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Since its inception back in 1992, a remarkable 31,806 goals have been scored, as the global awareness of the competition has continued to boom.
With just seven teams having lifted the title in that time, many would be forgiven for thinking that the Premier League hasn’t been competitive but the all-action nature of the league, week in, week out, makes for compelling viewing with the best Premier League betting sites.
There have been some incredible forwards in the history of the EPL and here we run down the best Premier League strikers of all-time:
10. Robin van Persie – Arsenal & Manchester United
144 PL Goals
Dutch firecracker Robin van Persie possessed one of the very best left foots to have ever graced the Premier League and in just 280 games, he amassed 144 goals.
Signed by Arsene Wenger, van Persie took his time to adjust to Premier League football – initially struggling to make an impact in a highly successful Arsenal team.
Van Persie eventually hit his stride in the late 2000’s and in 2011-12, he notched a superb 30 goals as the Gunners finished the campaign in third place and van Persie collected his first Premier League Golden Boot.
The summer of 2012 proved to be pivotal for van Persie, who left Arsenal to join Manchester United and with the Dutchman in their ranks, the Red Devils marched to the Premier League title in 2013 – with van Persie’s 26 goals key to their success.
9. Robbie Fowler – Liverpool, Leeds United, Manchester City & Blackburn Rovers
163 PL Goals
Referred to as ‘God’ by the Liverpool fans, academy product Robbie Fowler had a monumental impact during his time at Anfield.
A key component of the spice boys, Fowler led a generation of home-grown talents at Liverpool and his goal record was superb.
Despite not lifting the EPL trophy, Fowler bagged 120 goals for the reds before moving to Leeds in the summer of 2001.
He continued to score regularly for Leeds and Manchester City, before returning to Liverpool in 2005 and he averaged a goal every 0.43 games in the Premier League.
8. Andy Cole – Manchester United, Newcastle United, Manchester City, Fulham, Blackburn Rovers, Portsmouth & Sunderland.
187 PL Goals
Having burst onto the scene for Newcastle during a vibrant time for the club under Kevin Keegan, Andy Cole went on to amass an incredible 187 Premier League goals in 414 games.
Cole was snapped up by Manchester United in the summer of 1995, going on to lift the Champions League with the Red Devils and the Premier League title 5 times.
The true ‘fox in the box’, Cole went on to ply his trade for 5 more EPL clubs including Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City – with his goal record maintaining impressive until his drop into the Championship in 2008.
Despite struggling to make an impact on the international stage, Cole ended up scoring every 0.46 Premier League games.
7. Ian Wright – Arsenal & West Ham United
113 PL Goals
Having begun his career as a non-league footballer, Ian Wright defied the odds to represent Arsenal at the very top of the game.
Originally making his name at Crystal Palace, Wright signed for Arsenal just before the inception of the Premier League in 1992 and he banged the goals in at Highbury.
Fiery in temperament but cool in front of goal, Wright scored 128 times for Arsenal in the Premier League, in just 221 games – lifting the EPL trophy in 1998.
He left to join West Ham, before spells at Celtic, Nottingham Forest and Burnley and he is now one of the most respected pundits in the game.
6. Didier Drogba – Chelsea
104 PL Goals
Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba came with huge expectation at Chelsea back in 2004 and he delivered in spades.
Following unsuccessful purchases including Hernan Crespo and Andrii Shevchenko, Chelsea were seeking regular goals and Drogba brought them to Stamford Bridge.
In two spells, Drogba scored 104 goals in the Premier League for the club and won 4 Premier League titles, 4 FA Cups and he scored the winning goal for the blues in the 2012 Champions League final.
5. Wayne Rooney – Everton & Manchester United
208 PL Goals
Few talents in world football have been as anticipated or mercurial as Wayne Rooney and in the best part of two decades in the Premier League, he made a remarkable impact.
From bursting onto the scene for Everton back in 2002 as a 16-year-old, through to scoring for Manchester United in the 2011 Champions League final, he will be remembered for achieving many great feats in the game.
In the cut and thrust of the Premier League, Rooney notched 208 goals in two spells at Everton and one at Manchester United, winning 5 EPL titles and etching his name into English football folklore.
4. Harry Kane – Tottenham
213 PL Goals
Despite Tottenham not managing to win a trophy during his stay at the club, Harry Kane was pivotal in helping Spurs become a force to be reckoned with both domestically and across Europe.
Having originally being cast out on loan to a mixture of Championship clubs, Kane didn’t look set to make much of an impact at White Hart Lane, but he grasped his chance in 2013.
Scoring at least 17 goals in each Premier League season he has played in, Kane has gone on to become one of the most potent strikers in world football, as well as England’s all-time leading scorer.
Kane has 213 EPL goals for Spurs, at an average of 0.67 goals per game and he now plays for Bayern Munich, where he continues to bang the goals in regularly.
3. Alan Shearer – Blackburn Rovers & Newcastle United
260 PL Goals
With 260 Premier League goals to his name, Alan Shearer is the all-time leading scorer in the Premier League, with his record still standing strong.
Having moved to Blackburn from Southampton, Shearer helped the club lift the Premier League title in 1995, before joining Newcastle United for £15 million – a world record transfer fee at the time.
No more silverware followed at St James’s Park, but Shearer continued to terrorise defences for years to come in the North East and he remains one of the most important figures in Premier League football today.
2. Sergio Aguero – Manchester City
184 PL Goals
Manchester City were the upstarts when Sergio Aguero signed in 2011, and the Argentine turned them into serial winners within 12 months.
His career defining goal to lift the title in May 2012 remains one of the most iconic moments in world football and he averaged a goal every 0.67 EPL games during his tenure at the Etihad Stadium.
Aguero lifted the Premier League title on 5 occasions, setting the blue print for the generation of success Manchester City have enjoyed in recent years.
1. Thierry Henry – Arsenal
175 PL Goals
French superstar Thierry Henry was signed by Arsenal as a winger but evolved into one of the deadliest strikers in Premier League history.
Henry lifted the World Cup in 1998 and joined Arsenal before winning Euro 2000, with his impact on the English game sure to be felt for generations to come.
He scored 175 goals in just 285 games for the Gunners, averaging a goal every 0.68 appearances and was a key component in the Arsenal side that went a season unbeaten in 2003/04.
With two Premier League titles to his name and the most potent goals to game ratio of any player to have scored over 100 Premier League times, Thierry Henry remains one of the very best operators to have graced the EPL.
