The 50 Greatest Premier League Strikers of All Time

Fresh off the roaring success of ranking the 50 greatest footballers of all time, 90min is back with another near-impossible challenge.

This time, we're going to be ranking - and probably irritating you at the same time - the 50 greatest strikers to have graced the Premier League to date. Now, we must clarify early doors, this is purely for players who operated as a central striker. Not as an inside forward, not as a winger and not playing out of position every now and again to fill the void up top.

So move over Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah, because this is for the striking purists among us.  Settle in, grab a drink and soak up the best of the best...

(*Statistics accurate as of 01/04/21)

50. Louis Saha

Active: 1998 - 2013

Clubs: Newcastle, Fulham, Manchester United, Everton, Tottenham, Sunderland

Honours: 2 x Premier League winner (2006/07 & 2007/08) 1 x Player of the Month (Aug 2001)

Appearances: 289 Goals: 85 Assists: 20

A strong left-foot, combined with surprisingly good aerial ability, made Louis Saha a real nuisance back in the day. 

The Frenchman not only scored 85 Premier League goals, he effectively ended Ruud van Nistelrooy's career at Manchester United and won two top flight titles at Old Trafford after being snared from Fulham, where he really honed his craft.

49. Duncan Ferguson

Active: 1994 - 2006

Clubs: Everton, Newcastle

Honours: 1 x Player of the Month (Feb 1995)

Appearances: 269 Goals: 68 Assists: 24

One of the fiercest competitors to have ever played Premier League football, you really didn't want to mess with Duncan Ferguson. Sent off countless times and even sent to prison for an on-field scuffle in Scotland, he was the epitome of tough - and was bloody brutal in the air.

He remains an Everton legend to this day, and was unplayable when on song.

48. Craig Bellamy

Active: 2000 - 2014

Clubs: Coventry, Newcastle, Blackburn, Liverpool, West Ham, Man City, Cardiff

Appearances: 294 Goals: 81 Assists: 31

Speaking of divisive figures, that brings us to another bad boy of the Premier League era - Craig Bellamy. 

Golf clubs and arguments galore aside, he too was a menace to opposition defences with pace to burn and a keen eye for goal. That was demonstrated best by a sensational season at Blackburn, and that eventually landed him a plum move to Liverpool.

47. Eidur Gudjohnsen

Active: 2000 - 2011

Clubs: Chelsea, Tottenham, Stoke, Fulham

Honours: 2 x Premier League winner (2004/05 & 2005/06)

Appearances: 211 Goals: 55 Assists: 28

Graceful, elegant and versatile - three adjectives that describe Eidur Gudjohnsen's goal celebrations very nicely. They appropriately describe his on-field abilities, too. 

One of the survivors of Roman Abramovich's initial investment splurge, he more than proved his worth as, alongside Hernan Crespo and Mateja Kezman (sure, why not), he helped fire Chelsea to Premier League glory.

That success followed a handy transition to life in England - one that saw Gudjohnsen score 34 league goals in his first three years at the Bridge after joining from Bolton.

46. Edin Dzeko

Active: 2010 - 2015

Clubs: Man City

Honours: 2 x Premier League winner (2011/12 & 2013/14) 

Appearances: 211 Goals: 55 Assists: 28

Edin Dzeko will forever be fondly remembered at Manchester City for setting in motion the dramatic chain of events that led to Sergio Aguero winning the 2011/12 title against QPR at the, ahem, City of Manchester Stadium.

Actually, though, the Bosnian was in his prime two seasons later, playing a key role for Manuel Pellegrini en route to nabbing 16 goals and a second Premier League winners medal. Classy on the deck, strong in the air and a more than capable finisher, Dzeko was genuinely top notch.

45. Stan Collymore

Active: 1992 - 2001

Clubs: Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Leicester, Bradford

Honours: 1 x Player of the Month (Jan 1996)

Appearances: 163 Goals: 62 Assists: 29

What is it with Premier League strikers being bad boys? Okay, most of Stan Collymore's problems weren't actually on the pitch, granted, but they did contribute to his very promising Premier League career going to waste at the turn of the millennium. 

Before it did, Collymore was pretty damn good - and may well have joined the 100-goal club if he hadn't been riddled with injury among other things. Will always have a place in old school enthusiast's hearts, after netting that winner for Liverpool against Kevin Keegan's Newcastle.

