10 Best Premier League Top Scorers Of All Time: Tips.gg Ranking

Alan Shearer scored his 260th Premier League goal in 2006. Twenty years on, nobody has finished within 45 of it, and as of matchweek 5 of the 2026–27 season, every player in the all-time top 15 has left English football. The premier league all time top scorers list is, for now, frozen.

Only 35 players have ever reached 100 Premier League goals. These ten went well past it — three of them beyond 200, and one of them from midfield.

This ranking sorts on one number: goals scored in Premier League matches. No weighting, no era adjustment, no subjective tiebreaks. What follows is the methodology that produced the order, then the case for each of the ten — because the sorting is simple, but the careers behind it are not.

Criteria for Ranking the Premier League All Time Top Scorers

A goalscoring list spanning 1992 to 2026 has one advantage over most all-time rankings: the metric is unambiguous. A goal in 1994 counts the same as a goal in 2024. So rather than weighting eras or adjusting for defensive standards, we sort on the raw number and put the effort into getting the number right.

Our primary metric is total goals scored in Premier League matches. That means goals from the Football League First Division (1888–1992) are excluded, as are cup competitions, European football and play-offs. Own goals are credited to nobody. Secondary criteria govern scope and sourcing rather than order: which feed settles a disputed figure, how each total is verified, and how level totals are separated.

Data comes from Opta (Stats Perform), the league’s official provider, as published on premierleague.com. Wikipedia, NBC Sports, FlashScore and FBref all draw from that same feed, so agreement between them is not independent confirmation — where any two conflict, the official site wins.

Criterion	Description	Weight
Premier League goals	Total scored in league matches, 1992–93 onward — the sole sort key	High
Competition scope	First Division, cups, Europe and play-offs excluded; own goals credited to nobody	High
Source hierarchy	premierleague.com / Opta settles any conflict between feeds	High
Verification	Every figure confirmed against a second publication before inclusion	Medium
Tie-breaks	Fewer appearances, then goals-per-game, then alphabetical	Medium
Cut-off and status	Totals fixed at 19 September 2026; active players flagged separately	Medium

Honourable mentions are strictly positions 11–15 by goal total. Stating that upfront matters, because the plausible alternatives — players who narrowly missed 100, or the best goals-per-game among centurions — produce entirely different names. A superior strike rate does not move anyone up this list. Only goals do.

Top 10 Premier League Scorers All-Time

The gap between first and second is 47 goals — a full Golden Boot-winning season and change. Below that, the margins tighten hard: nine goals separate fourth from sixth.

Three men have passed 200. Kane is the highest scorer for a single club, Salah the highest-scoring foreign player, and Lampard the highest-scoring midfielder. One entry needed 496 appearances and five clubs to get there. Another needed 258 games.

Here is the full countdown, from tenth up to the record holder:

1. Jermain Defoe — 162 goals, 496 apps
2. Robbie Fowler — 163 goals, 379 apps
3. Thierry Henry — 175 goals, 258 apps
4. Frank Lampard — 177 goals, 609 apps
5. Sergio Agüero — 184 goals, 275 apps
6. Andy Cole — 187 goals, 414 apps
7. Mohamed Salah — 193 goals, 328 apps
8. Wayne Rooney — 208 goals, 491 apps
9. Harry Kane — 213 goals, 320 apps
10. Alan Shearer — 260 goals, 441 apps

#10 Jermain Defoe | 162 goals | 496 apps

Defoe is the endurance entry on this list. He scored less often per game than anyone else in the ten, but the context matters: he spent most of his career at clubs that created far fewer chances than the sides above him in the table. Ninety-one of his goals came for Tottenham across 276 games, with 18 at West Ham, 15 at Portsmouth, 34 at Sunderland and four at Bournemouth.

The Sunderland spell is the one that defines him. Thirty-four goals in 87 appearances for a side scrapping at the bottom is a harder way to build a total than 34 in a title race, and he kept doing it into his late thirties. He is also one of only five players in the competition’s history to score five in a single match, a feat he managed in November 2009.

• 162 goals in 496 appearances across five Premier League clubs
• 91 goals for Tottenham Hotspur in 276 games
• One of only five players to score five goals in a single Premier League match
• 34 goals in 87 appearances for Sunderland during their relegation-fighting years
• Scored in the Premier League across 17 seasons, from 2001 to 2018

#9 Robbie Fowler | 163 goals | 379 apps

Fowler scored 128 of his 163 goals for Liverpool in 266 appearances, which makes him the club’s second-highest Premier League scorer. Almost all of that output came before a serious knee injury in 1998 took the sharpest years of his career — he topped 30 goals in all competitions in three consecutive seasons from 1994–95.

The single moment that fixed his reputation came in August 1994, aged 19, when he scored a hat-trick against an Arsenal defence containing David Seaman, Tony Adams and Martin Keown in four minutes and 33 seconds. That stood as the fastest treble in Premier League history for almost 21 years, until Sadio Mané scored three in 2 minutes 56 seconds for Southampton in 2015.

• 163 goals in 379 appearances across four Premier League clubs
• Held the fastest Premier League hat-trick record for nearly 21 years — four minutes and 33 seconds against Arsenal
• PFA Young Player of the Year in both 1995 and 1996, one of only three players to win it in consecutive years
• 30-plus goals in all competitions in three successive seasons
• Added 21 goals at Manchester City and 14 at Leeds after leaving Anfield

#8 Thierry Henry | 175 goals | 258 apps

Henry scored more often per game than anyone else in this top 10, and he did it while spending much of his Arsenal career drifting in from the left rather than playing as a fixed centre-forward. All 175 goals came for one club, making him one of only five players to reach 150 for a single Premier League side.

He shares the record for most Golden Boots with four, level with Mohamed Salah, and shares with Shearer the record for most consecutive wins at three, between 2003–04 and 2005–06. The creative side of his game is the underrated part: his 20 assists in 2002–03 set a single-season record that stood until Bruno Fernandes managed 21 in 2025–26, and Henry paired those assists with 24 goals in the same campaign.

• 175 goals in 258 games, all for Arsenal — the best strike rate in this top 10
• Four Premier League Golden Boots, a record shared with Mohamed Salah
• Three consecutive Golden Boots between 2003–04 and 2005–06
• 20 assists in 2002–03, a single-season record that stood until 2025–26
• Central to the unbeaten Arsenal side of 2003–04 and a Premier League Hall of Fame inductee

#7 Frank Lampard | 177 goals | 609 apps

No midfielder is remotely close to Lampard, and the appearance total is the point rather than a weakness: 609 games spent arriving into the box late from a deeper role, not living inside it. Of his 177 goals, 147 came at Chelsea in 429 games, with 24 for West Ham across 148 appearances and six for Manchester City.

He was the first player to reach double figures for league goals in ten successive seasons, running from 2003–04 to 2012–13, and his best campaign produced 22 in the title-winning 2009–10 season. The detail that separates him from every other goalscoring midfielder is range: 41 of his goals came from outside the penalty area, the highest tally in Premier League history, and he added 102 assists on top.

• 177 goals in 609 appearances — the highest-scoring midfielder in Premier League history
• First player to score 10 or more league goals in ten consecutive seasons
• 22 goals in 2009–10, his best return, in a title-winning campaign
• 41 goals from outside the box, a competition record, plus 43 penalties — second only to Shearer
• 102 assists, one of only four players to pass 100 in the Premier League

#6 Sergio Agüero | 184 goals | 275 apps

Agüero scored all 184 of his goals for Manchester City in 275 appearances, a strike rate matched only by Kane among the top ten. He became City’s all-time leading scorer in 2017, ending a club record that had stood for 78 years, and he held the record for most Premier League goals by a foreign player until Salah overtook him.

