The EPL Premier League attracts some of the world’s most famous footballers and strikers. Since its creation in 1992, the English top-flight has seen some of the best goal-scoring leaders. Here we are going to discuss the best premier league goal leaders.
Below we have attempted to list the top English premier league goal leaders and EPL’s active goal leaders in history. Some of these prolific goal-scoring and record-making EPL active goal leaders are still active while others have retired from football.
Top Premier League Goal Leaders
1) Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer has the distinction of being the Premier League’s highest goal scorer ever. He struck an incredible 260 goals in the English top flight, which is the highest by any footballer.
The great striker was a nightmare for defenders who looked helpless in front of his speed and ruthlessness in front of goal. He could score goals from any angle and be known for his physical presence and aerial dominance.
Career
Shearer started his career at Southampton as a promising young player. He signed for Blackburn Rovers in 1992 and there he established himself as a top marksman. The English footballer won two consecutive Golden Boots at Ewood Park. In the 1994-95 seasons, he earned 34 strikes to help his side to their only Premier League title.
Newcastle splashed £15 million to secure his services and that decision immediately paid dividends for them. The English footballer won the Golden Boot in his first season at the Tyneside club after scoring 25 goals. In total, he contributed 148 EPL goals for the Toon Army.
2) Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney is widely regarded as one of the best English footballers of all time. He spent the majority of his career at Manchester United, earning a big name for himself in football. In terms of goals, he is the closest to Alan Shearer – the EPL’s highest goal scorer ever.
Career
Rooney began his career at Everton and progressed through the ranks to earn his debut when he was only 16 years old. He stayed in Merseyside for two more years and enormously enhanced his reputation. The brilliant footballer subsequently joined United and became one of the biggest football stars there.
The forward won five Premier League titles with the Red Devils. He also struck a record 253 goals for United, thus becoming their top goal scorer of all time. One of his most memorable strikes came in the Manchester Derby in 2011 when he smashed a spectacular overhead kick.
Rooney returned to Everton in 2017 before joining MLS side DC United. He is currently the manager of Championship side Derby County.
3) Andy Cole
Andy hit the ground running at Old Trafford and was spectacular from the very beginning. He won five Premier League titles during his time at the Theatre of Dreams. His partnership with Dwight Yorke became very famous at the club. The pair contributed heavily to the successes of the Red Devils, especially during the treble-winning 1998-99 seasons.
After leaving United, Cole went on to play for five more Premier League clubs and later retired from football in 2008.
Career
Andy Cole started his youth career at Arsenal but failed to make the grade at the Gunners. After displaying his abilities for some lower leagues, he landed a move to Newcastle United and there he made a huge impact.
Cole helped his side to gain promotion and was spectacular in the English top flight. In his first season, he struck an incredible 34 goals, thus matching the record of Alan Shearer. The amazing striker was running in good form for the Magpies when he was sold shockingly to Manchester United.
4) Sergio Aguero
No other striker is as enjoyable to watch as Sergio Aguero. He is currently ranked fourth in EPL’s active goal leader list. Unlike the majority of other players on this list, he is still playing for Manchester City, despite being 32 years old.
Career
Sergio Aguero started his career at Independiente. He quickly progressed through the ranks and was only 15 when he earned his senior debut. Atletico Madrid parted with £20 million to secure the services of such a talented player. He was impressive for the Spanish side and regularly found himself on the scoresheet. He fired 74 goals in 175 league appearances for the La Liga side before joining Manchester City in a move worth £35 million.
The Citizen’s decision to sign Aguero started paying immediate dividends as his magic continued in the English top flight. In just his debut season, he popped up with the most crucial goal against QPR that landed City its first Premier League title in 44 years.
Over the years, his goal-scoring prowess greatly helped the Sky Blues in achieving big successes. During his time at the Etihad, he won four Premier League titles, five League Cups, and an FA Cup. He earned over 250 goals across all competitions for the English side, with 181 of them coming in the top flight.
5) Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard may not have been very successful as a manager of Chelsea but as a player, he was impeccable. He is fifth in the highest Premier League goal leaders list. He has the distinction of scoring 177 Premier League goals, which were all the more incredible because he was a midfielder.
Career
The London-born player started his career at West Ham and joined Chelsea in 2001 after the Pensioners spent £11 million for his signature. He remained at Stamford Bridge for the next 13 years and helped the Blues to great success. The great midfielder won three Premier League titles as well as a Champions League trophy during his time at Chelsea. He found himself on the scoresheet an incredible 211 times, which made him the club’s all-time top goal scorer.
Lampard subsequently joined Manchester City and then MLS side New York City before retiring from football in 2017. Frank Lampard is the best premier league goal leader.
6) Thierry Henry
Watching Thierry Henry play was a joy for football fans around the world. No other player possessed as much grace and elegance as he did. With 175 strikes, he is ranked number six in Premier League goal leaders in history.