44. Darren Bent

Active: 2001 - 2015

Clubs: Ipswich, Charlton, Tottenham, Sunderland, Aston Villa, Fulham

Honours: 1 x Player of the Month (Aug 2005)

Appearances: 276 Goals: 106 Assists: 15

Scoring one of the best goals in Premier League history - yes, the beachball one - is undoubtedly a career highlight for Darren Bent. 

But all jokes aside, Bent will look back on his decade-long career in the top-flight fondly for 105 other reasons, particularly his time at Sunderland. There, he plundered 24 goals in the 2009/10 campaign, and also notched 18 for Charlton in two consecutive seasons.

43. Jurgen Klinsmann

Active: 1994 - 1998

Clubs: Tottenham

Honours: 1 x Player of the Month (Aug 1994)

Appearances: 56 Goals: 29 Assists: 15

Jurgen Klinsmann's stay in the Premier League was far too brief, but the German striker was sensational in his pomp - much to the delight of Tottenham's adoring faithful. 

In his debut season, the World Cup winner not only introduced English audiences to his patented full-length dive celebration, he bagged 20 goals en route to being named the Football Writers' Association (FWA) Player of the Year.

42. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Active: 2018 - Present

Clubs: Arsenal

Honours: 2 x Player of the Month (Oct 2018 & Sept 2019) 1 x Golden Boot (2018/19)

Appearances: 109 Goals: 63 Assists: 13

Although his Premier League career is still in its relative infancy, there's no doubting the impact that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has had at Arsenal. 

A winner, albeit shared, of the Golden Boot in his first full season in England, the Gabonese striker has terrorised defences since arriving in north London - and looks to be the Gunners' most reliable goal threat since Thierry Henry.

41. Paolo Di Canio

Active: 1997 - 2004

Clubs: Sheffield Wednesday, West Ham, Charlton

Appearances: 190 Goals: 66 Assists: 49

It's been a while since we picked a player who courted controversy, so why not bounce back with a bang and introduce Paolo Di Canio. 

The Italian was, quite frankly, nuts, and once pushed referee Paul Alcock flat on his arse after being sent off. But he was also a genius, and lit up the Premier League after reviving his career at an eternally grateful West Ham.

He was so good that Sir Alex Ferguson almost took him to Manchester United, only for Andy Cole's failure to secure a move away from Old Trafford to scupper any potential deal, and scored one of the greatest Premier League goals ever - an outrageous scissor kick against Wimbledon.

40. Chris Sutton

Active: 1992 - 2007

Clubs: Norwich, Blackburn, Chelsea, Birmingham, Aston Villa

Honours: 1 x Premier League winner (1994/95) 2 x Player of the Month (Nov 1994 & Feb 1998) 1 x Golden Boot (1997/98)

Appearances: 255 Goals: 83 Assists: 41

Our next Premier League hotshot has courted most of his controversy in the realms of punditry, but that shouldn't stop us from remembering how good Chris Sutton was on the field. 

Part of the original, and in 90min's mind, only, 'SAS', he was devastatingly good alongside Alan Shearer - and won a Premier League title at Blackburn as a result. That, after wearing that Norwich home kit during the early 90s. Phwoar.

39. Peter Crouch

Active: 2001 - 2019

Clubs: Aston Villa, Southampton, Liverpool, Portsmouth, Tottenham, Stoke, Burnley 

Appearances: 468 Goals: 108 Assists: 58

Unorthodox, gangly, very tall and a lover of bicycle kicks. That, in a nutshell, sums up Peter Crouch's Premier League career. But, crucially, it also featured 108 goals, as defences up and down the land failed to deal with his giraffe-like ability in the air. 

Oh, and he was sublime with the ball at his feet too - scoring long range bangers, scissor kicks and all sorts.

38. Yakubu

Active: 2003 - 2012

Clubs: Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, Everton, Blackburn

Appearances: 252 Goals: 95 Assists: 26

You know you're good at football when you have a song named after you. As you've probably heard through the annuls of time, Nigerian striker Yakubu was one such player - and it all revolved around his ability to find the back of the net. A lot. 

95 times to be precise, including seven seasons with 12 or more goals.

37. Emile Heskey

Active: 1994 - 2012

Clubs: Leicester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Wigan, Aston Villa

Appearances: 516 Goals: 110 Assists: 53

Back in the good old days of two strikers being deployed up front - yep, I was there - you'd be hard pressed to find somebody as effective as Emile Heskey. 

His goalscoring record isn't phenomenal when you take into account games per goal ratio, but there was a time where he was considered unplayable. Whatever your opinion, 110 goals shouldn't be scoffed at.

