Now it would be easy for us to list the top 5 leading goalscorers in the Premier League and make a case for each one. But that would be no fun.
So instead, we’ve tried to factor in some other things: longevity, the peak of a player’s finishing prowess, and of course, the all-important goals per game and minutes per goal ratios. We’ll also mull over what could have been for some strikers who left England at the height of their careers. This is our take on the Premier League’s top 5 greatest goalscorers.
Ruud van Nistelrooy – Manchester United
If United fans could turn back time and keep hold of any one player, Cristiano Ronaldo aside, it would probably be the Dutchman. With an impressive 0.63 goals per game, van Nistelrooy scored 20+ league goals in four out of his five seasons with the Red Devils – including a Golden Boot winning Player of the Season campaign, leading United to their 8th Premier League title.
His 128 minutes per goal is a ratio that is bettered by only three players on this list and until recently, he held the record for most consecutive games scored in (10). What is so ridiculous about van Nistelrooy’s style of play was his complete disregard for anything other than putting the ball in the back of the net. He wasn’t one for creativity and build-up play, but rather floated about on the last man until the ball entered the final third – then he came alive.
No player in Premier League history has mastered movement within the penalty area quite like him, and on top of that, he was ice-cold in front of goal. It was 2006 when van Nistelrooy made the move to Real Madrid, where he continued his prolific record scoring 46 times in 68 games for Los Blancos. We’ll never know what could have been for United if he chose to stay in Manchester, but I wouldn’t mind betting he would have fired the Reds to a few more Premier League titles.
Thierry Henry – Arsenal
Well now we’re entering the realm of obscene goalscoring ability. Thierry Henry is perhaps the greatest footballer ever to play in the Premier League, and he wasn’t half bad in front of goal. 0.68 goals per game for over 250 appearances is utterly ridiculous. He made people fall in love with the game with his pace, flair and arrogance. He almost seemed to glide across the turf, leaving defenders in his wake, clueless to where he was going next.
The Frenchman’s four Golden Boot’s for Arsenal are the most of any player in the league’s history and they symbolise an era of football when the Gunners epitomised the beautiful game. Beginning with Arsenal’s invincible season in 03/4, Henry went on to win the Golden Boot three years on the trot, netting 82 times in 101 games – a strike rate of 81% for three years. He was simply unplayable. Watching a compilation of Thierry Henry’s best goals is a journey. It’s as if someone was playing FIFA, but with cheats on – he was that much better than every player he came up against.
No player has scored more goals on the end of mesmerising solo runs, and his accuracy from outside the box was unparalleled. The pitch was a stage to Henry, and it was a joy for every fan who tuned in to see his engaging swagger as he waltzed about every stadium as if he owned the place. He was a simply sublime footballer.
Harry Kane – Spurs
If any player has a chance of breaking Alan Shearer’s Premier League goalscoring record, it’s Harry Kane. Perhaps the most complete striker English football has ever seen, his ability to drop deep and provide for others coupled with an arsenal of goalscoring techniques as versatile as any centre-forward, Kane is a truly world-class talent.
The lack of opportunity to win trophies at Spurs may eventually drive him to pastures new – he does after all deserve to be playing with the best of the best and challenging at the pinnacle of football with Europe’s elite. But aren’t we all wondering just how many goals he could score should he see out the remainder of his career in North London?
As a 27 year-old, let’s err on the side of caution and assume that if he stays fit, he has five elite goalscoring seasons left in the tank. Another 100 goals would see him eclipse Alan Shearer as the Premier League’s all-time leading goalscorer – that’s five more 20 goal campaigns. If anyone can do it, Harry Kane can do it. With one of the best footballing brains in the league, Kane has the ability to adapt his game and focus his exploits within the 18-yard box, a Ronaldo-esque change in playstyle that would allow him to continue scoring goals well into his 30s. The odds for Harry Kane to break the Premier League goalscoring are around 2/1 – now that’s got to be worth a punt.
Alan Shearer – Newcastle United, Blackburn Rovers
Now you must be thinking – how can the all-time Premier League leading goalscorer only be second on the list? Well we’ll get to that. But for now, let’s talk about the most classic example of a 90s English centre-forward, a bona fide finisher. Alan Shearer was a complete powerhouse. The pace of a winger and a sniper’s accuracy had him in the Ballon d’Or conversation alongside the likes of Ronaldo, Alessandro Del Piero and Jurgen Klinsmann – he was among the truly elite.
His time at Blackburn was a sensational period of prolific goalscoring, as he netted 112 times in 138 games across four Premier League seasons for the club. A staggering 88% fire rate which helped Rovers to their first and only Premier League title as they dethroned Sir Alex Ferguson’s dominant Red Devils.
The versatility of Shearer’s goalscoring was immense. He had a poacher’s instinct and was a constant nuisance in the box, but could also bully centre-halves as he adapted his game to become a target man following a succession of injuries. Besides all that, his right foot was a cannon. Defensively, you couldn’t let him in behind you because he’d find his way onto the end of a through ball and slot home with ease. But you couldn’t let him drop off you either – he’d launch a rocket from 30 yards that your poor keeper had absolutely no chance with. There was no answer for Alan Shearer. His physicality, technique and the sheer consistency of his goalscoring will have him remembered as one of the greatest players the Premier League has ever seen.
Sergio Aguero – Manchester City
The greatest marksman the Premier League has ever seen. When Aguero joined from Athletico Madrid in 2011, nobody could have predicted just how good he would turn out to be. A crucial factor in the upturn of City’s fortune since the start of the decade, the Argentine has found the back of the net with unnerving regularity. His goals per game ratio – 0.67, rates among the best, and he currently tops the pile for least number of minutes per goal (108) in Premier League history.
Let’s say your winger crosses the ball in and it is half-cleared towards the penalty spot. There is no player in Premier League history you want that ball to fall to more than Sergio Aguero. Left-foot, right-foot – it doesn’t matter. His ability to generate power with little to no backlift is unrivalled, and his precision from within 18 yards is out of this world. Add in the fact that he has movement you need a tracking device to keep up with, a burst of acceleration capable of beating any defender, and has scored his fair share of screamers from 20+ yards – he’s a serious player.
Not only has he produced goals out of the very top drawer, he’s produced some of the most iconic goals in the league’s history.