Career
Henry first arrived at Arsenal from Juventus as a left-winger. However, Arsene Wenger turned him into a center-forward and that decision turned out to be hugely rewarding. The French footballer looked almost impossible to be controlled by the opposition.
He claimed four Golden Boots from 2002 to 2006. 2003-04 was highly successful for him on an individual as well as team level. He struck 30 goals and helped his side win the league title, with the Gunners also achieving the Invincibles’ record that season. The striker also claimed the distinction of winning the Premier League title and the Golden Boot in the 2001-02 seasons.
7) Robbie Fowler
Robbie Fowler was one of the biggest stars of Liverpool. He even earned the nickname ‘God’ from the Anfield crowd.
Career
Fowler began his career by joining the youth academy of Liverpool and went on to become one of the biggest stars in the history of the club. He subsequently joined Leeds United and Manchester City before returning to Liverpool to play out his final farewell.
He is the seventh Premier League top goal scorer, having struck 163 goals in the English top-flight.
8) Jermain Defoe
Jermain Defoe is playing football for Scottish side Rangers even at 38, which is a remarkable feat. He has the distinction of being the eighth Premier League top goal scorer ever.
Career
Defoe started his youth career at Charlton Athletic and subsequently joined the academy of West Ham. He rose through the ranks at the Hammers and soon secured a place in the senior team. Defoe joined Tottenham Hotspur and impressed Spurs fans with his amazing talents. He was sold to Portsmouth in 2008 but returned to the London-based club in 2009. The superb striker showed his goalscoring prowess and bagged a lot of goals in his second stint as well.
9) Harry Kane
Harry Kane is currently ninth on the goal leaders list. He has consistently been performing well for the Spurs.
Career
He is an academy graduate of Tottenham Hotspur. However, initially, he failed to make a place in the senior team and remained on loan to several clubs, including Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich City, and Leicester City.
Kane’s fortunes greatly changed after Mauricio Pochettino took the hot seat at Spurs. He was spectacular in his first full season, scoring an unbelievable 31 goals across all competitions.
Kane continued his good performances and went on to earn an incredible 160 goals so far. 2017-18 was one of his best seasons as he found himself on the scoresheet on 41 occasions across all competitions. He is 27 years old and still firing goals. In the current campaign, he has smashed 17 goals and 13 assists in 27 league appearances.
10) Michael Owen
Michael Owen was an Everton fan as a youngster who achieved enormous success at bitter rivals, Liverpool.
Career
He started his youth career at the Reds and earned his professional debut when he was only 17 years old. Over the next seven years at Anfield, Owen remained at the top of his game. He was a consistent goal scorer for the Merseysiders and earned 118 goals in the top flight. The amazing center-forward joined Spanish giants Real Madrid in 2004. However, he returned to the Premier League with Newcastle United after spending only one season with the La Liga side.
Owen struggled to match his previous form and didn’t fire as many goals during his four years at St James’ Park. He scored 26 goals in 71 league appearances for the Magpies. The English footballer subsequently signed for Manchester United and spent three seasons with the Red Devils before joining Stoke City.
11) Les Ferdinand
Les Ferdinand was one of the best goal-scorers in the English league. He was most successful during his spells at Queens Park Rangers and Newcastle United.
Career
After spending short spells at Southall and Hayes, Ferdinand landed a move to QPR. He soon established himself as a top goal scorer for the Hoops.
In the Premier League’s debut season, Ferdinand struck an incredible 20 goals, a record he went on to break two seasons later when he earned 24 strikes.
Ferdinand moved to Newcastle United in 1995 in a move worth £6 million. His short stint was highly successful and he subsequently moved to Tottenham Hotspur in 1997. During his time at Spurs, he scored 33 goals in 118 top-flight appearances.
12) Ruud van Nistelrooy
A former Dutch footballer and Manchester United striker, Ruud van Nistelrooy is often considered as one of the best players in the competition. Nistelrooy was a highly creative goal scorer, well known for his striking and finishing ability during his playing time.
Career
In 2001, he signed a five-year contract with Manchester United in a deal worth £19 million. He made his debut against Fulham at Old Trafford and scored twice to book his team to win the title. On 22 December 2001, he bagged his first hattrick in a 6-1 win over Southampton. Van Nistelrooy smashed 23 goals in 32 appearances in his first season. Next season, he was on top of the premier league goal leaders as he scored 25 goals in 34 league games. Overall, he played 150 matches for United and scored 95 goals and 14 assists.
13) Dwight Yorke
Dwight Yorke, known as ‘The Smiling Assassin’, had a passion for playing the game and played with an ever-present grin on his face. He put many smiles on his fans’ faces by presenting excellent ability with his link-up play and goal-scoring.In 1989, Yorke first came to the attention of Aston Villa manager Graham Taylor on a preseason tour of Trinidad. He signed for Villa and had a highly successful career at Villa Park, scoring 60 Premier League goals. Later on, he moved to Manchester United for £12.6 million in 1998.
