Who are the all-time top scorers in the English Premier League (EPL)? Let’s take a look at it in the article below!
The EPL is the top level of the English soccer league system, founded in 1992. It has grown to be one of Europe’s toughest leagues since its inception.
Similarly, the Premier League receives a lot of attention. It is the most-watched sports league in the world, with 212 territories broadcasting to a potential TV audience of 4.7 billion.
It is also natural that over the years, the league has seen outstanding players score goals. These top scorers keep the fans wanting more and raise the stakes of the league. So, who are the players who consistently top the scoring charts?
Keeping this in mind, we’ve compiled a list of the EPL’s all-time top scorers. So, without further ado, let us go over the list.
15 Best Ever Premier League Top Scorers
The list was compiled with the assistance of reliable internet sources such as transfermarkt.com.
| Player Name | Goal Score |
| 15. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink | 127 goals |
| 14. Jamie Vardy | 127 goals |
| 13. Robin Van Persie | 144 goals |
| 12. Teddy Sheringham | 146 goals |
| 11. Les Ferdinand | 149 goals |
| 10. Michael Owen | 150 goals |
| 9. Robbie Fowler | 162 goals |
| 8. Jermain Defoe | 163 goals |
| 7. Harry Kane | 170 goals |
| 6. Thierry Henry | 175 goals |
| 5. Frank Lampard | 177 goals |
| 4. Sergio Agüero | 184 goals |
| 3. Andy Cole | 187 goals |
| 2. Wayne Rooney | 208 goals |
| 1. Alan Shearer | 260 goals |
15. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is the first player on our list of the EPL’s all-time top scorers, with 127 goals. He is a former soccer player from Suriname.
Hasselbaink was born in Suriname and moved to Zaandam, Netherlands, in 1978. It was present when he first began playing football. His senior career began with Telstar and AZ Alkmaar.
Hasselbaink joined Campomaiorense of the Portuguese Primeira Diviso in 1995. Leeds United signed him for £2 million before the 1997-98 season.
Hasselbaink won the Premier League Golden Boot the year after signing with Leeds. Furthermore, he established himself as one of the top EPL goal scorers.
Chelsea signed him for a club-record fee of £15 million in 2000. He finished as the league’s top scorer once more, earning his second Premier League Golden Boot. During his professional career, Hasselbaink was a member of several other teams.
After the 2008 FA Cup Final, he announced his retirement from professional football at the end of the season. He is currently the manager of League One club Burton Albion.
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14. Jamie Vardy
The next player on our list is Jamie Vardy, who has the same goal total as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. Jamie Richard Vardy Gill was born in Sheffield, England. He is a 35-year-old striker for the English Premier League club Leicester City.
Vardy began playing soccer at a young age and was a member of Sheffield Wednesday’s youth system. He made his first-team debut with Stocksbridge Park Steels in 2007 after being released at the age of 16.
After three seasons with Steels in 2010, he signed with the Northern Premier League club FC Halifax Town. Vardy had a productive season debut, scoring 25 goals. As a result, he was named the club’s “Players’ Player of the Year.”
Leicester City signed Vardy ahead of the 2012-2013 season. The City reportedly signed him for £1 million. He made his Leicester debut against Torquay United in the first round of the League Cup.
Vardy scored in 11 consecutive Premier League games during the 2015-16 season. Ruud van Nistelrooy’s records were broken.
As a result, he was named Premier League Player of the Season and FWA Footballer of the Year. Vardy also won the Premier League Golden Boot for the 2019-20 season, making him the oldest player to do so.
13. Robin Van Persie
39-year-old man Robin Van Persie is a former professional soccer striker from the Netherlands. He is widely considered to be one of the best strikers of his generation.
Van Persie has been a member of SBV Excelsior’s youth team since he was five years old. He was signed by Feyenoord during the 2001-02 season after being released at the age of 16.
