Since the Premier League’s inception in 1992, the League has been graced by the best of the best strikers globally. Strikers that have gone to score landmark goals, screamers, title-winning goals, and even gone to achieve a lot of goals in a single match.
Many of these strikers played for one team while some went on to play for several teams, including playing from cross-town rivals.
25 of the best premier league strikers to have graced the League is listed below.
25. Matt Le Tissier
- Played For: Southampton FC
- Games: 270
- Goals: 101
- Assists: 39
The one-club man was faithful at Southampton and established himself as an all-time favorite among the Saints’ fans. He played 270 games for the Saints but got troubled with injury along the way, reducing his tally.
Matt was instrumental in saving the Saints from relegation and was christened Le God. He went on to score spectacular goals for the Saints and unfortunately never won a trophy a Southampton.
24. Jermaine Defoe
- Played For: West Ham, Tottenham Hotspur, Portsmouth, Sunderland, Bournemouth
- Games: 496
- Goals: 163
- Assists: 28
Defoe was a consistent striker hitting double figures in eight different Premier League seasons. He scored 5 goals past Wigan in the 9-1 demolition by Spurs in 2009.
All these goals came in the first half and made him the only premier league player to score 5 goals in the first half of a game.
He suffered relegation at both West Ham and Sunderland, which questioned his contribution to the overall team’s performance.
The Englishman made 496 Premier League appearances scoring 163 goals, only winning the League cup in 2008.
23. Dimitar Berbatov
- Played For: Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Fulham
- Games: 229
- Goals: 94
- Assists: 42
The Bulgarian was a well vast layer and quick center forward. He would score goals from any point in the pitch. Lethal with the ball, Berbatov would make flicks past the defenders and score goals for his teams.
Berbatov began his Premier League career at Spurs, where he thrived and created interest where. He went on to win 2 titles during his life in England by making his final appearance at Fulham.
22. Carlos Tevez
- Played For: West Ham, Manchester United, Manchester City
- Games: 202
- Goals: 84
- Assists: 41
The Argentine was in fine form at Old Trafford, where he formed a unique partnership with Ronaldo and Rooney. He rose through the ranks at West ham and built himself as No. 9. Scoring that made him being called up by the Argentina national team.
He made a shocking move to Manchester City, which raised many questions about his loyalty to Manchester United. The Ronaldo exit to Real Madrid was fuel to his departure and the arrival of Berbatov to United.
21. Andy Cole
- Played For: Newcastle, Man United, Blackburn, Fulham, Man City, Portsmouth, Sunderland
- Games: 415
- Goals: 187
- Assists: 52
Termed as hot property upfront that no defender wanted to face, Cole was indeed “hot coal with the ball.” Shearer was his only competition, becoming the premier league top scorer n the 1993/94 season while at Newcastle.
He made a big-money move to Manchester United, where he teamed up with Dwight Yorke as the striking force at Old Trafford.
He went on to win five Premier League titles at Manchester United and was among the 1999 treble winners.
20. Gianfranco Zola
- Played For: Chelsea FC
- Games: 229
- Goals: 58
- Assists: 13
The Italian-born forward made his mark in the premier league in 1996 when he signed for Chelsea to become a 7-year stay in the Premier League.
He won 6 titles at Chelsea but never won the premier league and the UEFA Champions League despite him being instrumental in their 1999/00 season, where they reached the quarter-finals.
His curler against Barcelona was iconic and saw him run 229 appearances for the Blues scoring 58 goals.
19. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
- Played For: Leeds United, Chelsea FC
- Games: 288
- Goals: 127
- Assists: 26
The Dutchman was known for his shots and regarded as the hardest shot in the premier league. He topped the premier league chart with Chelsea and Leeds United in the 1998/99 & 2000/01 seasons.
He brought out a resurgence at Chelsea and led Chelsea to 2nd position in the league in the 2003/04 season only for leaving the blues, and a season later, they became the premier league champions.
18. Robbie Fowler
- Played For: Liverpool FC, Leeds United, Manchester City
- Games: 379
- Goals: 162
- Assists: 31
In the times of Alan Shearer, a clinical finisher had the record of the fastest hat-trick in just five minutes before Sadio Mane broke it. One of the few strikers who would intentionally miss penalties when he disagreed with the referee’s decision.
The injury got into the career of the Englishman as he took a slow stride towards his glory times as knee ligament injury in the 1996/97 season reduced his lethalness in front of goal.
17. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
- Played For: Manchester United
- Games: 235
- Goals: 92
- Assists: 36
The Norwegian played for Manchester United until his retirement in 2007. He was an instrumental super-sub as most of his goals came off the bench.
The man behind the comeback in 1999 that saw him win United the UEFA Champions League and seal the famous treble.
He was iconic for his baby face and was nicknamed the baby-faced assassin. He made 235 appearances for Manchester United, scored 92 goals, and won 6 titles.
16. Michael Owen
- Played For: Liverpool. Newcastle United, Manchester United, Stoke City
- Games: 326
- Goals: 150
- Assists: 39
Owen was a prolific player who played so many games from such a young age, who stressed his career that mounted injury caused an early retirement to the international scene to concentrate on the Premier League.
