Summary
The Premier League has been blessed with some of the greatest strikers of the current generation.
English football has produced some of the best players, whether they were clinical goal scorers or all-around forwards.
Thierry Henry, Didier Drogba, and Wayne Rooney are among the finest attackers in Premier League history.
The Premier League is largely regarded as one of the most competitive football leagues in the world. Over the years, it has hosted several genuinely world-class forwards who have wowed fans with their football IQ and scoring skills. Some of the best teams from the 1990s onward have featured an astonishing array and variety of strikers, whether it’s a penalty-box poacher or a complete forward who can do it all.
From Thierry Henry’s glory days to Alan Shearer’s rise to the top of the goalscoring charts to Erling Haaland’s recent heroics in the top flight, there hasn’t been a shortage of outstanding frontmen in the English Premier League since 1992. And choosing the best of the group is no simple task.
Ranking Factors
Whittling down the large number of strikers to a top 25 takes some significant work, thus certain crucial criteria were applied to ensure the list is as rational as possible:
Top-flight goals scored
Individual accomplishments, such as any Golden Boot Awards
Premier League championships won.
How valuable that striker was to their respective clubs.
In Pictures: The Best Premier League Strikers
25Robbie Keane
Tottenham, Leeds, Coventry, Liverpool, West Ham, Aston Villa
Robbie Keane begins the list. The former Republic of Ireland international has played for many Premier League clubs, including Coventry City, Leeds United, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, West Ham, and Aston Villa. However, it was with the first three clubs on that list that Keane truly made his impact, first demonstrating his abilities at the highest level by scoring double-digit goals in the top flight with Coventry.
That led to a move to Elland Road, where he was a member of the Whites’ successful team around the turn of the century. However, it was at Tottenham that he found true consistency and a permanent home, scoring 10 or more Premier League goals in six consecutive seasons before leaving. His greatest total in a campaign was 16, achieved in the 2005/2006 campaign.
Robbie Keane, Premier League
Games
349
Goals
125
Assists
32
Golden Boots
0
Premier League Titles.
0
24Jermain Defoe
Tottenham, Sunderland, West Ham, Portsmouth, Bournemouth
Jermain Defoe, a Premier League veteran who achieved his greatest success in London with both West Ham and Tottenham, was the type of quick, clinical striker who could score from any angle and twist defenders one way then the other. The former England star did not win the title or have much team success in the Premier League, and he only won one Player of the Month award.
Despite this, Defoe was a consistent top-flight goalscorer for many years in English football, and it’s a measure to his longevity that he was still scoring Premier League goals for Sunderland over two decades after scoring his first with West Ham. In fact, despite his age, Defoe scored 15 Premier League goals in two consecutive seasons with the Black Cats, demonstrating his consistency.
Jermain Defoe, Premier League
Games
496
Goals
163
Assists
30
Golden Boots
0
Premier League Titles.
0
23Les Ferdinand
Tottenham, QPR, Newcastle, Leicester, West Ham, Bolton
Perhaps one of the more unfortunate England stars of his generation, Les Ferdinand’s 17 caps for England were not a reflection of his ability as a player, but rather of the Three Lions’ depth and brilliance up front at the time. Ferdinand’s finest years occurred in the late 1980s and 1990s, with possibly his most noteworthy tenure with Newcastle United and Tottenham.
He scored the most Premier League goals in a single season at Newcastle, with 25 in 1995/1996, one more than the 24 he scored with QPR just a few seasons before. In reality, Ferdinand’s performances with the Magpies during that campaign earned him a spot on the PFA’s Team of the Year, which he would undoubtedly trade for a Premier League victory considering the two runners-up medals he received in the two seasons he spent in Newcastle.
Les Ferdinand, Premier League
Games
349
Goals
149
Assists
43
Golden Boots
0
Premier League Titles.
0
22Fernando Torres
Liverpool, Chelsea
While his tenure at Chelsea may not have gone as planned, Fernando Torres’ performances at Liverpool were undoubtedly amazing. One of the greatest attackers of the 2000s, the Spaniard joined Liverpool from La Liga heavyweights Atletico Madrid and adapted to the Premier League like a duck to water, with his mix of pure pace and clinical finishing quickly establishing him as one of the division’s top scorers.
His almost telepathic understanding with Steven Gerrard, who played just off him, provided Liverpool with a formidable two-man partnership that was tough to halt once it got going. Torres’ goal record could have improved greatly if he had stayed at Anfield, but his move to Stamford Bridge appears to have ruined his career, which is why he is not higher on our list.
Fernando Torres – Premier League
Games
212
Goals
85
Assists
39
Golden Boots
0
Premier League Titles.
0
21Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink
Chelsea, Leeds, Middlesbrough, Charlton
Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink, a modern Chelsea great, was scoring goals for the Blues even before the club became profitable. The Dutch striker possessed a tremendous right foot and was frequently spotted leathering one in from more than 20 yards out and smashing a free-kick in to boot.
His relationship with Eidur Gudjohnsen, in particular, stood out for Chelsea in the early to mid-2000s, giving the west London club a true two-pronged assault, with both capable of dropping deep and linking play before storming into the penalty box for the finish. Given that Hasselbaink led Chelsea’s assault prior to their major victories under Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti, he deserves to be on this list, not to mention his two Golden Boots.
Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink – Premier League
Games
288
Goals
127
Assists
42
Golden Boots
2
Premier League Titles.
0
20Teddy Sheringham
Tottenham, Manchester United, West Ham, Portsmouth and Nottingham Forest
Teddy Sheringham was a member of Manchester United’s historic treble-winning team in 1999 and has also played in the Premier League for Tottenham Hotspur and the Red Devils. The former England international was at the pinnacle of his powers throughout his time at both teams, with two successful seasons at Spurs each side of his career at Manchester United.
It was possibly to Sheringham’s disadvantage that he was playing at a period when England was endowed with a number of outstanding attackers, which was a major reason why he only appeared 51 times for the Three Lions despite being a member of the Premier League’s 100-goal club.
Teddy Sheringham – Premier League
Games
418
Goals
146
Assists
62
Golden Boots
1
Premier League Titles.
3
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