The best Premier League strikers ever, eh? Some of your favourite players ever will be on this list.
Over the past 32 Premier League seasons football fans have been treated to all kinds of goalscorers, from foxes in the box to long-range specialists and everything in between.
But as the 2024/25 season gets going, we've been debating who the greatest of them all really is.
It's not an easy decision, either. A shortlist of 20 was hard enough…
Our football experts here at FourFourTwo HQ have been crunching the numbers. From the best goalkeepers in the history of the Premier League, to the best defenders, the best midfielders, the best wingers and the best strikers, we've sorted through players based on their overall technical ability, their legacy and their impact on the league.
So we've cast our eyes back to the start of the competition in 1992 to devise a top 20 strikers for you to disagree with. So, starting with number 20, we'll get going...
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The 20 best Premier League strikers ever: 20. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (Manchester United)
While Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is officially the Premier League’s most effective substitute and his goal in the 1999 Champions League final will forever define his career, there was more to the Norwegian than just goals off the bench. Rarely has there been a better player in and around the penalty area when it comes to sniffing out chances.
19. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (Leeds United, Chelsea, Middlesbrough, Charlton Athletic)
A Golden Boot winner with both Leeds United and Chelsea, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink had an intensity to him that was unmatched by any of his era’s strikers. His highlight reel is a delight to watch - shots lashed in from all angles, with both feet by a player who looked to be fuelled by pure rage.
18. Gianfranco Zola (Chelsea)
While he wasn’t a 30-goal-a-season player, Gianfranco Zola brought much more to Chelsea than putting the ball in the back of the net. The pint-sized Italian’s close control, speed of thought and improvisational ability were unmatched in the late 1990s, as Diego Maradona’s former understudy picked up more than a few pointers from his former Napoli teammate.
17. Michael Owen (Liverpool, Newcastle United, Manchester United, Stoke City)
After seeing him struggle with hamstring injuries and fail to meet expectations at Real Madrid and Newcastle United, it’s easy to forget just how devastating a player the teenage Michael Owen was.
Winner of two Premier League Golden Boots and scorer of one of England’s greatest-ever World Cup goals before he turned 20, Owen would win the Ballon d’Or in 2001 - which no-one else on this list can boast of doing.
16. Ruud van Nistelrooy (Manchester United)
A fair few players on this list have been the victims of injuries that have prevented them from reaching stratospheric levels, but Ruud van Nistelrooy is an outlier.
An ACL injury sidelined him for a year after he had been on the brink of joining Manchester United, but he showed no signs of lasting damage when he did arrive in 2001, as he quickly became the best poacher in the Premier League during five lethal seasons at Old Trafford. Now back with the club for a second act as a part of Erik ten Hag’s coaching staff.
15. Robbie Fowler (Liverpool, Leeds United, Manchester City, Blackburn Rovers)
Anyone who’s watched The Wire will know the phrase ‘natural police’ and why that is a perfect description for the show’s flawed focal point Jimmy McNulty. Well, Robbie Fowler was a natural goalscorer, more clinical than his contemporaries Shearer, Wright, Cole or Klinsmann, but like the aforementioned Baltimorian had some rough edges, not least his infamous white line celebration in 1999.
Had he had better injury luck, Fowler could have shattered all the Premier League goalscoring records.
14. Robin van Persie (Arsenal, Manchester United)
The silky Dutchman was in a class of his own in the Premier League when he hit his peak in the post-Shearer/Henry era, when his left foot was perhaps the most lethal weapon in the division.
Van Persie was unfortunate to miss out on Arsenal’s golden era, but did finally win a Premier League title after he jumped ship to Manchester United.
13. Fernando Torres (Liverpool, Chelsea)
It’s rare to see a career oscillate so quickly as Fernando Torres’ did after his transfer deadline day move from Liverpool to Chelsea, but what he did in three-and-a-half seasons with Liverpool is up there with any other striker of the Premier League era.
Torres’ pace, ability to glide into the box and his clinical finishing were a joy to watch, as he clicked with Steven Gerrard. The less said about his time at Chelsea the better, although he will always have that moment in the 2012 Champions League semi-final.
12. Ian Wright (Arsenal, West Ham United)
The late-blooming Ian Wright was one of the Premier League’s first superstars, playing the game with a smile on his face and an infectious enthusiasm that gripped everyone who wasn’t a Spurs fan.
Deservedly held the all-time Arsenal goalscoring record until his Thierry Henry va-va-voomed past him and has now graduated into national treasure status thanks to his work in the media.
11. Luis Suarez (Liverpool)
Things were never dull when Luis Suarez was around at Liverpool, whether it was his prolific nature in front of goal, or his darker side, which included a ban for racist abuse of Patrice Evra or his bizarre penchant for biting opponents.