Career
Yorke enjoyed an astonishing first season at Old Trafford, scoring prolifically as the team won the UEFA Champions League title and the Premier League, FA Cup, in 1998/1999. He also won the Golden Boot Award this season.
Yorke finished his Old Trafford career with 48 Premier League goals and three Premier League titles.
14) Darren Bent
In 2002, Bent burst onto the scene with Ipswich Town, scoring his first English Premier League goal against Middlesbrough. Bent moved to Charlton Athletic for £2.5 million fees after a successful career at Ipswich.
Career
Bent was a storming success at Charlton. In the 2005-2006 season, he was amongst the EPL goal leaders with 18 goals in his bag. He enjoyed an astonishing partnership with Marcus Bent which resulted in seven consecutive wins for Addick’s in the Premier League.
He went to Tottenham, where he had less success before reviving his form with an excellent spell, where he managed to score 25 goals under Steve Bruce at Sunderland.
Bent netted 81 goals in his English Premier League career, making him one of the best strikers in Premier League history.
15) Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is a Dutch footballer, and he is amongst the top goal scorers of all time. He played as a goalkeeper, and then became a right-winger and finally a striker.
Career
In 1997, he joined Leeds United for a £2 million fee. Also, he scored 16 goals in the first season, 18 goals in the next year, and won the Premier League Golden Boot award in 1999. Hasselbaink signed for Chelsea in 2000. Moreover, he netted 70 goals for Chelsea in that season.
Later he joined Middlesbrough in 2004. One of the most splendid performances in Boro history is when Hasselbaink scored 23 goals for Middlesbrough before signing for Charlton.
16) Didier Drogba
No other striker is as gratifying to watch as Didier Drogba. Renowned for his career’s dynamic performance at Chelsea, He was Captain of the Ivory Coast National team and remained at the top of the scorer’s list.
Along with outstanding abilities to beat defenders off the drizzle, scoring from various angles and distances, and holding up the ball under pressure, Drogba appeared as a paradigm for the modern game.
Career
In 2004, Drogba signed for premier league club Chelsea for a record fee of £24 million and became the most expensive Ivorian player in history.
At Chelsea, he played seven spectacular seasons, scored 104 goals, and won three Premier League titles. Also, he has been the top EPL goal scorer twice, and in 2007, 2010 got the Golden Boot Award. In 2009-10 at Chelsea, Drogba fired the Blues at the top of the table by scoring 29 goals in 32 Premier League appearances. Throughout his career, Drogba has had noticeable victories.
17) Ian Wright
Ian Wright was an English professional footballer and high-class goal scorer long before the Premier League time. As a defensive-oriented team, Arsenal used Wright as a spearhead. Moreover, he was famous for his speed and finishing ability.
Career
In the beginning, Wright played for Crystal Palace and Arsenal. He scored 28 goals for Crystal Palace and smashed 24 in the last season. However, he continued his marvelous performance and netted 104 goals for Arsenal.
Although he got a hamstring injury yet, he scored ten goals as Arsenal won the Premier League title in 1997/98. He was declared second-highest scorer of Arsenal and third of Crystal Palace. Wright scored nine goals at the end of his career while playing Premier League at West Ham United.
18) Teddy Sheringham
Sheringham is regarded as one of the best English footballers who played as a forward and second striker. He was spectacular from the very beginning of the Premier League era. He played brilliantly with Millwall and Nottingham Forest and became the Millwall’s Club’s second-highest all-time goal scorer.
Career
Sheringham joined Tottenham Hotspur before the Premier League inaugural season in 1992/93. In his first season with Spur, Teddy netted 21 goals and got the first Premier League Golden Boot award in 1993.
Moreover, he smashed 76 goals for Tottenham and signed for Manchester United in 1997.his spectacular performance throughout his career put him amongst the premier league’s top goal scorers of all time. In his final season, Teddy scored 15 goals in 29 appearances. He finished his career at Portsmouth and West Ham United at the age of 40 years.
19) Cristiano Ronaldo
Everyone is well familiar with Cristiano Ronaldo’s name in football, who has several records and is renowned as the greatest player of all time. Owing to his spectacular performance on the ground and incredible strikes, he grabbed many titles.
Career
However, in Premier League history, many players have smashed more goals than Cristiano Ronaldo, yet he scored distinctively.
During the years 2006 and 2009, he netted 66 goals in the Premier League. He was crowned with the Golden Boot award between the terms 2007/2008.
Fundamentally, Ronaldo played in a three-person attack but accompanied the central striker with catastrophic impact.