He also holds the competition record for hat-tricks with 12, surpassing Shearer’s 11 with a treble against Aston Villa in January 2020, and is one of five players to have scored five in a match. None of it is remembered ahead of the 93rd-minute finish against QPR in May 2012, which remains the single most consequential goal the Premier League has produced.

• 184 goals in 275 games, every one of them for Manchester City
• Record 12 Premier League hat-tricks, one clear of Alan Shearer
• First South American to reach 100 Premier League goals, in April 2016
• Manchester City’s all-time leading goalscorer, a record he took in 2017
• Scored the title-deciding goal against QPR on 13 May 2012

#5 Andy Cole | 187 goals | 414 apps

Cole’s 1993–94 season is one of the great individual campaigns in the competition’s history. He scored 34 league goals for newly promoted Newcastle in a 42-game season — a total beaten only by Erling Haaland since — while also topping the assist chart with 13, making him the first player to lead both. He was voted PFA Young Player of the Year for it.

He then spent six years at Manchester United, scoring 93 goals in 195 league games, winning five titles and playing a central role in the 1999 treble. Across seven Premier League clubs he scored 187 goals with a single penalty among them, and he reached his century without one at all.

• 187 goals across seven Premier League clubs
• 34 goals in 1993–94 for Newcastle, plus a league-leading 13 assists — the first player to top both charts
• Golden Boot winner and PFA Young Player of the Year in 1994
• 93 goals in 195 games for Manchester United, five Premier League titles and the 1999 treble
• One of only six players to reach 100 goals without scoring a penalty

#4 Mohamed Salah | 193 goals | 328 apps

Salah is the highest-scoring overseas player in Premier League history and the only man in the modern era to genuinely threaten the top three. He scored 191 of his 193 goals for Liverpool in 315 appearances, the other two coming during an early spell at Chelsea. His 32 goals in 2017–18 stood as the record for a 38-game season until Haaland’s 36 in 2022–23.

Four Golden Boots — in 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2025 — put him level with Henry at the top of that list. He reached 150 goals for a single club in 247 games, the fifth-fastest anyone has managed it, before leaving Anfield in the summer of 2026 after nine years and 257 goals in all competitions. He signed a two-year deal with Trabzonspor on a free transfer, which freezes his Premier League total at fourth.

• 193 goals in 328 appearances — the highest-scoring foreign player in Premier League history
• Four Golden Boots, level with Thierry Henry for the record
• 32 goals in 2017–18, then the record for a 38-game season
• One of only five players to score 150 or more for a single Premier League club
• Left Liverpool in 2026 as the club’s third-highest scorer with 257 goals in 442 games

#3 Wayne Rooney | 208 goals | 491 apps

Rooney announced himself at 16, five days before his 17th birthday, with a dipping 25-yard winner for Everton against reigning champions Arsenal in October 2002 — at the time the youngest goal the competition had seen. He finished with 208 goals in 491 appearances, 183 of them for Manchester United across 393 games and 25 for Everton.

The appearance total reflects how much of his career was spent dropping deep into midfield rather than leading the line, and the assist column tells that story properly: 103, one of only four players to pass 100 in Premier League history. He won five titles at Old Trafford and remains Manchester United’s all-time leading scorer with 253 goals in all competitions.

• 208 goals in 491 appearances, one of only three players to pass 200
• 103 assists — one of only four players with 100 or more in the competition
• Five Premier League titles with Manchester United, in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2013
• Manchester United’s record goalscorer with 253 goals in all competitions
• Scored his first Premier League goal at 16 years and 360 days, against Arsenal

#2 Harry Kane | 213 goals | 320 apps

Kane holds the record for most Premier League goals for a single club, with 213 for Tottenham in 317 appearances. His three goalless games for Norwich on loan are the only blemish on an otherwise single-club record, and only Henry scored more often per game among this top 10.

He moved clear of Rooney into second during the 2022–23 season, then left for Bayern Munich that summer while still averaging better than a goal every other match — which is why Shearer’s record looked genuinely reachable right up until the moment he went. Three Golden Boots sit alongside a season in 2020–21 where he topped both the goalscoring and assist charts, the third player to do it.