His 31-goal 2013/14 campaign was the high point of a three-and-a-half year stint in English football that saw him plunder 69 goals in 110 appearances.
10. Erling Haaland
It’s easy to scoff at the inclusion of a player with only two years of Premier League experience under his belt in this list, but even if Erling Haaland decided to hang up his boots and become the face of Vidal Sassoon next week, his deeds will still be talked about in 30 years time.
His total of 63 goals in 66 games going into the 2024/25 season is beyond compare and you’d imagine the only thing that could save Alan Shearer’s all-time goalscoring record is a phone call from either Barcelona or Real Madrid in the next few seasons.
9. Andy Cole (Newcastle United, Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Fulham, Manchester City, Portsmouth, Sunderland)
One of the most reliable finishers of the Premier League’s first era, Andy Cole remains fourth on the all-time scoring chart with 187 goals, which is a remarkable tally when you consider he didn’t take penalties.
Slipped through the net as a youngster at Arsenal and wins bonus points from us for his 1999 single ‘Outstanding’.
8. Eric Cantona (Leeds United, Manchester United)
Eric Cantona was a unicorn. You can watch the Premier League for the next 50 years and you’re not going to see another player that combines charisma, philosophy and genius on the pitch to such an extent that the former Leeds United and Manchester United forward did.
The mercurial Frenchman was the catalyst behind the Red Devils’ early dominance of the Premier League, while his kung fu kick on a mouthy Crystal Palace fan remains one of the most iconic moments in the competition’s history.
7. Harry Kane (Norwich City, Tottenham Hotspur)
The England captain had Alan Shearer nervously looking behind his shoulder at the top of the all-time Premier League goalscoring list until he jumped ship to Bayern Munich last summer.
Kane departed these shores on 213 Premier League goals, 47 fewer than Shearer, who will no doubt be lobbying the ex-Spurs skipper to remain in the Bundesliga for the rest of his career after seeing him net 44 times for the German giants last season.
6. Dennis Bergkamp (Arsenal)
This list is full of great goalscorers, but few of them scored greater goals than the non-flying Dutchman. During 11 seasons with Arsenal, Dennis Bergkamp scored a respectable 87 goals, but what cannot be measured is how he was able to run the show, as he had a supernatural ability to be one step ahead of his opponents, allowing his teammates such as Ian Wright and Thierry Henry to rack up the goals.
When he did score, it was more often than not spectacular. The touch, spin and finish against Newcastle United remains a highlight reel staple, while his hat-trick against Leicester City was sublime.
5. Didier Drogba (Chelsea)
The heartbeat of Chelsea’s best sides under Jose Mourinho, Didier Drogba’s skillset and physique were perfectly suited to both the Premier League and the Portuguese’s style of play. The Ivorian had a knack for scoring goals at the most opportune times, as evident by his two Premier League Golden Boots and 12 major honours with the Blues.
4. Wayne Rooney (Everton, Manchester United)
When a 16-year-old Wayne Rooney curled the ball home for Everton against Arsenal in October 2002, Clive Tyldesley urged us to ‘remember the name.’
Football history is full of players who did not hit their potential, but a 16-year Premier League career that saw him score 208 goals and conjure up 103 assists (third all-time behind just Ryan Giggs and Cesc Fabregas) has seen Rooney go down as one of the greats.
3. Sergio Aguero (Manchester United)
Even if he hadn’t delivered the signature moment of the first 30 years of the Premier League, Sergio Aguero would be at the top end of this list. The Argentine’s 2012 Premier League title-winning goal against QPR granted him a place in footballing immortality, but he would score 183 other Premier League goals during his ten years with Manchester City, which are the most by an overseas player of all time.
His dribbling skills and acceleration set him apart from his peers and he remains an integral part of City’s rise to the all-conquering behemoth they have been in recent times.
2. Alan Shearer (Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United)
It’s been 18 years since Alan Shearer hung up his boots and during this time only one player has got within 50 goals of his all-time Premier League goalscoring record, which tells you nearly everything that you need to know about the Newcastle United legend’s goalscoring prowess and longevity.
Few players in recent English football history have bettered Shearer’s consistency, power, accuracy and leadership, while his loyalty to the Magpies faithful and iconic celebration are the other x-factors that see him top our list.
1. Thierry Henry (Arsenal)
Watching a Juventus misfit blossom into one of his generation’s greatest strikers was a treat for Arsenal fans and neutrals alike in the 2000s. Henry brought a grace and sense of style to English football that fans had rarely seen at a time when the Premier League began to overhaul La Liga as the planet’s most popular competition.
There was substance behind the style though, with Henry netting 20 or more goals in five straight seasons while the Gunners enjoyed their modern golden age.
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