Goalscoring is the most challenging component of the beautiful game, especially in a competitive league like the Premier League. England’s top division has produced a wide range of centre-forwards, from typical poachers to do-it-all strikers, but not all of them have been able to get off to a fast start.
Some, however, take to English football like a duck to water, scoring goals like they’re going out of style.
Erling Haaland, Manchester City’s talisman, is an ideal illustration. The Norwegian reached 100 Premier League appearances in the early stages of the 2025/26 season, scoring in a 2-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion – but how does his scoring record compare to that of some of the league’s greatest-ever frontmen?
Looking at how many goals each player has scored in his first century of Premier League appearances, here are the 12 players with the most goals – from their division debut to reaching the 100-game milestone.
Players with the most goals after 100 Premier League games: 12-7.
Ian Wright, now a popular analyst, was once a goal-scoring machine for Premier League club Arsenal. From 1991 to 1999, the English striker failed to score fewer than ten league goals for the north Londoners. In his first 100 Premier League appearances, he scored 56 goals.
Harry Kane was on the verge of tying Alan Shearer’s all-time goalscoring record in the English Premier League after 1992, but he transferred to Bayern Munich before he could do so. Previously a verified goal scorer for Tottenham Hotspur, Kane scored 59 goals in his first century of outings.
Thierry Henry, as sluggish as attackers can be, typifies the Premier League era. Silky and dominant in the final third, the Frenchman also scored 59 goals in his first 100 Premier League outings, three fewer than Luis Suarez.
He is widely regarded as one of the greatest strikers of all time, having scored 62 goals in his first 100 outings for Liverpool. Overall, the now-38-year-old scored 82 goals and added 32 assists in 133 appearances for the Reds between 2011 and 2014.
While the majority of the people on this list are strikers, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, who is as deadly as they come on the right wing, defies the pattern by scoring 63 goals in his first 100 games. The 33-year-old, who has matured like a great wine, had his best season in 2024/25.
The 12 players with the most goals after 100 Premier League games are 12-7.
Rank
Player
Goals
12.
Ian Wright
56
10=
Harry Kane
59
10=
Thierry Henry
59
8=
Luis Suárez
62
8=
Robbie Fowler
62
5=
Mohamed Salah
63
Players with the most goals after 100 Premier League games: 6-1.
Fernando Torres, largely regarded as one of the best footballers to never win a league title, signed for Liverpool in the summer of 2007 and scored 81 goals in 142 games across four years. With 63 of those, he ranks sixth on this list.
Along with the aforementioned Spaniard, Andy Cole is one of the most decorated footballers on this star-studded list. In 1993/94, the marksman scored 34 goals in 40 games, and he continued to score at an alarming rate after transferring to Old Trafford.
Sergio Aguero, a Manchester City and Argentina superstar, has only won the Premier League Golden Boot once, in 2014/15, but his start at the Etihad Stadium has been lightning fast. In his first century of league appearances, he scored 64 times.
Ruud van Nistelrooy was a top finisher due to his mobility in and around the opposition box, and the Dutchman’s fox-in-the-box approach allowed him to score at an alarming rate throughout his 219-game spell at Manchester United. He scored a total of 150 goals for the Red Devils.
Alan Shearer is best known for his goalscoring exploits with Newcastle United, but the prolific striker scored an eye-catching 79 goals in his first 100 Premier League appearances between 1992 and 1996, all while on the books of Blackburn Rovers.
Shearer’s record stood until recently. Erling Haaland, Manchester City’s goalscoring machine, surpassed the Magpies legend by scoring against Brighton & Hove Albion, making it 88 goals in his first 100 appearances.
The 12 players with the most goals after 100 Premier League games are 6-1.
Rank
Player
Goals
5=
Fernando Torres
63
5=
Andy Cole
63
4.
Sergio Aguero
64
3.
Ruud Van Nistelrooy
68
2.
Alan Shearer
79
1.
Erling Haaland
88
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