Ranking the Top 10 Premier League Strikers of All Time

Since its inception back in 1992, the English Premier League has continued to dominate the club football stage of its rich history and action-packed football. In all these years, the English top flight has seen many elite-level strikers keeping the fans in awe of their magical touches and beautiful goals. 

From Cristiano Ronaldo to the greatest goal scorer in English Premier League history, Alan Shearer, and from the Uruguayan dynamo, Luis Suarez to the great Eric Cantona, these sublime finishers have graced English football with their scintillating performances. The list of outstanding strikers in English football history is too large to count, making it difficult to rank the top 10. However, in this article, we aim to present the top 10 Premier League strikers of all time, who were not only prolific goal-scorers but also technically gifted.

Ranking Factors

Influence: No matter which era we talk about, strikers have always played a pivotal role in a team’s success. Their performances during crucial games or clutch moments define their legacy and influence.

Goal-scoring Prowess: How many goals a striker has scored during a campaign has always been a debate while judging and deciding the rankings of the players. How consistently he has been scoring goals for his team and his record as well.

Longevity: There have been thousands of players come and go, yet only those who have qualities of becoming elite players leave a lasting impression that tends to linger even after decades.

10. Andy Cole

Andy Cole is a legend to the fans of two clubs – Newcastle United and Manchester United, for two different reasons. Newcastle fans still remember his great season when he netted a record 34 goals in a single EPL campaign to lift the morale of the club which was desperate to stay relevant in the top flight.

For Manchester United, he is still remembered for his winning goal in the 1999 Champions League semi-final against Juventus in Turin. The tall forward smashed 187 league goals in his club career, with 93 of them coming at Old Trafford only. Cole was a lethal weapon for the managers due to his aerial abilities and long-range shooting ability. He is also in the fourth position of the most goals scored list in the English top division.

Games	Goals	Assists	Golden Boots	Premier League Title
415	187	69	1	5

Also Read: Ranking the 10 Best Strikers in the Premier League Right Now

9. Luis Suarez

Keeping Luis Suarez out of this list would be a sin, given the striker’s contribution to guiding Liverpool toward the path of resurrection in a league that was mainly dominated by the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea. Suarez played only 110 games for the Reds in the EPL, but his final two seasons at Anfield are the reasons behind his inclusion in this list. El Pistolero scored 54 goals in just 66 appearances, with 31 coming in his final season. He almost handed the league title to Liverpool through his explosive performance alongside his attacking partner, Daniel Sturridge.

Games	Goals	Assists	Golden Boots	Premier League Title
110	69	39	1	0

8. Eric Cantona

Eric Cantona is one of the most popular strikers in the history of the Premier League. He was fondly called King Eric due to his contributions to making Manchester United one of the elite clubs in modern-day football. The French superstar won four Premier League titles in his five-season stint at Old Trafford. Cantona recorded only 70 league goals in his career. But, his legacy can’t just be defined by the numbers, as he represented way more than just goals, he represented the resurrection of United as a force in modern-day football.

Games	Goals	Assists	Golden Boots	Premier League Title
156	70	55	0	5

7. Robbie Fowler

Robbie Fowler was a Premier League great who represented three big Premier League clubs – Manchester City, Liverpool, and Leeds United. Coming through the ranks of the Liverpool youth academy, Robbie Fowler found a place in the senior team through his scoring prowess.

Alongside Michael Owen, Fowler became one of the most lethal strikers in England. He featured in 379 league games where he smashed 162 goals and assisted 34 times. Fowler is considered a Liverpool legend. 

Games	Goals	Assists	Golden Boots	Premier League Title
379	162	34	0	0

Also Read: Top 10 Longest Serving Premier League Players for Every Club Currently

6. Michael Owen

Michael Owen reached the highest level of his career during the late 1990s and early 2000s. He solidified his place as one of the greatest players to have ever played in the Premier League by winning the 2001 Ballon d’Or title. Owen’s career peaked when he netted 117 goals in seven seasons for Liverpool before moving to Newcastle United and Real Madrid, respectively. Despite suffering a string of injuries, he utilized his scoring skills to make a mark in the league. Later on in his career, Owen moved to Manchester United and achieved his dream of winning a Premier League title.

Games	Goals	Assists	Golden Boots	Premier League Title
326	150	39	2	0

5. Sergio Aguero

Sergio Aguero is one such player who ensured Manchester City‘s rise from rags to riches within a decade. Every Premier League fan still remembers his iconic goal against Queens Park Rangers on the final day of the league, which led City to their maiden Premier League title. The Argentine, who scored 20 times in five successive seasons, is also the highest goal scorer in the club’s history. 

Games	Goals	Assists	Golden Boots	Premier League Title
275	184	55	1	5

4. Harry Kane

Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane stayed behind the curtain of secrecy before the 2016-17 Premier League season. The then-Spurs number nine netted 29 goals and won the first Golden Boot in his career. Since then, he had been scoring goals for fun in the Premier League before his move to Bayern Munich in 2023. Kane scored 213 goals in England in just 320 appearances in the top flight. 

Games	Goals	Assists	Golden Boots	Premier League Title
320	213	50	3	0

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3. Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney has etched his name in the folklore of English football through an eventful legacy. Since bursting onto the scene as a teenager, Rooney continued to dominate in club football at the highest level. With 253 goals, he is the highest scorer in the history of Manchester United and the third-highest in the English top flight. His dribbling, vision, off-the-ball movement, and beautiful assists have earned him third place on our list of the best Premier League strikers.

Games	Goals	Assists	Golden Boots	Premier League Title
491	208	114	0	5

2. Thierry Henry

Thierry Henry’s numbers in the Premier League are insane. He lifted three league titles and scored 175 goals for Arsenal. Except for the prestigious Champions League, he won it all under Arsene Wenger’s tutelage, including a 24-goal haul for five consecutive seasons. Henry’s positioning before laying a ball for his teammates and scoring stunners from outside and inside the penalty area made football look easy.

Games	Goals	Assists	Golden Boots	Premier League Title
258	175	80	4	2

1. Alan Shearer

It was a tough choice to pick Alan Shearer ahead of Henry, but in the end, the greatest goal scorer in the history of the Premier League is our number-one pick in this list of the best Premier League strikers of all time.

Shearer’s peak arrived during his time at Blackburn Rovers, where he clocked over 30 goals for three seasons in a row. During this time, he lifted his career’s only Premier League title. He then moved to Newcastle United and became their greatest-ever player. Shearer’s 260 league goals speak volumes and even if he didn’t win the league with Newcastle, he left behind the greatest goalscoring legacy in English football history. 

Games	Goals	Assists	Golden Boots	Premier League Title
441	260	68	3	1

List of Top 10 Premier League Strikers of All Time

RANK	PLAYER NAME	TEAM	GOALS
1	Alan Shearer	Newcastle & Blackburn	260
2	Thiery Henry	Arsenal	175
3	Wayne Rooney	Everton & Manchester United	208
4	Harry Kane	Tottenham	213
5	Sergio Aguero	Manchester City	184
6	Michael Owen	Liverpool, Newcastle, Manchester United & Stoke	150
7	Robbie Fowler	Liverpool, Manchester City & Leeds	162
8	Eric Cantona	Manchester United & Leeds	70
9	Luiz Suarez	Liverpool	69
10	Andy Cole	Newcastle & Manchester United	187

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