1st Half
• 2nd Half
• Both Halves
• First 10 Minutes

By method

• Header
• Left Foot
• Right Foot
• Outside the Box

Plus First, Last and Anytime, which the section above covers.

Availability depends on the competition. Premier League and Championship matches carry the full set. Smaller competitions run a narrower selection, so the market you want may not be there on every fixture.

Those header and foot variants mirror how shots on target markets are built, which is worth knowing if you bet both. Our shots on target explainer covers that market in the same detail. [Pending publish: /blog/shots-on-target-betting]

Goalscorer markets on a single match are also different from outright season-long markets like Premier League top goalscorer odds, which settle at the end of the campaign rather than at full time. Easy to conflate, very different bets.

Using anytime goalscorer in a bet builder

Anytime goalscorer is one of the most-combined selections in a bet builder, usually alongside a match result, a cards line or a shots line from the same game. Every leg still has to land, so adding a goalscorer to a result you already fancy makes the bet less likely, not more clever. Bet builder tips covers how people put them together.

People weighing up a goalscorer selection tend to look at the same things: whether he starts, how many minutes he usually plays, whether he takes penalties, and where he plays. Our football betting statistics and football betting tips pages have the numbers.

None of that makes a goal predictable. Strikers go six games without scoring and centre halves score twice in a night.

Markets are live across Midnite's football betting, including a full Premier League card, and prices update during a match in-play, where cash out is available on eligible bets.

FAQs

What is the meaning of anytime goalscorer?

In betting, anytime goalscorer means backing a named player to score at any point in the match, with one goal enough to win the bet.

What happens if your anytime goalscorer doesn't play?

If he takes no part at all, the bet is void and your stake is returned. If he comes on as a substitute, even late in injury time, the bet stands and settles on whether he scores.

How do you bet on anytime goalscorer?

Open a match on Midnite, find the goalscorer markets, and back the player you want to score. It's also one of the most common legs inside a bet builder, combined with other selections from the same match.

Do deflected goals count for anytime goalscorer?

Yes, provided the goal is officially awarded to your player. A deflection off a defender doesn't stop it counting.

If it's given as an own goal instead, the bet loses, because the goal is no longer credited to your player.

Does a penalty count as an anytime goalscorer?

Yes, if it's scored during the match, including injury time. Penalties in a shootout don't count, because the market settles over 90 minutes plus injury time.

What actually settles it

For settlement, it's goals officially credited to your player during the 90 minutes plus injury time. Own goals don't count, extra time and shootouts don't count, and two goals pay exactly the same as one.

If he takes no part your stake comes back. If he comes on for a minute of injury time, the bet is live.

The goalscorer markets are up on every match across Midnite's football whenever there's a game on.

Decide what you're staking before the team news lands, and if you'd rather have limits doing that job for you, they're in the Responsible Play hub.

18+, please gamble responsibly.

About the author

Jordan Willmott is Sportsbook Experience Manager at Midnite, where he leads the team behind sportsbook operations and propositions, from bet settlement and price boosts to the range of markets and specials available across every sport on site.

He has spent 13 years in sportsbook and trading, previously in similar roles at BetVictor, Sporting Index and Sky Betting & Gaming.

He writes here on how markets are built, made available and settled once the whistle goes.

Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn.