The English Premier League was founded in 1992, and nowadays it is considered one of the best football leagues in the world. Ever since its inception, players have scored thousands and thousands of goals, but who are some of the best strikers that have ever played in EPL?
If you’re curious to find out who are some of the best Premier League top scorers that the league has ever seen, we’ve comprised a list of the players who scored the most goals in each EPL season, as well as players with the most assists.
Premier League Top Scorers:
*as of July, 5 2020.
Season 1992-93
(Source: Transfermarkt, Total Football Magazine)
- Most Goals: 22
- Player: Teddy Sheringham
- Country: England
- Club: Nottingham Forest / Tottenham Hotspur
- Most Assists: 16
- Player: Eric Cantona
- Club: Leeds United / Manchester United
Teddy Sheringham started his EPL season with Nottingham Forest and scored one goal but was quickly transferred to Tottenham, where he scored the other 21. During his career, Sheringham was regarded as a prolific striker and has also made numerous appearances for his home country. When it comes to club competitions, this EPL highest goal scorer made 755 club appearances and scored 288 club goals.
Even though Sheringham retired in 2008, he still holds a record as the oldest player to have scored in an EPL — he did it when he was nearly 41 years old.
Season 1993-94
(Source: Telegraph, Transfermarkt)
- Most Goals: 34
- Player: Andy Cole
- Country: England
- Club: Newcastle United
- Most Assists: 13
- Player: Andy Cole
- Club: Newcastle United
Andy Cole was Newcastle United’s most expensive transfer at the time, and the team paid £1.75 million to sign him. The investment paid off greatly since he led his team to promotion to the Premier League in the 1992-93 season. The following season, Cole scored 34 goals and helped his team qualify for the UEFA Europa League, which is also the record for most goals in the Premier League season (back when teams played 42 games per season).
In his career, Cole made 509 club appearances and scored 229 goals, most of which took place during his time in Manchester United from 1995 to 2001.
Currently, Andy Cole works as an attack coach for Southend, alongside Sol Campbell, who manages the team.
Season 1994-95
(Source: Premier League)
- Most Goals: 34
- Player: Alan Shearer
- Country: England
- Club: Blackburn Rovers
- Most Assists: 15
- Player: Matthew Le Tissier
- Club: Southampton
Alan Shearer is widely regarded as one of the best strikers of all time. He made 559 club appearances and scored 283 goals, all of which were in the EPL. What’s more, he still holds the record as the Premier League top scorer of all time, scoring 260 goals, while Wayne Rooney is second with only 208.
Shearer has spent most of his career playing for Newcastle United. He scored a total of 206 goals for the club, out of which 30 was during European competitions, which is yet another club’s record.
After retiring from football in 2006, Shearer spent his time working as a pundit for the BBC and briefly managed Newcastle United for several games in 2009 to help the team avoid relegation, in which he wasn’t successful.
Season 1995-96
(Source: Transfermarkt)
- Most Goals: 31
- Player: Alan Shearer
- Country: England
- Club: Blackburn Rovers
- Most Assists: 15
- Player: Steve McManaman
- Club: Liverpool
Alan Shearer continued with his stellar performance in 1995-96 and won the Premier League Golden Boot after scoring 31 goals, while the second place was reserved for Robbie Fowler, who scored 28.
Shearer also had 7 assists during the season and received three yellow cards.
Season 1996-97
(Source: Transfermarkt)
- Most Goals: 25
- Player: Alan Shearer
- Country: Country
- Club: Newcastle United
- Most Assists: 12
- Player: Eric Cantona
- Club: Manchester United
Alan Shearer became the world’s most expensive player in 1996 when Newcastle United paid £15 million for the player, which is the equivalent of today’s £28 million.
Even though he didn’t score as many goals as he did in the previous two seasons, Shearer continued to impress with his performance and managed to win an EPL Golden Boot for the third time in a row.