His debut was a smashing success. Van Persie was also named the Dutch Football Talent of the Year. He spent five seasons with Feyenoord.
In 2004, he signed a contract with English club Arsenal for £2.75 million. Van Persie won the FA Community Shield and the FA Cup in 2004-05. Similarly, he set a club record with 35 goals in 2011.
The following year, Van Persie joined Arsenal’s rival team, Manchester United. He won the Premier League in his first season with United, in 2012-13.
He also scored 26 goals, becoming the league’s top scorer and winning his second Premier League Golden Boot in a row. Van Persie is also the all-time leading scorer for the Dutch men’s national team.
12. Teddy Sheringham
Teddy Sheringham, born Edward Paul Sheringham in London, England, was a former player who primarily played as a forward and second striker.
Sheringham made his professional debut at the age of 16 with Millwall Football Club. He is the club’s second-leading all-time scorer, with 111 goals.
He played for Millwall for nine seasons before joining Tottenham Hotspur. Sheringham eventually joined Manchester United after five seasons.
He won three Premiership titles, one FA Cup, one UEFA Champions League, an Intercontinental Cup, and an FA Charity Shield with Manchester United. Sheringham has also represented Portsmouth, West Ham United, Colchester United, and Stevenage.
Sheringham is the oldest outfield player to play in an English Premier League match and the oldest player to score in an English Premier League match.
He ended his professional playing career at the end of the 2007-08 season. Sheringham is currently managing League Two club Stevenage and Indian Super League team ATK.
11. Les Ferdinand
Les Ferdinand is a former English striker with 149 goals in the English Premier League. On December 8, 1966, he began playing soccer for the Viking sports non-league team.
Ferdinand made his league debut for Queens Park Rangers. At the age of 20, he was signed by the Queens for £50,000. He was also loaned out to various teams before being signed by the Queens.
Ferdinand was sold to Newscastle for £6 million in 1995. In addition, he has played for Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, Leicester City, Bolton Wanderers, Reading, and Watford.
Similarly, he was a member of the Euro 96 and 1998 FIFA World Cup teams. Similarly, Ferdinand received 17 England caps.
He retired from professional hockey after the 2005-06 season. Ferdinand then became a television pundit before returning to Tottenham Hotspur as strikers coach in 2008.
Ferdinand is the Queens Park Rangers’ director at the moment.
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10. Michael Owen
Another former English striker is among the top ten EPL scorers of all time. Michael Owens was born in Chester, England on December 14, 1979.
He was influenced to play soccer at a young age as the son of former soccer player Terry Owens. In 1996, he was signed by Liverpool at the age of 17.
He scored his first Premier League goal the following year, in 1997. As a result, Owen is the club’s youngest goalscorer. Furthermore, he finished his first full season as the Premier League’s joint top scorer.
He scored 18 goals and was a co-winner of the Premier League Golden Boot. Owen was Liverpool’s leading scorer from 1997 to 2004. He was with Liverpool until the 004 season when he made 216 Premier League appearances and scored 118 goals.
Owen, on the other hand, has played for Real Madrid, Newcastle United, Manchester United, and Stoke City. He is, however, regarded as one of Liverpool’s greatest players.
Aside from being the Premier League’s leading goal scorer, Owen is also the Premier League’s youngest player to reach 100 goals. He announced his retirement from the NBA at the end of the 2012-13 season.
9. Robbie Fowler
Robbie Fowler is our number nine. He is a former English striker who was born Robert Bernard Fowler. He is Liverpool’s top Premier League scorer, earning him the nickname “God” from his Anfield fans.
After signing with Liverpool in 1992, Fowler began his professional playing career. He had, however, joined the club as a youth team player the previous year.
Following successful seasons with Liverpool, Fowler joined Leeds United in 2001. He has also played for Manchester City, Cardiff City, and Blackburn Rovers.
He also played for the North Queensland Fury, Perth Glory, and Muangthong United in Thailand. Muangthong United’s player-manager was also Fowler.
