Michael Owen Ranks 10 Greatest Strikers in Premier League History

10 Mohamed Salah

157 Premier League goals

In at 10th is a prolific goalscorer, but not a player that many people would label a striker in the truest sense of the word. Considering Mohamed Salah’s incredible form in front of goal since he moved to Liverpool, though, it’s hard to blame the ex-Red for picking him in his top 10.

The Egyptian initially struggled to settle in England with Chelsea, but he’s been nothing short of superb after a move to Anfield in 2017. Salah has been scoring consistently for seven years now, exceeding all expectations in the process.

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9 Jermain Defoe

163 Premier League goals

An underrated striker, Jermain Defoe is next up on Owen’s list. Across spells with a handful of different clubs in the top flight, the striker had a solid career that spanned over two decades. Known for his small stature, but blistering speed and top-notch finishing ability, the former Tottenham Hotspur man managed to score 163 times in the Premier League.

Defoe also had a solid international career with England, scoring 20 times for the Three Lions. Considering his impressive returns at club level and for England, the forward arguably deserves more recognition, and that’s precisely what he’s got from Owen here.

8 Robbie Fowler

162 Premier League goals

Before Salah came along, Robbie Fowler was Liverpool’s top scorer in the Premier League. The Englishman never really set the world on fire playing for his country, but he had a more than impressive run domestically with the Reds and several other clubs over the course of a 19-year career.

Fowler hit heights in his first few years at Anfield that he failed to ever really reach again throughout the remainder of his career, but he still managed to spend 15 years in the Premier League, a shining indication of how useful he was to teams for over one-and-a-half decades. An expert finisher, Fowler was blessed with one of the most lethal left foot we’ve seen during the Premier League era.

7 Robin van Persie

144 Premier League goals

The catalyst for Sir Alex Ferguson’s 13th and final Premier League triumph, Robin van Persie terrorised defenders in the Premier League for 11 years with Arsenal and later Manchester United. It took the Dutchman some time to find his feet in England, but once he hit his stride, he was unstoppable.

Van Persie hit double figures in seven of his 11 seasons in England and, after switching from the Gunners to United ahead of the 2012-13 season, his 26 league goals that campaign played a massive role in the Red Devils snatching the league title back from their local rivals Manchester City. He also scored 50 times for the Netherlands, demonstrating his ability to hit the back of the net in all levels.

6 Sergio Aguero

184 Premier League goals

The man responsible for the most iconic moment in Premier League history, Sergio Aguero was far more than just his incredible league-winning goal for City against Queens Park Rangers in 2012. He was a goal machine who had an incredible knack for getting on the scoresheet.

Injuries slowed him down towards the end of his time in England, but he was still a vital figure for the Citizens whenever he was available. In his first nine years with City, Aguero never scored fewer than 12 Premier League goals – and if his career hadn’t been cut tragically short due to a heart condition there’s no doubt he’d have become a cult hero at Barcelona too.

5 Andy Cole

187 Premier League goals

One of the Premier League’s original goalscoring heroes, Andy Cole scored wherever he went. The striker played for multiple teams in the English top flight including Manchester United, Newcastle and Blackburn Rovers, and he seemingly had no trouble at all performing for them all.

His goals in the 1990s for Newcastle spearheaded the club’s title challenges against United and Blackburn, before he jumped ship to Old Trafford. He ultimately won five league titles with the Red Devils, scoring over 100 times for the team and ended his career with a very impressive resume. Surprisingly, though, he never really saw any success on an international level, scoring just once in 15 appearances for England.

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4 Wayne Rooney

208 Premier League goals

You’ve got to be an extraordinary player to become Manchester United’s all-time leading goalscorer. That’s exactly what Wayne Rooney did, though. The Englishman burst onto the scene at a young age and took fans’ breath away from day one. Massive things were expected from the forward from the get-go, and he lived up to all of them.

Rooney’s combination of power and speed was unlike anything that had been seen in the Premier League before and his exploits up top for the Red Devils played a huge role in their dominance during the latter half of the 2000s. It’s scary to think about how many more goals he could have scored had he not transitioned into a midfield role towards the end of his career.

3 Harry Kane

217 Premier League goals

While he’s still not won a single trophy during his career, there’s no doubt whatsoever that Harry Kane is one of the greatest strikers to ever come out of England. His efforts for Tottenham Hotspur over the years may have ultimately gone without much reward, but he was still incredible for the club. Kane is England’s all-time leading scorer and, considering he’s still performing at a very high level, there’s no telling how far ahead of the pack he’ll be when he calls time on his career.

With 217 Premier League goals, it seemed inevitable that Kane would overtake Alan Shearer as the top scorer in the league’s history, but his move to Bayern Munich in 2023 has left that record safe for now. If he returns to England soon, though, he could still overtake his compatriot before he hangs his boots up.

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2 Alan Shearer

260 Premier League goals

Any list of the best strikers in Premier League history isn’t complete without the division’s all-time leading goalscorer. While he only won one league title during his career, Alan Shearer scored more goals than anyone else ever has in the Premier League. His exploits with Blackburn and Newcastle are the stuff of legend.

Having initially been signed for Rovers in the early 1990s, his incredible form in front of goal led the team to becoming the only town to ever lift the Premier League trophy, and after turning down a move to Manchester United, he decided to join boyhood club Newcastle. He might not have won the title with his beloved Magpies, but he spent the rest of his career scoring at an exceptional rate with the club he loved, so it was still an incredible career.

1 Thierry Henry

185 Premier League goals

Ask any Arsenal fan about the club’s greatest ever player and the majority will likely answer with Thierry Henry. There’s a huge portion of fans who also think he’s the best player to ever grace the Premier League and considering his form for the Gunners during his time in England, it’s hard to argue.

The Frenchman could seemingly do it all during his time in north London. There wasn’t a defender in the league that could contain him, and he made a habit of destroying anyone who had the nerve to try. Henry scored close to 200 league goals during his time in England and won a handful of major honours in the process.

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt and accurate as of 13/06/2024.