36. Olivier Giroud

Active: 2012 - Present

Clubs: Arsenal, Chelsea

Honours: 1 x Player of the Month (March 2015)

Appearances: 252 Goals: 90 Assists: 28

If you like some of more of the refined things in life, then footballers like Olivier Giroud will be right up your street. 

Elegant with the ball at his feet, the Frenchman possesses many admirable qualities of a proven Premier League goalscorer - as well as being a handy threat in the air. He's also scored some outrageous goals, namely his sublime scorpion kick effort against

35. Kevin Phillips

Active: 1999 - 2014

Clubs: Sunderland, Southampton, Aston Villa, Birmingham, Crystal Palace

Honours: 1 x Player of the Month (Oct 1999) 1 x Golden Boot (1999/2000) 1 x Player of the Season (1999/2000)

Appearances: 263 Goals: 92 Assists: 24

Old-school 'poachers' are hard to come by these days, with most strikers expected to contribute to every phase of play known to man. Back in the day though, you had genuine out-and-out goalscorers like Kevin Phillips. 

His debut campaign in the Premier League, during the 1999/2000 season, was among the finest you will ever see - as he netted 30 goals for newly-promoted Sunderland.

34. Mark Viduka

Active: 2000 - 2009

Clubs: Leeds, Middlesbrough, Newcastle

Appearances: 240 Goals: 92 Assists: 28

We all have players when we're growing up that we become attached to. Not necessarily because they are the absolute best, but because they have the ability to single handedly turn a game upside down. 

One such striker was Mark Viduka - who during his time at Leeds, was out of this world good on occasion. Just watch Leeds vs Liverpool from 2000 if you don't remember.

33. Roberto Firmino

Active: 2015 - Present

Clubs: Liverpool

Honours: 1 x Premier League winner (2019/20)

Appearances: 202 Goals: 63 Assists: 40

In the modern world of 'gegenpress' and 'tiki-taka' football, it's become more imperative than ever to have a glue that knits midfield into attack. And if you want one of the best the Premier League has ever had to offer of doing that, look no further than Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino. 

Fantastic vision, awareness, poise and the ability to score without looking - what else could you want from a striker who helped the Reds end their 30-year top flight title drought?

32. Dion Dublin

Active: 1992 - 2004

Clubs: Man Utd, Coventry, Aston Villa

Honours: 1 x Premier League winner (1992/93) 2 x Player of the Month (Jan 1998 & Nov 1998) 1 x Golden Boot (1997/98)

Appearances: 312 Goals: 111 Assists: 40

Another deep dive into the Premier League archives will lead you to a man who, as well as offering his services as a pundit, now entertains millions around the United Kingdom on the truly wonderful 'Homes Under the Hammer'. 

Quite a transition for a striker who once wrapped up the 1997/98 Golden Boot playing for lowly Coventry, before going on to establish himself as a prolific striker at Aston Villa.

31. Carlos Tevez

Active: 2006 - 2013

Clubs: West Ham, Man Utd, Man City

Honours: 3 x Premier League winner (2007/08, 2008/09 & 2012/13 ) 1 x Player of the Month (Dec 2009) 1 x Golden Boot (2010/11)

Appearances: 202 Goals: 84 Assists: 36

Remember when Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano moved to West Ham, illegally, and the former ended up saving the Hammers from relegation? Mad, wasn't it? 

But it was more mad that he'd moved to east London in the first place, because Tevez was world-class on his day. His subsequent Premier League triumphs and Golden Boot win attest to that.

He's also a multiple Premier League winner, at both Manchester clubs - which is a pretty unique achievement in its own right.

30. Gianfranco Zola

Active: 1996 - 2003

Clubs: Chelsea

Honours: 2 x Player of the Month (Dec 1996 & Oct 2002)

Appearances: 229 Goals: 59 Assists: 42

Nowadays, homegrown players are seen as the rarity in the Premier League. But there once was a time when signing a foreign player was as frequent as Leicester City title wins. 

One of the first to break the mould and head to England was Gianfranco Zola, when he rocked up at Chelsea. It's fair to say he was revolutionary, and paved the way for a whole new era - not just at Stamford Bridge, but across the Premier League.

He scored some absolute corkers too, usually while rocking a stylish barnet.

29. Dimitar Berbatov

Active: 2006 - 2014

Clubs: Tottenham, Man Utd, Fulham

Honours: 2 x Premier League winner (2008/09 & 2010/11) 2 x Player of the Month (Apr 2007 & Jan 2011) 1 x Golden Boot (2010/11)

Appearances: 229 Goals: 94 Assists: 40

Some players make it look so, so annoyingly easy, don't they? One such culprit of being so languidly good that it was borderline annoying was Dimitar Berbatov. 

The Bulgarian did it all; ranging from scoring goals, creating them, opening the game up, shutting the game down - basically, whatever he wanted to do. Normally, his brilliance resulted in good times - and he helped fire Manchester United to title glory twice, winning the 2010/11 Golden Boot in the process.

28. Romelu Lukaku

Active: 2011 - 2019

Clubs: Chelsea, West Brom, Everton, Man Utd

Honours: 1 x Player of the Month (Mar 2017)

Appearances: 252 Goals: 113 Assists: 35

If Romelu Lukaku fails to return to the Premier League in the future, he'll probably be remembered as the Manchester United striker who had a dismal first touch. And if that's the case, it will be entirely unfair - because the Belgian proved for a number of years that he was a class act in front of goal, especially at Everton.

How consistent was he? Consistent enough to score 10+ goals in seven consecutive seasons, peaking at 25 during the 2016/17 campaign.

27. Emmanuel Adebayor

Active: 2005 - 2017

Clubs: Arsenal, Man City, Tottenham, Crystal Palace

Appearances: 242 Goals: 97 Assists: 36

Rev up your engines, it's once again full speed ahead to controversial land as we recount the career of the brilliantly controversial Emmanuel Adebayor. 

Adored by (some) of Arsenal's fanbase, the Togolese international then moved to money bags Manchester City after three-and-a-half years in north London - and instantly turned his back on his former employers with one of the most iconic celebrations ever. 

Further spells followed at Tottenham and Crystal Palace, but Adebayor was always a class act on his day - particularly back in the Spursy side of north London.

26. Diego Costa

Active: 2014 - 2018

Clubs: Chelsea

Honours: 2 x Premier League winner (2014/15 & 2016/17) 2 x Player of the Month (Aug 2014 & Nov 2016)

Appearances: 89 Goals: 52 Assists: 16

Promise, we're not just grouping the bad boys together for ease. But alas, it is Diego Costa next up - and he really was a bad, bad boy. So much so that having helped Antonio Conte's Chelsea to the 2016/17 Premier League title, he was swiftly cut adrift for being a bad guy - despite his superb games per goal ratio.

A physically imposing brick of a man, he bulled many a defence - but was simultaneously classy with the ball at his feet.

25. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Active: 1996 - 2007

Clubs: Man Utd

Honours: 6 x Premier League winner (1996/97, 1998/99, 1999/2000, 2000/01, 2002/03 & 2006/07)

Appearances: 235 Goals: 91 Assists: 37

Legend has it that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer nabbed the vast majority of his Manchester United goals as a 'super-sub' - when in fact, 74 of the 'baby-faced assassin's' 91 Premier League strikes came as a starter. 

Regardless, he was simply sensational in and around the box - sniffing out opportunities and clinically sweeping home at will. His trophy cabinet doesn't make for bad reading, either.

24. Jermain Defoe

Active: 2000 - 2020

Clubs: West Ham, Tottenham, Portsmouth, Sunderland, Bournemouth

Honours: 1 x Player of the Month (Aug 2009)

Appearances: 496 Goals: 162 Assists: 33

Ranked sixth on the all-time Premier League goalscoring tally chart, you may feel that Jermain Defoe has been lowballed here. And you're probably right. 

However, when you see the calibre of player to come, you understand why a player who, despite scoring 162 top flight goals, has failed to ever score 20 or more in a season drops down the list. On his day, Defoe was as clinical as they come - but he had a barrel load of off days thrown into the mix too.

23. Nicolas Anelka

Active: 1997 - 2014

Clubs: Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, Bolton, Chelsea, West Brom

Honours: 2 x Premier League winner (1997/98 & 2009/10) 2 x Player of the Month (Feb 1999 & Nov 2008) 1 x Golden Boot (2008/09)

Appearances: 364 Goals: 125 Assists: 48

When the French revolution got underway at Arsenal in 1997, very few had heard the name Nicolas Anelka. However, the teenager soon proved he would be a top-class striker for many years to come - with fearsome pace and a killer goalscoring instinct among his best traits. 

He was a bit of a nomad, but once he landed at Chelsea, he settled down and flourished, earning the 2008/09 Golden Boot along the way.