Similarly, he was a member of England’s squads for Euro 1996, Euro 2000, and the 2002 World Cup. Fowler represented England 26 times.
8. Defoe, Jermain
Defoe is our number 8 with a goal total of 163. This English striker plays for Rangers and was born Jermain Colin Defoe.
Defoe joined the FA National School of Excellence at Lilleshall Hall in 1997, when he was 14 years old. Only two years later, he decided to go pro and signed with West Ham United.
Defoe joined West Ham in 1999-2000 and quickly became a member of the Under-19 team, which won the Premier Academy League. He quickly rose through the ranks, establishing himself in the starting lineup.
Defoe’s professional career included stops at Tottenham Hotspur, Portsmouth, Sunderland, AFC Bournemouth, and Rangers. Jermain was also a member of England’s national team.
Defoe became the 20th player in Premier League history to reach a century of goals. He accomplished this feat in 2011 and is Tottenham’s sixth-highest goalscorer in club history. Similarly, he holds the Premier League record for the most goals scored as a substitute.
7. Harry Kane
Harry is regarded as one of the best strikers in the world and a prolific goalscorer. He is a Tottenham Hotspur striker and England national team captain who was born Harry Edward Kane.
Kane began his career at Tottenham Hotspur’s youth academy before making his senior team debut in 2009. His first club was Ridgeway Rovers, and when he was eight, he joined Arsenal’s youth academy.
He returned to Rovers before joining Watford and eventually Tottenham Hotspur. However, Kane’s involvement in Hotspur began to increase only after Mauricio Pochettino took over as manager in 2014.
The following season, in his first full season with Hotspur, he scored 31 goals in all competitions. Similarly, Kane was the second-highest goalscorer in the Premier League and was named PFA Young Player of the Year.
He is Tottenham’s second-highest all-time goalscorer in official competitions as of 2021. Kane is also the league’s leading scorer and assists provider for the 2020-21 season. He also guided England to a second-place finish at UEFA Euro 2020.
6. Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry ranks sixth on our list of the best EPL top scorers of all time. Henry has 175 Premier League goals to his name. This former French striker, born in Les Ulis, France, is regarded as one of the greatest players in Premier League history.
Thierry is widely considered to be one of the greatest strikers of all time. In 1994, he made his professional debut for Monaco. Later, he was signed by Serie A champions Juventus; however, due to a conflict of interest, he signed with EPL club Arsenal.
Henry signed an £11 million contract with Arsenal in 1999. This was a watershed moment in his life, and he went on to become a prolific striker for Arsenal.
In addition, he is Arsenal’s all-time leading scorer. Henry won the Premier League Golden Boot four times while playing for Arsenal, as well as two FA Cups and two Premier League titles.
Henry was transferred to Barcelona in 2007. From 2010 to 2014, he was a member of the New York Red Bulls. In addition to club football, he represented France at the national level. In 2007, he broke the country’s goal-scoring record.
In 2014, Henry announced his retirement from professional football. After retiring, he pursued a coaching career, serving as an assistant coach for the Belgium national team.
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5. Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard, a former English player, is the next player on our list. Lampard, 44, is a member of Premier League club, Chelsea. Frank is widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation and the greatest player in Chelsea’s history.
Lampard began his playing career in 1994 when he joined West Ham United’s youth team. He signed a professional contract with the club after a year.
Chelsea signed Lampard to an £11 million contract in 2001. He made his debut for the club in a match against Newcastle United. Lampard spent thirteen seasons with Chelsea before joining Manchester City.
Lampard is the club’s all-time leading scorer. He also played for New York City FC and the England national team after leaving Chelsea.
Lampard is the only midfielder in the league with 150 or more goals. Similarly, from 2000 to 2010, he was statistically the Premier League Player of the Decade. He also has the fourth-most assists in the league.