He won the Ballon D’or in 2001 and always hit double figures for the seven seasons at Liverpool but never hit 20 goals in a season.
He went on to win individual honors with two successive PL golden boot awards in the 1997/98 and 1998/99 seasons.
15. Harry Kane
- Played For: Tottenham Hotspur
- Games: 251
- Goals: 166
- Assists: 38
The Englishman has risen to the ranks of being a lethal striker despite not having any title. He has helped Spurs rise above the ranks, become a title contender, and reach the UEFA Champions League final in 2019.
He was the top scorer and player-maker in the 2020/21 season, forming a lethal pair with Son. Kane had won 3 Premier League top scorer awards and achieve the feat of scoring 30 goals in one season when he came in second in the 2017/18 season.
14. Teddy Sheringham
- Played For: Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Portsmouth, West Ham
- Games: 418
- Goals: 146
- Assists: 52
Sheringham took the Premier League with a bang by becoming the top scorer in the inaugural season with 22 goals while at spurs.
He lit his career with Manchester United by helping them win the league in three out of four seasons.
It is these contributions that earned him the football of the year award at 34 years. After seasons at Manchester United, Sheringham played for Portsmouth and West Ham, becoming the oldest scorer in the Premier League at 40.
13. Ian Wright
- Played For: West Ham, Arsenal FC
- Games: 213
- Goals: 113
- Assists: 12
Wright became a legend at Arsenal in the early Premier League years and his last appearance at the Emirates was crowned with a title at 34 years before he went on to play for West Ham.
He was a short-tempered man who saw him get a three-match ban for damaging the referee’s dressing room during his time at West Ham.
12. Ruud Van Nistelrooy
- Played For: Manchester United
- Games: 150
- Goals: 95
- Assists: 9
The Dutchman was pure precision of quality at its peak during his time at Manchester United. He never stayed for long, but he made his time count at Old Trafford, and time on the pitch was limited due to recurrent knee injuries.
He won the PFA Player of the year award in his debut season and won the golden boot a season later as he went on to win one premier league title with Manchester United during his 5 seasons in England.
A strained relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson due to Ronaldo’s arrival led to his departure having scored 95 goals in 150 matches.
11. Fernando Torres
- Played For: Chelsea FC, Liverpool FC
- Games: 212
- Goals: 85
- Assists: 39
The Spaniard was bought by Chelsea on deadline-day in 2011 after a clinical and landmark three and a half years at Liverpool.
He was brought in to finish even after showing signs of decline at Liverpool due to recurrent injuries.
At Liverpool, Torres scored 24 premier league goals in his debut season. His first goal at Liverpool was against Chelsea through a well-crafted goal through the Chelsea defense.
Chelsea fans will remember him for his semi-final goal in the UEFA Champions League against Barcelona that sealed their place in the final they went on to win the champions league in 2012.
10. Luis Suarez
- Played For: Liverpool FC
- Games: 110
- Goals: 69
- Assists: 39
Suarez was the complete premier league striker with an aggressive force. His presence in the box sent shock waves to defenders as his shot accuracy and body challenging would not be beaten easily.
He goes down as the striker who never won the Premier League and only came close in the 2013/14 season, where Gerrard made the slip that gave Manchester City the title.
Suarez had an initial bad season filled with biting and racial allegations. However, he rose above the odds and became a star player in front of a goal.
He bagged the golden boot for the 2013/14 season and went on to win joint European Golden boot.
9. Robin Van Persie
- Played For: Arsenal FC, Manchester United
- Games: 280
- Goals: 144
- Assists: 65
The “Flying Dutchman” was in fine form during his career at Manchester United and Arsenal. He was hit with so many injuries that Arsenal did not experience him well.
He scored sparingly, but the sparing goals were marvelous and iconic. Van Persie’s left foot was lethal and would send goalkeepers deep worry once they saw the Dutchman with the ball.
Van Persie scored 30 goals in his final season at Arsenal and scored 26 in his first season at Manchester United, in which he was pivotal in the Red Devils winning their 13th Premier League title.
8. Didier Drogba
- Played For: Chelsea FC
- Games: 254
- Goals: 104
- Assists: 64
The Ivorian was an investment that Roman Abramovich never regretted.
Despite Chelsea winning the 2004/ and 2005/06 seasons, Drogba struggled to score and received criticism for being a diver.
However, Drogba got to his feet in the 20016/07 season, where he scored 20 goals that won him the golden boot and went on to repeat the fete in their 2009/10 title-winning season with 29 goals.
In the 2012 UEFA Champions League final, he will be remembered for his match-winning performance that handed Chelsea their first-ever UEFA Champions League title.
He won 4 Premier League trophies at Chelsea in a well-decorated career at the Bridge.
7. Sergio Aguero
- Played For: Manchester City
- Games: 275
- Goals: 184
- Assists: 55
Were it not for injury and a little bit of discord with Pep, Aguero would have broken the 260 goal record held by Alan Shearer. He was a prolific player and will be remembered for his 92nd-minute goal that won the Premier League in 2012.