This fantastic play was capable of teasing Premier League defenders in various ways, that might be beating them off the dribble, striking from a distance, or with his speedy free kicks.
He remained with the English Premier League for a short time as he moved to Real Madrid in 2009.
20) Peter Crouch
Peter Crouch is an English striker who played 42 games and scored 22 goals for his country. Known for his ability to play as a target man, Crouch was also famous for holding the ball for a long time and strong determination.
Career
At the beginning of his career, he played for Tottenham Hotspur. He was among the 29 players who banged in 100 or more EPL goals in the Premier League history.
21) Dion Dublin
Dion Dublin was considered one of the greatest targetmen in Premier League history. He beat up several defenders on his way to smashing over 100 goals in EPL.
Career
Dublin began his career as a central defender at the Norwich City Youth Academy. In 1998, he joined Cambridge United as a defender. ‘Big Dion’ was regarded as an amazing goal scorer of his time. With Cambridge’s lower league, Dublin played as a center-forward and had tremendous success.
In 1992, he moved to Manchester United with a million pounds. His next move to Coventry proved remarkable as he was declared the Club’s most amazing player ever. He netted 62 Premier League goals for Coventry.
Between 1997/1998, he achieved the Golden Boot award playing a tricky mid-table side. The most influential thing about Dublin’s career is that he played games as a central defender.
22) Robbie Keane
Robbie Keane is an Irish multitalented and speedy player who changed Club frequently inside and outside the EPL. He won the hearts of his fans wherever he played for the Club. His honest performance and skillful finishing abilities excite his fans more than anything else.
Career
Keane hit the ground running at Wolverhampton Wanderers and was spectacular from the very beginning. He signed with Coventry City and played brilliantly. Later on, he progressed and moved to Inter Milan.
Keane signed for EPL again with Leeds United which was a very successful acquisition for both the player and the team. However, he relished with amazing success at Tottenham Hotspur and smashed 91 goals for Spurs. Robbie Keane is amongst the top EPL goal leaders of all time. He scored 121 total goals for the English Premier League.
23) Nicolas Anelka
French footballer Nicolas Anelka played as a forward for his national team. Being the best teenage player, he was capable of scoring goals in critical, along with assisting. He could play remarkably as the main striker and second as well.
Career
Nicolas began his Premier League career as the youngest teenager. He scored his first EPL goal over Manchester United and in the 1997/1998 season got the Premier League title for Gunners.
In 1999, Anelka joined Real Madrid, and then in 2002, Liverpool signed him for the Premier League from Paris Saint Germain. He fired four goals for Liverpool.
Being promoted to Manchester City, Anelka scored 37 EPL goals before leaving for Turkey in 2005. In 2007, Anelka returned as a team member of Bolton Wanderer. Moreover, he smashed 21 EPL goals for Trotters and then finally joined Chelsea.
He was declared the league-leading goal scorer in 2008/2009, won the Golden Boot award, and made Chelsea win the season’s premier league title.
24) Matt Le Tissier
Le Tissier had creative and technical skills, and he had great attacking and striking abilities. Whether controls over the ball, dribbling, balance, or accuracy, he was excellent in all positions.
Career
Despite multiple opportunities to join a bigger club, Tissier remained with Southampton, where he was famous by the name ‘Le God’ which shows the special affection of his fans towards him. Le Tessier netted 101 EPL goals, he was one of the Premier League’s top goal-scorers of all time, and it was a great achievement by a player of his caliber.
25) Steven Gerrard
Steven Gerrard was an English professional footballer who played for Liverpool as a central midfielder and remained Captain of the English National team. Considered the spectacular player of his generation, Gerrard was blessed with versatile abilities and could play in more than one position.
Career
Gerrard played his debut season with Liverpool in 1998. Due to his remarkable performance, the Club won surprising cups, and in 2003 he became Captain. Owing to his presence, Liverpool won its fifth European title in 2005 and got the man of the match award. He took part in 504 Premier League appearances and netted 120 EPL goals.
Best Premier League Defenders Ever:
Now that we have looked at who is the EPL’s active goal leader, let’s also not forget to mention some of the best premier league defenders ever who scored plenty of goals in the English league. below are listed some best premier league goal leaders defenders.
Ashley Young
He is currently on the books of Serie A side Inter Milan. He started his career with Watford and played one Premier League season with them.
He is one of the top Premier League goal scorers defenders. He subsequently joined Aston Villa and later Manchester United. For the Lions, he scored an incredible 30 goals while for United he struck 15 goals.
John Terry
John Terry is regarded by many as one of the best defenders in Premier League history. Despite being a defender, he scored an incredible 41 goals. Only one of his goals came for Aston Villa while the other 40 goals came for Chelsea.
David Unsworth
David Unsworth remained associated with 10 English clubs. Although he was a defender, he found himself on the scoresheet on 38 occasions in the top flight, making him a top EPL defender.