Season 1997-98
(Source: Premier League, BBC, Soccerbase)
- Most Goals: 18
- Player: Dion Dublin
- Club: Coventry City
- Country: England
- Player: Michael Owen
- Club: Liverpool
- Country: England
- Player: Chris Sutton
- Club: Blackburn Rovers
- Country: England
- Most Assists: 12
- Player: David Beckham
- Club: Manchester United
The 1997-98 season didn’t have one but three highest goal scorers, all of which scored 18 goals. While Sutton was known for his headers, and Dublin for his skill with the ball, Owen was regarded as the best overall player of the three.
Owen made 362 club appearances and scored 163 goals, while Sutton and Dublin played 409 and 613 games and have scored 148 and 183 club goals, respectively. What’s more, Owen was named one of the greatest living footballers by Pele in 2014 and landed on the FIFA 100 list.
Season 1998-99
(Source: Transfermarkt, Premier League, Soccerbase)
- Most Goals: 18
- Player: Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
- Club: Leeds United
- Country: Netherlands
- Player: Michael Owen
- Club: Liverpool
- Country: England
- Player: Dwight Yorke
- Club: Manchester United
- Country: Trinidad and Tobago
- Most Assists: 13
- Player: Denis Bergkamp
- Club: Arsenal
- Player: Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
- Club: Leeds United
Interestingly, the 1998-99 season’s title for the best scorer was shared by three strikers yet again. Once more, all of them had scored 18 Premier League goals.
Owen spent most of his career playing for Liverpool, where he scored 118 goals in 216 games for the club. While Yorke played 232 games for Aston Villa, he was in Manchester United during the 1998-99 season, when he scored 52 goals in 96 games.
When it comes to Hasselbaink, the Dutch striker played for many teams and has made 468 club appearances in total, scoring 197 goals.
Season 1999-00
(Source: Soccerbase, Transfermarkt)
- Most Goals: 30
- Player: Kevin Phillips
- Country: England
- Club: Sunderland
- Most Assists: 15
- Player: David Beckham
- Club: Manchester United
- Player: Nolberto Solano
- Club: Newcastle United
Kevin Phillips exploded during the 1999-2000 season and engraved his name in the EPL top scorers list. Due to his performance during the season, Phillips won the European Golden Shoe, and he remains the only Englishman to have ever done so.
He has made 580 club appearances and scored 246 goals and has spent most of his career playing for Sunderland. There, he made 208 appearances and scored 113 goals.
While he didn’t win the Golden Boot the following season, Kevin Phillips ranked 7th on the list and scored 14 goals.
Season 2000-01
(Source: Transfermarkt)
- Most Goals: 23
- Player: Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
- Country: Netherlands
- Club: Chelsea
- Most Assists: 12
- Player: David Beckham
- Club: Manchester United
After transferring to Chelsea from Atletico Madrid for a fee of £15 million, which was the club’s record at the time, Hasselbaink had a stellar season and ended up winning the EPL Golden Boot with 23 goals.
During the season, Hasselbaink missed three Premier League games. He spent 2,920 minutes on the pitch, receiving six yellow and one red card. He also managed to score 4 goals in a single game in Chelsea’s 6:1 win against Coventry.
Season 2001-02
(Source: Transfermarkt)
- Most Goals: 24
- Player: Thierry Henry
- Country: France
- Club: Arsenal
- Most Assists: 15
- Player: Robert Pires
- Club: Arsenal
Thierry Henry is one of Arsenal’s legends and is regarded as one of the best strikers of all time. In his career, Henry made 581 total club appearances and scored 284 goals.
When it comes to his performance at Arsenal, Henry played 258 games for the club and scored 175 goals, averaging 0.68 goals per game and is ranked fifth on the Premier League top scorers of all-time list.
After retiring in December 2014, Henry worked as a pundit at Sky before deciding to test his mettle as a club manager and, as of 2019, Thierry Henry is managing Montreal Impact.
