Opinion
Here are the ten best marksmen in the history of the Premier League, in no particular order.
Didier Drogba
Golden boot: 2006-07, 2009-10
Champion: 2004-05, 2005-06, 2009-10, 2014-15
Goals: 104 in 254 appearances, 0.41 goals per match, 54 assists
Didier Drogba had a magnificent stint for Chelsea that saw him quickly become one of the world’s best strikers. Drogba had all of the tools that define a striker and was recognised by many as the complete package. Drogba’s toolkit consisted of pace, short and long-range shooting, tight control and consistency.
Thierry Henry
Golden boot: 2001-02, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06
Champion: 2001-02, 2003-04
Player of the season: 2003-04, 2005-06
Goals: 175 in 258 appearances, 0.68 goals per match, 74 assists
Thierry Henry made an impact on the English Premier League like few others. Remembered for his ability to score at pace, quick thinking and ability to freeze the opposing goal stopper, his composure in front of goal was second to none.
Sergio Aguero
Golden boot: 2014-15
Champion: 2011-12, 2013-14, 2017-18, 2018-19
Goals: 180 in 261 appearances, 0.69 goals per match, 46 assists
Sergio Aguero is English football’s greatest striker of the last decade and holds the record for the most goals scored by an overseas player. Aguero’s versatility has made it hard to pinpoint exactly what type of striker he is. This is a trait that has allowed Manchester City to employ Pep Guardiola’s total football model. He has the ability to drag defending players out and creates space behind him by coming to receive the ball with his back to goal. Aguero is strong on the ball and has an insatiable hunger for goals.
(Photo by Nigel French – EMPICS/PA Images via Getty Images)
Alan Shearer
Golden boot: 1994-95, 1995-96, 1996-97
Champion: 1994-95
Player of the season: 1994-95
Goals: 260 in 441 appearances, 0.59 goals per match, 64 assists
Alan Shearer is the English Premier League’s all-time top scorer with 260 goals. A fan favourite, Shearer graced the pitch with unmatched confidence. Shearer’s frightening power and aerial ability separated him in his 14-year Premier League tenure.
Wayne Rooney
Champion: 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2010-11, 2012-13
Player of the season: 2009-10
Goals: 208 goals in 491 appearances, 0.42 goals per match, 103 assists
Another striker who employed strength as one of his greatest attributes, Wayne Rooney boasts the record for most goals scored in an English football shirt. Extremely versatile, Rooney developed into a player with an elegant touch who could pass and read the game spectacularly.
Robin Van Persie
Golden boot: 2011-12, 2012-13
Champion: 2012-13
Goals: 144 goals in 280 appearances, 0.51 goals per match, 53 assists
Robin Van Persie had an incredible run with bitter rivals Arsenal and Manchester United. This switch allowed him the right to brag as being an English champion in the 2012-13 season. Van Persie netted some of the greatest goals in the history of the game and was envied for his flawless technique, flair and goal-crafting abilities.
Fernando Torres
Goals: 85 goals in 212 appearances, 0.4 goals per match, 29 assists
Fernando Torres was one of the biggest superstars in world football. He began his career at Atletico Madrid, where he bagged 19 goals in just 35 league games, earning the captaincy at just 19 years of age. At Anfield, Liverpool found themselves a superstar striker as his trajectory continued to rise, scoring goal after goal. Torres arrived at the perfect time for the Premier League, replacing the superstar void left up front by Thierry Henry in 2007. In his time at Liverpool Torres defined the number nine role, going forward with pace and scoring at will.
Jamie Vardy
Champion: 2015-16
Player of the season: 2015-16
Goals: 99 goals in 202 appearances, 0.49 goals per match, 28 assists
Jamie Vardy boasts one of the most incredible fairy-tale runs in the history of the Premier League. Within only a few years Jamie Vardy went from a nobody to champion and player of the season when Leicester shocked the world in the 2015-16 season. Vardy is most renowned for his pace, work rate and ability to engineer goal-scoring opportunities. Vardy is also the proud owner of the record for most consecutive games with at least one goal scored.
(Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Luis Suarez
Golden boot: 2013-14
Player of the season: 2013-14
Goals: 69 goals in 110 appearances, 0.63 goals per match, 23 assists
Luis Suarez boasted the complete package in his time at Anfield. Another versatile striker on our list, Suarez incorporated both the number nine and ten striking roles with the ability to run off the shoulder and also be played into from a slower back line build-up. He was a hybrid striker.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Golden boot: 2018-19
Goals: 49 goals in 75 appearances, 0.65 goals per match, ten assists
Aubameyang is one of the most underrated strikers to play in England’s top flight. Aubameyang carried his Bundesliga form over to Arsenal in the 2017-18 season, scoring ten goals with four assists in only 13 games. He is most recognised for his pace and ability to create space forward when off the ball. This is a trait that has allowed him to secure 49 goals in 75 games for the Gunners.
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