The Premier League is widely recognised as one of the most competitive football leagues in the world. Over the years, it has been graced by some truly world-class strikers, who have dazzled fans with their footballing IQ and scoring capabilities. Whether it’s a penalty-box poacher, or the kind of complete forward who can do everything, some of the best sides from the 1990s onwards have featured an incredible array and variety of strikers.

From the glory days of Thierry Henry to Alan Shearer’s drive to the top of the goalscoring charts to Erling Haaland’s current heroics in the top flight – there really hasn’t been a shortage of elite frontmen plying their trade in the English top flight since 1992. And picking out the best of the bunch is no easy feat.

Ranking factors

Whittling down the vast number of strikers to a top 25 takes some serious doing, and as a result, some important criteria has been used to make sure the list is as reasoned as possible:

• Top-flight goals scored
• Individual achievements such as any Golden Boot awards
• Premier League titles won
• How important that striker has been to their respective clubs

In Pictures: The greatest Premier League strikers

25

Robbie Keane

Tottenham, Leeds, Coventry, Liverpool, West Ham, Aston Villa

Kicking off the list is Robbie Keane. The former Republic of Ireland international played for a who’s who of clubs in the Premier League, including the likes of Coventry City, Leeds United, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, West Ham and Aston Villa. However, it was for the first three clubs on that list that Keane really made his mark, first showcasing his talents at the highest level by breaching double-digit figures in goals in the top-flight with Coventry.

That led to a move to Elland Road, where he was a part of the successful Whites side during the turn of the century. It was at Tottenham though where he really found consistency and a permanent home, scoring 10+ goals in the Premier League for an impressive six straight seasons until his departure. His highest tally in a campaign was 16, which he managed in the 2005/2006 campaign.

24

Jermain Defoe

Tottenham, Sunderland, West Ham, Portsmouth, Bournemouth

A Premier League stalwart who found his biggest successes in London with both West Ham and Tottenham, Jermain Defoe was the kind of nippy, clinical striker who could score from all angles and twist defenders one way then the other. The former England star didn’t end up winning the title or have much team success in terms of the Premier League, and on an individual note, had just the one solitary Player of the Month award to cheer about.

Despite that, Defoe was a reliable goalscorer at the highest level for a number of years in English football, and it’s a testament to his longevity that after almost two decades of notching his first Premier League goal with West Ham, he was still banging them in for Sunderland. In fact, despite his age, Defoe recorded back-to-back campaigns with the Black Cats of scoring 15 goals in the Premier League – real proof of just how consistent he was.

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23

Les Ferdinand

Tottenham, QPR, Newcastle, Leicester, West Ham, Bolton

Perhaps one of the more unfortunate England stars of his generation, Les Ferdinand’s 17 caps for England was no reflection of just how good of a player he was, instead more an indication of the sheer kind of depth and talent the Three Lions had up front at that time. Ferdinand’s golden period came in the late 1980s and the 1990s, with perhaps his most notable time coming in the form of stints at Newcastle United and Tottenham.

It was at Newcastle where he scored the most goals in a single Premier League campaign when he netted 25 in the 1995/1996 season – one more than the 24 he got with QPR just a couple of seasons earlier. In fact, Ferdinand’s exploits with the Magpies during that campaign saw him named to the PFA’s Team of the Year – something he would surely trade for a Premier League title given the two runners-up medals he got in the couple of seasons he played on Tyneside.

22

Fernando Torres

Liverpool, Chelsea

While his time at Chelsea might not have gone to plan, that shouldn’t take away from the absolutely incredible performances Fernando Torres produced at Liverpool. One of the greatest strikers of the 2000s, the Spaniard arrived at Anfield from La Liga giants Atletico Madrid, and took to the Premier League like a duck to water, with his combination of sheer pace and clinical finishing putting him among the top strikers in the division soon after his arrival.

His almost telepathic-like understanding with Steven Gerrard who played just off him gave Liverpool a potent two-man partnership that was difficult to stop when they got going. Had Torres stayed put at Anfield, his goal record might have improved significantly than it actually did, but alas, his move to Stamford Bridge seemed to ruin his career, hence why he is not further up on this list.