Season 2002-03
(Source: Transfermarkt, ESPN)
- Most Goals: 25
- Player: Ruud van Nistelrooy
- Country: Netherlands
- Club: Manchester United
- Most Assists: 20
- Player: Thierry Henry
- Club: Arsenal
In 2001-02 Nistelrooy scored 23 goals, one less than Henry. However, in the 2002-03 season, the situation was reversed, and while Henry scored 24 goals (and was ranked first when it comes to Premier League top assists), Ruud van Nistelrooy managed to snatch the Golden Boot with 25 goals to his name.
Nistelrooy had a successful career and scored 249 goals in 449 games. During his time in Manchester, he made 150 appearances and scored 95 times. He was also a top scorer of the UEFA Champions League three times and even managed to end up as a top scorer in three different football leagues.
Ruud van Nistelrooy announced his retirement from football in 2012 when he was 35. Currently, he’s a head coach of PSV Eindhoven’s U19 squad.
Season 2003-04
(Source: ESPN)
- Most Goals: 30
- Player: Thierry Henry
- Country: France
- Club: Arsenal
- Most Assists: 14
- Player: Muzzy Izzet
- Club: Leicester City
Henry made a comeback and reclaimed his throne as the highest goal scorer in EPL during the 2003-04 season. While he only made nine assists during the 3,330 minutes he spent on the pitch, Henry scored 30 goals while Alan Shearer scored 22.
Season 2004-05
(Source: ESPN)
- Most Goals: 25
- Player: Thierry Henry
- Country: France
- Club: Arsenal
- Most Assists: 18
- Player: Frank Lampard
- Club: Chelsea
Henry continued his dominance and further established himself as one of the top goal scorers in EPL of all time by winning his third Golden Boot. In 32 league appearances, Henry managed to score 25 times and made 13 assists.
The second place was reserved for Andy Johnson from Crystal Palace with 21 goals to his name, while Henry’s teammate at the time, Robert Pires, was third on the list after scoring 14 goals during the season.
Season 2005-06
(Source, Transfermarkt, Express)
- Most Goals: 27
- Player: Thierry Henry
- Country: France
- Club: Arsenal
- Most Assists: 12
- Player: Didier Drogba
- Club: Chelsea
Henry won the EPL Golden Boot for the fourth and last time during the 2005-06 season and was followed by Ruud van Nistelrooy with 21 goals to his name. While he managed to score 10 goals in the 2006-07 season, he only made 17 appearances due to various injuries and in 2007, Henry was transferred to Barcelona for €24 million.
Season 2006-07
(Source: The Guardian, Transfermarkt)
- Most Goals: 20
- Player: Didier Drogba
- Country: Côte d’Ivoire
- Club: Chelsea
- Most Assists: 11
- Player: Cesc Fabregas
- Club: Arsenal
- Player: Wayne Rooney
- Club: Manchester United
Drogba is best-known for his career in Chelsea, where he made 226 appearances and scored 100 goals between 2004 and 2012. He also added another 28 appearances and 4 goals during the 2014-15 season.
He is ranked Chelsea’s fourth top goal scorer of all time and has scored more goals for the club than any other foreigner.
Drogba retired in 2018 and was named the vice president of the politically neutral organization, Peace and Sport.
Season 2007-08
(Source: FB Ref, Who Scored, Transfermarkt)
- Most Goals: 31
- Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
- Country: Portugal
- Club: Manchester United
- Most Assists: 17
- Player: Cesc Fabregas
- Club: Arsenal
Cristiano Ronaldo scored 17 goals during the 2006-07 season. Then he took it up a notch in the following season, where he scored whopping 31 goals. This way, he beat Liverpool’s Fernando Torres and Arsenal’s Adebayor, who had scored 24 each.
However, the 2007-08 season was just the beginning for him. Today, Ronaldo is widely regarded as one of the best players of all time. Apart from landing on the EPL top scorers list, he won the Ballon d’Or in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017 and was also proclaimed FIFA World Player of the Year in 2008.
While he made 196 appearances for Manchester United and scored 84 goals, his results in Real Madrid for which he played from 2009 to 2018 were even more impressive and he racked up 311 goals in 292 appearances. Currently, he plays for Juventus.