The Argentine rose above all odds and became City’s all-time leading goal scorer with the record of the most premier league hat-tricks and the leading non-English player in the goal charts.
Aguero was integral in the growth of Manchester City that led them to 4 premier league titles and Premier League domination. He is considered a legend at Manchester City, ending his career in England with a move to Barcelona.
6. Dennis Bergkamp
- Played For: Arsenal FC
- Games: 315
- Goals: 87
- Assists: 79
The Dutchman came to the Premier League to deliver. His arrival was backed up with 87 goals and 94 assists that he bagged in 315 appearances for Arsenal. He went on to team up with Ian wright to win Arsenal the 1997/98 title and later teamed up with Henry to win the 2002 and the invincible 2004 title.
A PFA Player of the year award never escaped him as he bagged in 1998 after helping Arsenal win the title with 16 goals in 28 matches that season. A 2002 goal against Newcastle won him the goal of the season.
5. Alan Shearer
- Played For: Blackburn Rover, Newcastle United
- Games: 441
- Goals: 260
- Assists: 61
The Englishman is high up the list as he is the Premier League All-time leading goal scorer with 260 goals. A fete that he managed across 441 Premier League games. He was a consistent striker that saw him bag 30+ goals in 3 out of the 4 seasons at Blackburn Rovers.
A 1995 title at Blackburn Rovers saw him being named the PFA player of the season and named in the premier league team of the season.
A failed move to Manchester United led him to Newcastle, where he continued with his fine form bagging the golden boot award, the PFA player of the season award, and being named in the team of the season.
His career was, however, filled with injuries and which led to his retirement in 2006.
4. Eric Cantona
- Played For: Leeds United, Manchester United
- Games: 156
- Goals: 70
- Assists: 55
The Frenchman’s impact on the Premier League was immense as he made his debut at Leeds United. He helped the club win its first division title. Through this win, he attracted attention from Manchester United, which signed him and later got to win them their first-ever Premier League title and scored 15 goals in his debut season.
Cantona continued with his fine form and won the English giants another title in 1993/94 and was named as the PFA Player of the year and in the team of the season.
The Frenchman was, however, an indiscipline player who, on one occasion, was given an eight-match ban for kicking a player and was notorious for his short temper.
He scored 70 goals in the 156 appearances in the Premier League and went on to win 4 titles.
3. Cristiano Ronaldo
- Played For: Manchester United
- Games: 200
- Goals: 87
- Assists: 45
One of the greatest of all time graced the Premier League in 2003 when he moved from Sporting Lisbon. The young Portuguese took to the stage at 18 and lived on to become the best striker.
Ronaldo was a winger and playing in the right flank while forming a unique partnership with the likes of Rooney and Tevez. He is quick with the ball and has excellent dribbling skills that scared off the defenders he faced.
He went on to win the Ballon D’or in 2007, PFA Player of the year award in two consecutive seasons (2006/07 & 2007/08).
He was the first player to win five awards in a single season (Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year, Premier League Young Player of the Season, PFA Player of the Year, PFA Fans’ player of the year award & Premier League Player of the Season award) during the 2006/07 season.
Ronaldo went to win 6 titles at Manchester United and has come back to United to win more. At Manchester United, ‘ CR7’ was born as the club denied him the No. 28 jersey and gave him the No. 7 jersey that came with so much expectation that he lived up to and became his brand.
His return has reignited his goal-scoring record in the PL as he tries to win Manchester United a title.
2. Wayne Rooney
- Played For: Everton, Manchester United
- Games: 491
- Goals: 208
- Assists: 111
The Englishman enjoyed a successful season at Manchester United, making up the Ronaldo, Tevez, and Rooney forward line that terrorized the Premier League between 2007 and 2009.
A move from Everton opened his career with 5 Premier League trophies and all-time leading goal scorer at Manchester United with 250 goals.
Rooney scored 15 goals at Everton that attracted Manchester United and in which they beat Newcastle for Rooney’s services. He continued with his fine form and grabbed the PFA Young Player of the Season award in his first two seasons at United (2004/05 & 2005/06) with a combined 27 goals for both seasons.
The exit of Ronaldo meant that it was Rooney’s time to step and which he did in fine form despite not winning the 2009/10 PL Title. He was named the PFA Player of the Year and was named in the team of the season in 2010.
Rooney went on to win 5 Premier League titles captaining the team to an FA Cup title in 2016.
1. Thierry Henry
- Played For: Arsenal FC
- Games: 254
- Goals: 174
- Assists: 82
The Frenchman was invincible at the Gunners as he rejuvenated his career from a bad spell at Juventus. The 1998 world cup winner signed for Arsenal in 1999 and came on to have a successful spell until 2007 when he crossed the Bridge to Barcelona.
Henry saw 174 goals in 254 PL appearances and won two consecutive PFA Player of the Year awards in 2003 and 2004. He was pivotal to the 2004 invincible win that saw him garner 30 goals in the Premier League season.
He was a very consistent striker who saw him inaugurated in the Premier League Hall of Fame as his consistency saw him win 4 golden boots in 5 impressive seasons at Arsenal.
Greatest Premier League Players on Other Positions: