What is a goalhanger?

It’s the title of a Billy Bragg song. I assume it’s some kind of bad soccer player?

The lyric is here.

A goalhanger is defined there and Gary Lineker, in the eyes of some, was often described as a goalhanger because he was everywhere as long as it was in the penalty area.

Dang! When I did my search on Urban Dictionary, I spelled it as one word.

For older readers, I mention Jimmy Greaves…

http://www.nobok.co.uk/page/FootballProfile/0,,10301~40,00.html

In US soccer terms, a Cherry Picker.

More usually used as a term of derision among kids playing pick-up games, as there’s no-one to enforce the offside law and so peer pressure is used to encourage the would-be striker to play a fuller part in the game.

Also known as a Ruud Van Nistlerooy.

We called him a “goal suck”.