Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah has climbed up the Premier League’s all-time top scorers list over the course of his exceptional 2024-25 campaign, and he looks likely to rise to fourth before the end of the season.
Given that everyone in the top 10 except him and Harry Kane are retired, it is important to recognise we are witnessing an all-time Premier League great in Salah, who’s goalscoring record is truly out of this world.
That has prompted us to review where he lies within the all-time list as he moves ever closer to fourth place.
10. Jermain Defoe – 162
A lethal finisher in his prime, Defoe played the most games out of any player on the list but still managed an incredible record across his time at the likes of Tottenham, West Ham, Sunderland, Bournemouth and Portsmouth.
Blessed with pace, quick feet and a wicked strike, he netted volleys and powerful strikes and even managed to join an exclusive club of just five players to score five goals in a Premier League game following his efforts against Wigan in the 2009-10 campaign.
9. Robbie Fowler – 163
Consistently revered as one of the most natural finishers in Premier League history, Robbie Fowler exploded onto the scene as a young striker from the Liverpool academy, netting 30 goals a season in all competitions for three years in a row from age 19 to 22.
Fowler had a natural eye for goal and was quickly able to adjust to finish with either foot, with his best league campaign totalling 28 goals in the 1995-96 season, at age 21.
8. Thierry Henry – 175
The Frenchman is deemed to be many people’s choice for the best-ever player in the competition’s history, but he sits eighth on this list. However, his 175 goals (and 73 assists) came in just 258 games, which remains one of the best goals-to-game ratios.
Not only did he score an incredible amount of goals, but he did it with a certain flair and a level of domination and skill that hasn’t truly been replicated. Plus, he still holds the record for being the only player to reach 20 goals and 20 assists in one season, achieving the feat in the 2002-03 season. A true legend of the Premier League.
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7. Frank Lampard – 177
If anyone deserves more plaudits on this list, it’s Frank Lampard. Given he is the only midfielder to feature on the top 10 list, it stands as an extraordinary achievement and it shows that his career is likely to continue to age like a fine wine.
Granted, he was Chelsea’s chief penalty taker during his time at the club but he was the best goalscoring midfielder of his generation, managing goals from all angles, all distances and in all manner of occasions. His 22 goals and 14 assists in the title-winning season of the 2009-10 campaign will forever be his best return, and it remains the gold standard for any goal-hungry midfielder to try and emulate.
=5. Mohamed Salah – 184
A modern-day great, Mohamed Salah has been incredibly consistent since exploding onto the Premier League scene in the 2017-18 season. Having signed from Roma, his debut campaign saw him break the 38-game record for goals (later beaten by Erling Haaland), and he hasn’t stopped scoring since.
Labelled as a ‘one-season wonder’ at the time, but he has dispelled that myth year after year with his unrelenting desire to score goals. Managing to breach the 20-goal mark on five occasions, the final nine games of the season could see him break his record and he needs just four goals to move into fourth place on the illustrious list.
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=5. Sergio Aguero – 184
Soon-to-be relegated to sixth place on this list, Sergio Aguero proved to be one of the best-ever strikers to have ever played in the Premier League. Of course, he is most famous for scoring arguably the most dramatic goal in the competition’s history, but he was a clinical and brilliant striker who could score all manner of goals.
At Manchester City, he regularly led the way for his side and his goal-to-game ratio of 0.67 is tied with Harry Kane for second-place behind Henry. He reached the 20-goal mark on six occasions and also won one Golden Boot and five league titles.
4. Andrew Cole – 187
The former Manchester United striker may well be the most underappreciated player on this list; Andy Cole originally hit the highest league total in the old format of the 42-game season with 34 in the 1993-94 season, and only one of his 187 strikes came from the penalty spot.
He was also the fastest player to reach 50 goals, doing it in 65 appearances as he beat Alan Shearer and Ruud van Nistelrooy to the feat. That 93-94 campaign also saw him become the first player to top both the scoring and assist charts, showing his all-round game.
3. Wayne Rooney – 208
Simply one of the Premier League’s best-ever players, Wayne Rooney’s career was long and consistent and he remains the only player to manage over 200 goals and 100 assists. He remains Manchester United’s top club scorer and the player with the most Premier League seasons reaching double figures in goals (12).
The five-time league champion played a multitude of roles across his career, making him the most versatile player on the list having begun as a striker before playing every position behind him, eventually finishing in a deep midfield role. Truly unique; we may never see another like Wazza.
2. Harry Kane – 213
As far as guaranteed goals go, there aren’t many better than Harry Kane. Boasting the second-best goals-to-game ratio, Kane breached 20 goals on six occasions and 30 twice as he departed English football as the second-highest scorer in Premier League history to join Bayern Munich.
A three-time Golden Boot winner, he is just one of three players on the list who have failed to win the league title. However, his legacy is ironclad as his consistency, hunger for goals, and overall quality shone through during his time at Tottenham. Plus, he could still return to mount a challenge for Shearer’s record…
1. Alan Shearer – 260
Standing tall ahead of the pack is none other than Alan Shearer. Across his brilliant career, he netted 260 goals in 441 appearances, alongside 64 assists, and breached the 20-goal mark on seven occasions. Naturally a poacher, he holds the record for the most goals scored inside the box with 227, the most penalties scored (56), and the fewest home games needed to net 100 goals (91 games).
He managed just the one league title with Blackburn Rovers, and he could have signed for Man United and won an incredible amount of trophies, but he remained loyal to Newcastle United and became a seven-time feature in the PFA Team of the Year as well as setting the record for the most goals in the competition’s history. A record that may well stand the test of time.
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