22. Robbie Keane

Active: 1999 - 2012

Clubs: Coventry, Leeds, Tottenham, Liverpool, West Ham, Aston Villa

Honours: 3 x Player of the Month (Aug 1999, Jan 2001 & April 2007)

Appearances: 349 Goals: 126 Assists: 37

In his prime, Robbie Keane was absolute class. For six consecutive seasons, he scored double digit Premier League goals for Tottenham, but scratch under the surface and you see how much the Irishman brought to the table. 

Quick, agile and able to play anywhere across the front line, Keane was often deployed as a traditional No.10 - where he demonstrated a tremendous work ethic to help evolve Spurs into top four contenders.

21. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink

Active: 1997 - 2007

Clubs: Leeds, Chelsea, Middlesbrough, Charlton

Honours: 2 x Golden Boot (1998/99 & 2000/01)

Appearances: 288 Goals: 127 Assists: 58

Thinking of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink enables you to do one wonderful thing - remember prime, good Leeds. You also get to reminisce and remember the Dutchman's two Golden Boot wins, one achieved at Elland Road and one at Chelsea - where he racked up two consecutive seasons scoring 20+ goals.

Fiercely powerful with both feet, Hasselbaink was also a set-piece specialist - caning in free-kicks from all over the shop and smashing in penalties for fun. 

20. Jamie Vardy

Active: 2014 - Present

Clubs: Leicester

Honours: 1 x Premier League winner (2015/16) 4 x Player of the Month (Oct 2015, Nov 2015, April 2019 & Oct 2019) 1 x Player of the Season (2015/16), 1 x Golden Boot (2019/20)

Appearances: 236 Goals: 115 Assists: 36

As feel good stories go, Leicester's Premier League title success of 2015/16 tops the lot. There will never be another underdog story like that (probably), and you'll never see (probably) a meteoric rise to stardom like Jamie Vardy's. 

From playing Conference Premier football in 2012, to breaking Ruud van Nistelrooy's goals in successive Premier League games record (11), to winning back-to-back Player of the Month awards - for only the fifth time ever - Vardy has forever etched his name into the history books.

Even more impressive, he shows no sign of slowing down - and looks more than capable of firing Leicester back into the upper echelons of the Premier League.

19. Les Ferdinand

Active: 1992 - 2005

Clubs: QPR, Newcastle, Tottenham, West Ham, Leicester, Bolton

Appearances: 351 Goals: 149 Assists: 49

Power, intelligence and an insatiable appetite for goals. Yep, that sums Les Ferdinand quite nicely, particularly if you're talking about the early-to-mid 1990s version of 'Sir Les'. 

During that time, Ferdinand was a brute up top. He scored 20+ goals in three seasons between 1992 and 1997, including 25 - incredibly only good enough for third place - in the 1995/96 campaign where Newcastle were brutally beaten to the title by Manchester United. 

Things tailed off after he joined Tottenham, but there's no doubting Ferdinand's legendary credentials.

18. Fernando Torres

Active: 2007 - 2014

Clubs: Liverpool, Chelsea

Honours: 2 x Player of the Month (Feb 2008 & Sep 2009)

Appearances: 212 Goals: 85 Assists: 29

Heralded as one of the finest young players of his generation, there was a sense of huge excitement and anticipation when Liverpool announced the signing of Fernando Torres back in 2007. And rightly so. 

Put simply, El Niño was sensational - with searing pace, unerring shot accuracy and a tremendous reading of the game helping him to become one of the best 'on the shoulder' strikers ever seen in England. 

Things went sour at Chelsea, but Torres remains one of the greats.

17. Ian Wright

Active: 1992 - 1999

Clubs: Arsenal, West Ham

Honours: 1 x Premier League winner (1997/98) 1 x Player of the Month (Nov 1996)

Appearances: 213 Goals: 113 Assists: 22

Ahhh, Ian Wright. Possibly one of the funniest, most charismatic and flamboyant strikers to ever grace the Premier League. But he wasn't just a character, he was genuine box-office in front of goal - especially when Dennis Bergkamp became his running buddy in 1995. 

A Premier League winners medal was the least he deserved during the 1997/98 campaign, though much of his goalscoring exploits helped lay the foundations for Arsenal's future success.