During his playing career, Lampard won three Premier League titles, was named Premier League Player of the Month four times, Premier League Player of the Season three times, and was named Premier League’s top assist provider three times.
4. Sergio Agüero
Our next target is an ex-Argentine striker. Sergio Agüero, 34, is best known for his decade-long association with Manchester City.
Agüero is regarded as one of the greatest strikers of his generation, as well as one of the greatest Premier League players in history. At the age of 15, he began playing for the Argentine Independiente.
Agüero was the youngest player to play in Argentina’s Primera División, breaking Diego Maradona’s 27-year-old record.
He signed a £35 million contract with Premier League club Manchester City in 2011. Agüero won five league titles with City and holds the record for the most league goals scored by a single player for any single club.
Similarly, he won the Premier League Golden Boots twice, was named to the PFA Team of the Year twice, and holds the record for the most Premier League hat-tricks twelve times. Agüero is also Manchester United’s all-time leading scorer.
Agüero played for Argentina’s national team as well. He is the country’s third all-time leading goalscorer.
3. Andy Cole
Andy Cole is our number three in the EPL, with 187 goals. Cole, who was born on October 15, 1971, is a former striker best known for his time with Manchester United.
Cole began his career as an Arsenal youth player in 1988. During the 1992-93 season, his name was frequently associated with Premier League clubs.
As a result, he was one of England’s hottest prospects. Newcastle United signed him in 1993 for a club-record fee of £1.75 million.
Similarly, in 1995, Newcastle sold Cole to Manchester United for a whopping £7 million. The sum became the British record transfer fee at the time. He worked for Manchester until 2001.
Aside from being the EPL’s third-highest scorer, Cole also holds the EPL record for most goals scored in a 42-game season, is the fastest player to score 50 goals, and is the first player to top the Premier League’s goalscoring charts.
Cole was capped 15 times for England between 1995 and 2001, in addition to his EPL records.
2. Rooney, Wayne
We’ve reached the end of our list of the greatest EPL top scorers of all time. Wayne Rooney, one of the best players of his generation and England’s all-time leading scorer, is our number two.
Rooney, 36, began his career with the Liverpool Schoolboys before joining Everton at the age of nine. He played for Everton’s first team in 2002.
He signed a five-year contract with Manchester United for £27 million in 2004. The sum was the most ever paid for a player under the age of 20. Rooney stayed with Manchester until 2017, becoming the club’s all-time leading scorer.
His Premier League goals rank second among all players for any club. In addition, he has the third-most assists in the Premier League.
Rooney has also played for D.C. United, Derby County, and the England national team. He was England’s youngest ever goalscorer when he made his senior international debut in 2003.
Rooney is currently the manager of Derby County, where he previously served as Interim player-manager.
1. Alan Shearer
It has risen to the top of our list of the best EPL top scorers of all time. Alan Shearer, a former English striker with the most goals on the EPL scoreboard (260), is our number one.
Shearer used to play football in high school. He frequently played in the midfield position. He joined Southampton’s youth team in 1986 and was promoted to the first team after two years.
Shearer made his professional debut in 1988. Later in his career, he played for Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United, and the England national team. Newcastle signed him to a then-world record contract worth £15 million.
Shearer established himself as one of Europe’s most prolific goal scorers while playing for Blackburn Rovers. While playing for Rover, he also won the Premier League in 1994-95 and two consecutive Premier League Golden Boots.
Shearer has represented England in international football in addition to his Premier League success. Alan announced his retirement from professional hockey at the end of the 2005-06 season. Following his retirement, he worked as a BBC television pundit.
Shearer is widely regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation and one of the greatest Premier League players of all time.
Conclusion
The English Premier League (EPL) is one of the most difficult and competitive soccer leagues in the world. Perhaps because it is so competitive, soccer fans all over the world adore the league. The players on the list are the league’s best and top scorers in the EPL goalscoring charts.
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