Season 2008-09
(Source: Goal)
- Most Goals: 19
- Player: Nicolas Anelka
- Country: France
- Club: Chelsea
- Most Assists: 10
- Player: Frank Lampard
- Club: Chelsea
- Player: Robin van Persie
- Club: Arsenal
After returning from Fenerbahce, Anelka played for Bolton Wanderers. However, in 2008, he was transferred to Chelsea and finished the season with the most Premier League goals. He played for Chelsea between 2008 and 2012 and scored 38 times in 125 appearances.
While he only has one EPL Golden Boot, Anelka was a regular on the list of top scorers whenever he played in the Premier League.
He played for 13 different clubs and made 508 appearances and scored 157 goals in total. After retiring, he became a member of Roda JC’s technical stuff and is currently an attacking coach for Lille’s youth team.
Season 2009-10
(Source: Premier League)
- Most Goals: 29
- Player: Didier Drogba
- Country: Côte d’Ivoire
- Club: Chelsea
- Most Assists: 14
- Player: Frank Lampard
- Club: Chelsea
Drogba became the top scorer in Premier League once again in the 2009-10 season. In 32 matches, he scored 29 goals and made 13 assists.
While the team had a successful season back home and managed to win the Premier League, they weren’t performing as well when it comes to European competitions. They were knocked out from the UEFA Champions League by Inter in the round of 16, with Drogba making 5 appearances and scoring 3 goals during the competition.
He ended his career in Phoenix Rising in 2018 and scored 210 goals in 497 club matches. On an international level, Drogba played 105 games for his country and scored 65 goals.
Season 2010-11
(Source: Goal, Transfermarkt)
- Most Goals: 20
- Player: Dimitar Berbatov
- Club: Manchester United
- Country: Bulgaria
- Player: Carlos Tevez
- Club: Manchester City
- Country: Argentina
- Most Assists: 14
- Player: Nani
- Club: Manchester United
Berbatov made 504 club appearances and scored 213 goals in total. He spent a good chunk of his career playing for English clubs and scored a total of 94 EPL goals in his career. While Berbatov won only one EPL Golden Boot, he made several appearances on the top 10 top EPL scorers list.
Even though he trained several times with CSKA 1948 and Beroe Stara Zagora, Berbatov announced his retirement in September 2019 after spending a year and a half without a club.
Tevez, on the other hand, spent the biggest portion of his career playing for Manchester City. Between 2009 and 2013, Tevez made 113 club appearances and scored 58 goals for the team. Similar to Berbatov, Tevez was often one of the Premier League top scorers, but he also won the Golden Boot just once.
Tevez is currently 35 years old and nearing 36, but that doesn’t stop him from playing football. After a season at Shanghai Shenhua, Tevez moved back to his home country in 2018 and is currently playing for Boca Juniors.
Season 2011-12
(Source: Premier League, ESPN)
- Most Goals: 30
- Player: Robin van Persie
- Country: Netherlands
- Club: Arsenal
- Most Assists: 15
- Player: David Silva
- Club: Manchester City
Robin van Persie spent most of his career in Arsenal and has made 194 appearances for the club and scored 96 goals. While Persie was often benched and didn’t have many opportunities to prove his worth, he used every opportunity he was given. That way, he managed to score the most Premier League goals in several seasons.
After the departure of Henry to Barcelona, Persie blossomed and established himself as one of the top strikers in the English Premier League.
Season 2012-13
(Source: Transfermarkt)
- Most Goals: 26
- Player: Robin van Persie
- Country: Netherlands
- Club: Manchester United
- Most Assists: 13
- Player: Juan Mata
- Club: Chelsea
After being transferred to Manchester United, Persie continued with his brilliant performance and won yet another Golden Boot. He managed to score 26 goals, while Luis Suarez from Liverpool scored 23. Even though he wasn’t always one of the top scorers in EPL, van Persie scored a number of fantastic goals for the teams he played for.