21

Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink

Chelsea, Leeds, Middlesbrough, Charlton

A modern Chelsea great, Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink was plundering goals for the Blues even before the Stamford Bridge side came into the money. The Dutch striker had a powerful right foot on him and could be seen on numerous occasions leathering one in from over 20 yards out and thundering a free-kick in to boot to.

His partnership with Eidur Gudjohnsen in particular stood out for Chelsea during the early to mid 2000s, and gave the west London side a real two-pronged attack, with both capable of dropping deep and linking play up before marauding into the penalty box for the finish. Given Hasselbaink carried Chelsea’s attack before the big successes under the years of Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti, he rightfully deserves his place on this list, not to mention his couple of Golden Boots too.

20

Teddy Sheringham

Tottenham, Manchester United, West Ham, Portsmouth and Nottingham Forest

Part of Manchester United’s historic treble-winning side in 1999, Teddy Sheringham did the business in the Premier League for both the Red Devils and Tottenham Hotspur too. The former England star was at the peak of his powers during his time at both clubs, while it was at Spurs where he had two successful spells either side of his career at Old Trafford.

It was perhaps to Sheringham’s disadvantage that he was playing at a time when England as a country were blessed with a plethora of great strikers, and it was a big reason as to why he only played 51 times for the Three Lions despite being a part of the 100 goals club in the Premier League.

19

Robbie Fowler

Liverpool, Manchester City and Leeds United

A legend of Anfield, Robbie Fowler was the kind of natural goalscorer who was born to plunder goals in the Premier League. Having come through the Liverpool academy, Fowler would become an integral part of the Reds during the 1990s and would later strike up a fearsome partnership up top with an emerging Michael Owen, though it would be he who stayed to be monikered ‘God’ by the Kop.

After doing the treble with Liverpool in 2001, Fowler would go onto pastures new with Leeds United, and later Manchester City, before returning to Merseyside for one short stint with the club. While he might not have been as high-profile of a name as an Owen, Fowler is certainly up there with being one of the best poachers the Premier League has seen in its era.

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18

Dwight Yorke

Aston Villa, Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Sunderland and Birmingham City

A scorer of Premier League goals for a host of different clubs, Dwight Yorke was a big part as to why Manchester United would clinch the treble in 1999, forming a deadly partnership with Andy Cole up front at Old Trafford. His tally of 48 top-flight goals in just 96 games for the Red Devils gave him a mightily impressive one in two ratio, while he was similarly prolific for a weaker Aston Villa side too, scoring 60 in 179 matches for the Midlands club.

The fact he was keeping the likes of Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer out of Sir Alex Ferguson’s preferred and go-to starting line-up spoke volumes of just how good and highly-rated he was. When you talk about the best Premier League strikers, you can’t not have Yorke somewhere in the conversation.

17

Dimitar Berbatov

Manchester United and Tottenham

One of the most technically gifted strikers of the Premier League era, Dimitar Berbatov’s languid nature often took away from the sheer footballing brilliance he could produce. The former Bulgaria star showcased his talent initially with Tottenham, before Sir Alex Ferguson saw what he could do and brought him to Old Trafford and Manchester United.

It was at the Theatre of Dreams where Berbatov’s full repertoire of skills and silky first touch really came to the fore. Aside from his penchant for scoring the most acrobatic of goals – think his overhead kick against Liverpool for example – Berbatov could turn a match on its head by himself. As well as netting a hat-trick against the Reds in a 3-2 win, Berbatov would make history by scoring an incredible five goals against Blackburn Rovers.

16

Jamie Vardy

Leicester City

From non-league football to a Premier League title with Leicester City, Jamie Vardy’s journey up the footballing pyramid is the stuff of dreams. The veteran is a lot more than just an incredible story, though, with his scoring ability and exceptional pace making him an undeniable entrant into this list.

His goals, of course, helped do the unthinkable for the Foxes when they lifted the Premier League title in 2016, and it’s a story that will stand the test of time.