• 213 goals in 320 appearances — the most by any player for a single Premier League club
• Three Golden Boots, level with Alan Shearer
• Topped both the goals and assists charts in 2020–21
• Moved past Wayne Rooney into second place during the 2022–23 season
• Tottenham’s all-time leading goalscorer and England’s record scorer since March 2023

#1 Alan Shearer | 260 goals | 441 apps

Shearer has led the all-time list since December 1993 and nobody has come close since. He scored 260 goals in 441 appearances — 112 for Blackburn Rovers in 138 games, 148 for Newcastle United in 303 — and remains the only player to score 100 or more for two different Premier League clubs. He was also the first to reach a century at all, doing it in 124 matches.

The peak is startling even now. Three consecutive Golden Boots between 1994–95 and 1996–97 included 34 goals in a 42-game season, which won Blackburn the title in 1995, and 31 in just 35 games the following year. He scored 11 hat-tricks, a record until Agüero passed it, and 56 penalties, still the most in competition history. In 2021 he became one of the first inductees into the Premier League Hall of Fame.

• 260 goals in 441 appearances — the Premier League record, unbeaten for over 20 years
• First player to reach 100 Premier League goals, in 124 games
• The only player to score 100 or more for two different clubs
• Three consecutive Golden Boots, including 34 goals in Blackburn’s title-winning 1994–95 season
• 11 hat-tricks and a record 56 penalties scored

Honourable Mentions (Positions 11–15)

These are positions 11 to 15 by goal total — no other filter applied. Worth stating plainly, because the alternative cuts you could make here (players who just missed 100, or the best strike rates among centurions) produce completely different names.

Michael Owen — 150 in 326. Still the youngest player to reach 100 Premier League goals, at 23 years and 133 days, with 118 of his total scored for Liverpool in 216 games. Hamstring problems from his early twenties onward meant the second half of his career never came close to the first.

Les Ferdinand — 149 in 351. One of the genuinely underrated names in the epl all time top scorers conversation, spread across six clubs: 60 for QPR, 41 for Newcastle in just 68 games, 33 for Tottenham. He is also one of only six centurions who never scored a penalty.

Teddy Sheringham — 146 in 418. He won the very first Golden Boot in 1992–93 and briefly topped the all-time list in 1993 before Shearer overtook him. Ninety-seven of his goals came for Tottenham, and his last — for West Ham against Portsmouth on Boxing Day 2006 — made him the oldest scorer in Premier League history at 40 years and 268 days.

Jamie Vardy — 145 in 342. Every goal for Leicester City, including a record run of 11 consecutive scoring games in 2015–16 as the club won the title. He took the Golden Boot in 2019–20 before moving to Cremonese following Leicester’s relegation.

Robin van Persie — 144 in 280. Ninety-six for Arsenal in 194 games and 48 for Manchester United in 86, with Golden Boots won at both clubs in consecutive seasons. The second of those, 26 goals in 2012–13, delivered United a title.

Legacy and Future of the Premier League’s Top Goal Scorers

The top 15 is closed. Everyone on it has left English football, which means these totals are final unless somebody returns — an unusual state for a list that has churned every few seasons since 1992. Salah’s departure for Trabzonspor in August 2026 was the last domino.

That leaves a single name capable of moving anything. Erling Haaland reached 100 goals in December 2025 in just 111 appearances, the fastest anyone has managed it, and stood at 114 goals from 134 games as of 10 August 2026 — comfortably the best strike rate in Premier League history. He holds the current Golden Boot, his third, won with 27 goals in 2025–26, and leads the premier league top scorers this season chart in the opening weeks of 2026–27. Treat both of those numbers as live: he is an active player and his total moves weekly.

Behind him the pipeline is thinner than it looks. Callum Wilson (95) and Chris Wood (92) are the closest active players to the 100 Club, but both are deep into their careers. Whether this list changes at all over the next decade comes down to one question: how long Haaland stays.