He made 435 club appearances and scored 205 goals in total. For Manchester, he played between 2012 and 2015 and scored 48 goals in 86 matches. He played his last game as a professional football player in May 2019 while playing for Feyenoord.
Season 2013-14
(Source: Premier League, Transfermarkt)
- Most Goals: 31
- Player: Luis Suarez
- Country: Uruguay
- Club: Liverpool
- Most Assists: 13
- Player: Steven Gerrard
- Club: Liverpool
While Suarez was one of the EPL goal leaders, he fell short of winning the Golden Boot in the 2012-13 season. Still, he wasn’t planning on letting the chance slide away the following season. To make the feat even more impressive, he did it in style and scored 31 goals. The second place on the list was reserved for his clubmate, Daniel Sturridge, who scored 21.
Known for his goal-scoring abilities and a powerful shot, Suarez played for Ajax from 2007 to 2011 and scored 81 goals in 110 appearances. He made the same number of appearances for Liverpool but scored fewer goals – only 69. Ever since 2014, Suarez has been a part of Barcelona and has scored 139 goals for the team so far.
Season 2014-15
(Source: BBC, Premier League)
- Most Goals: 26
- Player: Sergio Aguero
- Country: Argentina
- Club: Manchester City
- Most Assists: 18
- Player: Cesc Fabregas
- Club: Chelsea
Sergio Aguero is one of the best Premier League top scorers and loved by the Manchester City fans for scoring a goal in the 94th minute of the game against Queens Park Rangers and bringing his club a title after 44 years in a nail-biting season finale.
With 251 appearances for Manchester City and 173 English Premier League goals to his name, Aguero averages 0.69 goals per game and has the best Premier League top scorers goals per game ratio. At the moment, he is ranked sixth on the list of EPL all-time scorers.
However, unlike many players on the list, Aguero is still active and currently plays for Manchester City, which he joined in 2011. In other words, Aguero has the potential to climb the list and can potentially overtake Shearer, who holds the record, having scored 260 goals.
Season 2015-16
(Source: Tottenham Hotspur)
- Most Goals: 25
- Player: Harry Kane
- Country: England
- Club: Tottenham Hotspur
- Most Assists: 19
- Player: Mesut Ozil
- Club: Arsenal
When it comes to EPL top scorers, Harry Kane was 5 goals short from winning the race in the 2014-15 season, having scored 21 goals to Aguero’s 26. However, in 2015-16, Kane scored 25, while Aguero was tied with Jamie Vardy with 24 goals.
Even though he joined Tottenham Hotspur in 2009, he was often on loan to other clubs until Mauricio Pochettino was appointed head coach in 2014. Eventually, Kane started getting more time on the pitch and the rest is history — in 192 appearances for Tottenham, Kane scored 134 goals.
Currently, Harry Kane is ranked third on Tottenham’s top goal scorers list.
Season 2016-17
(Source: Premier League)
- Most Goals: 29
- Player: Harry Kane
- Country: England
- Club: Tottenham Hotspur
- Most Assists: 18
- Player: Kevin de Bruyne
- Club: Manchester City
After winning the Golden Boot in the 2015/16 season, Kane continued to impress, and his performance earned him the title of the Premier League highest scorer yet again. He scored 29 goals, while Everton’s Romelu Lukaku managed to score only 25.
Tottenham ended up in second place during the 2016-17 season, and Kane was voted the PFA Fans’ Player of the Year. Apart from his success in the EPL, Kane also has an excellent record when it comes to international competitions — he has made 45 appearances and scored 32 goals.
Season 2017-18
(Source: Premier League)
- Most Goals: 32
- Player: Mohamed Salah
- Country: Egypt
- Club: Liverpool
- Most Assists: 16
- Player: Kevin de Bruyne
- Club: Manchester City
Salah is one of the few players who have scored 30+ goals in one EPL season. He joined Chelsea in 2014 but barely played any games for the club. After being loaned to Fiorentina and Roma, where he also ended up as a permanent player, Salah was finally transferred to Liverpool for a fee of £36.9 million, which was the club’s record at the time.