16. Dwight Yorke

Active: 1992 - 2009

Clubs: Aston Villa, Man Utd, Blackburn, Birmingham, Sunderland

Honours: 3 x Premier League winner (1998/99, 1999/2000 & 2000/01) 3 x Player of the Month (Feb 1996, Jan 1999 & Mar 2000) 1 x Player of the Season (1998/99) 1 x Golden Boot (1998/99)

Appearances: 375 Goals: 123 Assists: 50

Many, many strikers can lay claim to being great all-round players, specialising in every facet of the game. But very few can boast a rise to the very top of the game like three-time Premier League winner Dwight Yorke. 

At just 5'9", he shouldn't have been very good in the air - but not only was he good at that, he was superb with both feet. His continued improvement at Aston Villa eventually led to Old Trafford, where he established himself as a true Premier League legend.

15. Teddy Sheringham

Active: 1992 - 2007

Clubs: Aston Villa, Man Utd, Blackburn, Birmingham, Sunderland

Honours: 3 x Premier League winner (1998/99, 1999/2000 & 2000/01) 2 x Player of the Month (Oct 2000 & Aug 2003) 1 x Golden Boot (1992/93)

Appearances: 418 Goals: 146 Assists: 76

'Teddy, Teddy, Teddy, Teddy Sheringham. Ooooh Teddy, Teddy' - just me who sings that? Oh great. Well, enough about that and more about the man who defied footballing time to blossom and mature like a fine Spanish Rioja. 

Such was his longevity, Sheringham continued playing top-flight football until the ripe old age of 41 - long after he'd won three Premier League crowns between the ages of 32 and 35 - and he finally hung up his boots with 146 goals to his name.

14. Luis Suarez

Active: 2011 - 2014

Clubs: Liverpool

Honours: 2 x Player of the Month (Dec 2013 & Mar 2014 ) 1 x Player of the Season (2013/14) 

1 x Golden Boot (2013/14)

Appearances: 110 Goals: 69 Assists: 23

Much like Fernando Torres had done four years earlier, Luis Suarez changed the landscape of Premier League life at Liverpool and fired the Reds back into the mix as genuine title contenders. 

The Uruguayan was mediocre in his first season on Merseyside, but then turned on the style to record 54 goals in two seasons - including 31 during 2013/14 as Brendan Rodgers' side just fell short of glory. 

Barcelona would then come calling, but not before Suarez had left an indelible mark on English football. 

13. Michael Owen

Active: 1997 - 2013

Clubs: Liverpool, Newcastle, Man Utd, Stoke

Honours: 1 x Premier League Winner (2010/11) 1 x Player of the Month (Aug 1998) 1 x Player of the Season (1997/98) 2 x Golden Boot (1997/98 & 1998/99)

Appearances: 326 Goals: 150 Assists: 31

Were it not for a serious hamstring injury, Michael Owen would likely have broken Alan Shearer's Premier League goalscoring record of 260 goals. 

As it is, he fell some way short - but he remains one of the best breakthrough talents to have ever shone at the highest level. Owen's pace was genuinely unbelievable and his achievement of winning two Golden Boots before he turned 20 is, all in honesty, a record that is unlikely to ever be broken.

12. Ruud van Nistelrooy

Active: 2001 - 2006

Clubs: Man Utd

Honours: 1 x Premier League winner (2002/03) 3 x Player of the Month (Dec 2001, Feb 2002 & April 2003) 1 x Player of the Season (2002/03) 1 x Golden Boot (2002/03)

Appearances: 150 Goals: 95 Assists: 14

It seems unfathomable to think that a striker as good as Ruud van Nistelrooy won just one league title during his career in England. 

But, that's exactly what the Dutchman did - so it's a good job that we're here to remember just how good he was as an individual. In his five seasons, Van Nistelrooy scored 20+ goals on four occasions, with injury robbing him of the chance to compete a clean sweep. 

Strong, iron-willed and the ultimate poacher, he may be the best 'inside the box' striker ever to grace Premier League shores.

11. Robbie Fowler

Active: 1993 - 2009

Clubs: Liverpool, Leeds, Man City, Blackburn

Honours: 2 x Player of the Month (Dec 1995 & Jan 1996)

Appearances: 379 Goals: 163 Assists: 39

As debut seasons go, particularly as a teenager, Robbie Fowler's at Liverpool was one of the better ones. 

What nobody knew at the time was that English football was witnessing the emergence of one of the most clinical finishers in top-flight history. Fowler was unstoppable in those early days, and like Owen, would have achieved far more in the game had he not been plagued with injuries. 

Still, 163 Premier League goals isn't a bad return for a player whose career was on the wane from 27 onwards.

10. Harry Kane

Active: 2012 - Present

Clubs: Tottenham, Norwich

Honours: 6 x Player of the Month (Jan 2015, Feb 2015, Mar 2016, Feb 2017, Sept 2017 & Dec 2017) 2 x Golden Boot (2015/16 & 2016/17)

Appearances: 237 Goals: 160 Assists: 33

Winning trophies is often the measuring stick as to whether or not a player is truly world-class. In Harry Kane's case, the answer should be abundantly clear - yes, he is.

131 goals, and counting, in under 200 Premier League games is a truly outstanding record for one of Tottenham's own, with his four consecutive seasons of 20+ goals an indication that he's a more than credible threat to Alan Shearer's lofty goal haul.

9. Didier Drogba

Active: 2004 - 2015

Clubs: Chelsea

Honours: 4 x Premier League winner (2004/05, 2005/06, 2009/10 & 2014/15) 2 x Golden Boot (2006/07 & 2009/10)

Appearances: 254 Goals: 104 Assists: 54

Every side loves a player who is a serial winner, and in Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba, Chelsea had just that. Yes, he was a cup final specialist, but he also knew how to get things done in the league - evidenced by his two Golden Boot successes and four Premier League title wins. 

Great in the air, Drogba also had a cannon of a shot with both feet - while his deftness and touch from set pieces was a truly beautiful string to his bow.

8. Robin van Persie

Active: 2004 - 2015

Clubs: Arsenal, Man Utd

Honours: 1 x Premier League winner (2012/13) 5 x Player of the Month (Nov 2005, Oct 2009, Oct 2011, Dec 2012 & April 2013) 2 x Golden Boot (2011/12 & 2012/13)

Appearances: 280 Goals: 144 Assists: 53

“Personally, when we played against Arsenal in London, I saw the best forward ever: Robin van Persie. I didn’t know a player could play three positions during 90 minutes. It was a great experience – and we want to use that now.”

Those were the words of Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, when the German was questioned one time about Robin van Persie. Some will say those hyperbolic comments are exactly that - hyperbole - but there was no doubting the Dutchman oozed supreme class, and his versatility was unparalleled.

Owner of a wand-like left foot, Van Persie was, at one time, undisputedly the best the Premier League had to offer. 

His reward for his talents was a move to Manchester United from bitter rivals Arsenal, and it wasn't one he would live to regret as his 26-goal haul - following on from 30 in his last Gunners season - won the Red Devils their most recent Premier League crown.

7. Andy Cole

Active: 1993 - 2008

Clubs: Newcastle, Man Utd, Blackburn, Fulham, Man City, Portsmouth, Sunderland

Honours: 5 x Premier League winner (1995/96, 1996/97, 1998/99, 1999/2000 & 2000/01) 1 x Player of the Month (Nov 1997) 1 x Golden Boot (1993/94)

Appearances: 414 Goals: 187 Assists: 73

Featuring in an early addition of 'ones who got away from Arsenal' is a great Premier League striker known as Andy, or Andrew (depending on the era), Cole.

Not only was Cole great, he was outright exceptional. And he slipped through the grasp of the Gunners at a young age to eventually end up at, you guessed it, Manchester United - where he won trophies galore.

In a goal-getting era dominated by Alan Shearer, Cole was his main rival - scoring freely at Newcastle first, before sealing a move to Old Trafford in 1995. There, he would carry on scoring for fun, though his best season actually came during the 1993/94 campaign, when he belted home 34 goals on Tyneside.

6. Eric Cantona

Active: 1992 - 1997

Clubs: Leeds, Man Utd

Honours: 4 x Premier League winner (1992/93, 1993/94, 1995/96 & 1996/97) 1 x Player of the Month (Mar 1996)

Appearances: 156 Goals: 70 Assists: 56

Long live the King - and, in this case, long live Eric Cantona.

If you haven't seen how good Cantona was, look it up. Watch the archives, trawl those YouTube clips and soak in his brilliance. Because words are, in all likelihood, not enough to describe how talented he was.

What is accurate to say is that without Cantona, United's 1995/96 season would not have ended in Premier League success - nor would the Red Devils have even come close. But they did, and King Eric was the man to thank.