Shortly after, Salah proved he was worth every penny, winning the Golden Boot in his first season and setting a new record as the player who scored the most goals in the Premier League season with 32 to his name.
Season 2018-19
(Source: Who Scored, Footy Stats, Transfermarkt)
- Most Goals: 22
- Player: Mohamed Salah
- Club: Liverpool
- Country: Egypt
- Player: Sadio Mane
- Club: Liverpool
- Country: Senegal
- Player: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
- Club: Arsenal
- Country: Gabon
- Most Assists: 15
- Player: Eden Hazard
- Club: Chelsea
The 2018-19 season was interesting and we had three English Premier League top scorers yet again.
Salah shared the league’s top scorer position during the 2018-2019 season with his clubmate Sadio Mane, as well as Arsenal’s Aubameyang. The excellent performance of Liverpool strikers helped the team finish the season as EPL’s runners-up and win the UEFA Champions League, in which Salah scored a goal in the second minute of the match from a penalty kick.
Mane has been playing for Liverpool ever since 2016, and so far, he has made 107 appearances and scored 54 goals for the team. On an international level, Mane made 69 appearances for Senegal and scored 19 goals. Apart from winning the Golden Boot race in 2018, Mane ended up fourth for the Ballon d’Or reward – right behind Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and his teammate, Virgil van Dijk in October 2019.
When it comes to Aubameyang, he spent most of his career playing for Borussia Dortmund, for which he scored 98 goals in 144 matches. In 2018, he was transferred to Arsenal in a deal worth £56 million, where he plays to this day. So far, he scored 43 goals in 64 games for the Gunners.
Season 2019-20
(Source: BBC, Premier League)
While there’s a long way until the latest EPL season ends, we’re eager to see who’s going to win the next Golden Boot and engrave his name on our Premier League top scorers list.
For anyone who’s wondering who is the top scorer in the EPL now, the list is led by Jamie Vardy with 22 goals, and he is followed by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang with 19 goals. Danny Ings from Southampton is third with 18 goals. Last year’s Golden Boot winner, Mohamed Salah has scored 17 goals and is tied with his teammate Sadio Mane who’s scored the same amount.
Sources:
Teddy Sheringham – 1992/93
Teddy Sheringham – 1992/93
Andy Cole – 1993/94
Andy Cole – 1993/94
Alan Shearer – 1994/95
Alan Shearer – 1995/96
Alan Shearer – 1996/97
Dion Dublin – 1997/98
Michael Owen – 1997/98
Chris Sutton – 1997/98
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink – 1998/99
Michael Owen – 1998/99
Michael Owen – 1998/99
Dwight Yorke – 1998/99
Dwight Yorke – 1998/99
Kevin Phillips – 1999/2000
Kevin Phillips – 1999/2000
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink – 2000/01
Thierry Henry – 2001/02
Ruud van Nistelrooy – 2002/03
Ruud van Nistelrooy – 2002/03
Thierry Henry – 2003/04
Thierry Henry – 2004/05
Thierry Henry – 2005/06
Thierry Henry – 2005/06
Didier Drogba – 2006/07
Didier Drogba – 2006/07
Cristiano Ronaldo – 2007/08
Cristiano Ronaldo – 2007/08
Cristiano Ronaldo – 2007/08
Nicolas Anelka – 2008/09
Didier Drogba – 2009/10
Dimitar Berbatov – 2010/11
Carlos Tevez – 2010/11
Robin van Persie – 2011/12
Robin van Persie – 2011/12
Robin van Persie – 2012/13
Luis Suarez – 2013/14
Luis Suarez – 2013/14
Sergio Aguero – 2014/15
Sergio Aguero – 2014/15
Harry Kane – 2015/16
Harry Kane – 2016/17
Mohamed Salah – 2017/18
Mohamed Salah – 2018/19
Sadio Mane – 2018/19
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – 2018/19
Season 2019/20 – BBC
Season 2019/20 – EPL