5. Dennis Bergkamp

Active: 1995 - 2006

Clubs: Arsenal

Honours: 3 x Premier League winner (1997/98, 2001/02 & 2003/04) 4 x Player of the Month (Aug 1997, Sept 1997, Mar 2002 & Feb 2004)

Appearances: 315 Goals: 87 Assists: 94

Way back in the mid 1990s, Arsenal were in somewhat of a transition. Uninspiring, mediocre and managed by Bruce Rioch, they were hardly a force to be reckoned with. That was until June 1995. That was until £7.5m was spent. That was until Dennis Bergkamp arrived.

11 years later, when the Dutchman hung up his boots, the Gunners had won three Premier League titles, played some of the most entertaining football ever seen on these shores and had become 'Invincible'. Why? Because of Dennis Bergkamp.

No, he didn't do it single-handedly, but he was the driving force behind Arsenal's elegant, free-flowing identity. Technically brilliant, he was capable of the impossible - and scored some simply sensational goals along the way.

4. Sergio Aguero

Active: 2011 - Present

Clubs: Man City

Honours: 4 x Premier League winner (2011/12, 2013/14, 2017/18 & 2018/19) 6 x Player of the Month (Oct 2013, Nov 2014, Jan 2016, Apr 2016, Jan 2018 & Feb 2019) 1 x Golden Boot (2014/15)

Appearances: 271 Goals: 181 Assists: 46

Very few players in the world have the ability to strike pure fear into their opposition, but there's no doubting that Sergio Aguero is one of them.

Aguero's predatory instincts, razor sharp reading of the game and clinical finishing ability have seen him become a City legend over the past decade, with his adaptability another admirable trait in his arsenal. He's also now the highest-scoring foreign player in Premier League history, which is quite good.

Scorer of the winner that settled the most closely contested title race in history, he'll never be forgotten at Eastlands - and he's not done yet.

3. Wayne Rooney

Active: 2002 - 2018

Clubs: Everton, Man Utd

Honours: 5 x Premier League winner (2006/07, 2007/08, 2008/09, 2010/11 & 2012/13) 5 x Player of the Month (Feb 2005, Dec 2005, Mar 2006, Oct 2007 & Jan 2010) 1 x Player of the Season (2009/10)

Appearances: 491 Goals: 208 Assists: 103

When Wayne Rooney emerged as a fresh faced 16-year-old for Everton, curling the ball past David Seaman, many observers wondered if they were witnessing the start of something special.

They were.

Soon, Rooney was plying his trade at Manchester United - and over the next 13 seasons, he would become the club's record goalscorer and a true legend of English football. Second only to Alan Shearer in terms of goals, he had in his prime every attribute, and more, that you would ever wish to see in a striker.

2. Alan Shearer

Active: 1992 - 2006

Clubs: Blackburn, Newcastle

Honours: 1 x Premier League winner (1994/95) 4 x Player of the Month (Nov 1994, Sept 1998, Dec 2002, Oct 2003 ) 1 x Player of the Season (1994/95) 3 x Golden Boot (1994/95, 1995/96 & 1996/97)

Appearances: 441 Goals: 260 Assists: 64

Alan Shearer is the best finisher the Premier League has ever seen, no questions asked. 

Tap-ins, first time finishes, long-range bullets, free kicks, penalties, headers, back-heels - it didn't matter what type of goal needed to be scored for Blackburn or Newcastle, Shearer was your man.

Were it not for his undying loyalty to his beloved Newcastle, he would have won multiple Premier League titles at Manchester United - but alas, the Geordie hero stayed true to his roots and forged the most successful goalscoring career ever seen on Tyneside.

1. Thierry Henry

Active: 1999 - 2012

Clubs: Arsenal

Honours: 2 x Premier League winner (2001/02 & 2003/04) 4 x Player of the Month (Apr 2000, Sept 2002, Jan 2004 & Apr 2004 ) 2 x Player of the Season (2003/04 & 2005/06) 4 x Golden Boot (2001/02, 2003/04, 2004/05 & 2005/06)

Appearances: 258 Goals: 175 Assists: 74

While Shearer may have be the best ever at finding the net, there is surely no disputing that Thierry Henry is the best all-round striker to have ever graced the Premier League.

The Frenchman was on a different planet to everybody else between 2003 and 2006, playing an instrumental role in Arsenal's 2003/04 unbeaten 'Invincibles' campaign. He was, quite simply, breathless - gliding past players at will as he effortlessly ripped defences limb from limb, every single week.

Henry became the standard bearer at the turn of the millennium and is a four time Golden Boot winner - where he is one of only two players to win the award three times in a row.

Magnifique.

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