This sounds strange, but goals are taken for granted in football today.
In a time where football is so constant and endless, the pressure for players to score goals is relentless. It’s actually the hardest thing to do on the pitch – apart from mastering the sock-to-sock relationship, of course.
There are currently only 29 players who have managed to score 100 goals or more in the Premier League, which gives a fairly elite group. 90 minutes has ranked that group to find the order of excellence.
Bent was on another level in Sunderland / Matthew Lewis / Getty Images
Bent had an early taste of Premier League football with Ipswich and continued to strike after their relegation, which inevitably gave him a pull back to the top flight.
The Englishman developed into a proven Premier League goal scorer and impressed for Spurs and Sunderland. A £ 24m move to Aston Villa in 2011 started strong, but sparkled out when the injuries caught up.
The robot came out when Crouch reached 100 league goals / Richard Heathcote / Getty Images
They’re not coming like Crouch anymore. Quite literally. He’s massive.
Crouch walked around the houses of the Premier League and bagged for Liverpool and Tottenham, but also as Portsmouth and Stoke. He was simply different; no one knew how to handle him, and he used his qualities to his advantage. A unique asset.
Defoe never really got his big break / Clive Mason / Getty Images
It was a point in the mid to late 2000s when Defoe was obsessed. The guy was unstoppable.
Defoe played again everywhere in the English top flight, but never really got a chance to score on the top side despite having a condition. Clinical and deadly from the bench, he is a cult hero in the Premier League.
One for the fireplace / Stu Forster / Getty Images
A Turkish cup and 13 Premier League goals is the only real difference that separates Defoe from Ferdinand.
Both were fine poachers at their peak, although Ferdinand played at a higher level when he struck out for the title that chased Newcastle in the 1990s.
Shows you where the living room is / Shaun Botterill / Getty Images
A man with a thousand professions, football positions and oddities, it will not be long before Dublin competes with Chris Jericho for his thousand grips.
Before the days of showing people around terraced properties, Dublin was busy rising through the English football divisions and transforming into a Premier League striker. Dublin was a good goal.
Keane had a great party too / Laurence Griffiths / Getty Images
Ireland’s record shooter, Keane was the killer inside the penalty area.
Always placed for a goal and physically relentless, his finest hour in the Premier League was his spell with Tottenham over two stints. Keane got a move to Liverpool in 2008, but did not manage to settle on the increased level.
DJ / Alex Livesey / Getty Images
Do not let low placement in this list fool you; Heskey is seriously underestimated.
While his later years saw him cheat and become the beginning of online memes, Heskey was electric with Leicester and Liverpool. A clever goal scorer with an IQ to create, the England-international knitted attacks hugely together.
Bagsman / Gary M. Prior / Getty Images
Half of probably the Premier League’s deadliest strike force, Yorke found his mark on Manchester United.
While a purple momentum with the Red Devils is not a summary of his career, it really was his best stuff. In 1998/99, Yorke split the Premier League and won the Golden Boot and Player of the Year Awards when United won the league.
Sheringham was reliable / Getty Images / Getty Images
Sheringham was the first best Premier League point ever, when he signed for Manchester United in 1997.
The forward had already built a productive career with Tottenham and had been identified as a perfect replacement for Eric Cantona. He had to settle for a reduced role, but he played a role in United’s success when he collected major awards to cement his legacy.
Before his time / Phil Cole / Getty Images
Another where statistics do not tell the story, Le Tissier was unapologetically brilliant and quite ahead of his time.
Le Tissier played his game with relentless feeling, scored incredible goals and made football fun for Southampton fans. Lots of individual awards, but the club’s silverware escaped him.
Wrighty was incredible / Shaun Botterill / Getty Images
Not only is he one of football’s best connoisseurs, Wright was also a real Premier League great.
He crushed the early Premier League years in a fine Arsenal side and won a Premier League and two FA Cups before retiring. A ratio of 0.53 goals per game is a serious feat.
Injuries dampened Fowler’s career / Michael Steele / Getty Images
Injuries ravaged a good career for Fowler and dampened the effects of his power and speed, but it never slowed down his creativity and skill for a goal.
Fowler was electric for Liverpool in the 1990s and flourished into one of the Premier League’s best after winning the Young Player of the Year award in 1995 and 1996.
Lukaku was always good for a goal / AFP contributor / Getty Images
The fact that Lukaku is already on a list like this, even though he left the Premier League before he even reaches his best, is frightening.
One of the many talented Chelsea youth stars, Lukaku moved to England from Anderlecht and pulled out of the Premier League on loan, before getting his feet wet with Everton and Manchester United. Lots of criticism was thrown at him, but the way he reads the game and snatches goals can not be ignored.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink / Phil Cole / Getty Images
After impressing in his home country Holland and then Portugal, George Graham took Hasselbaink to Leeds in 1997, where he scored on his debut.
Quick off the line, comfortable on both feet and had a vicious strike, the Dutchman quickly settled in and would enjoy a nice four-year spell with Chelsea. He himself and Eidur Gudjohnsen formed a partnership that would make today’s Premier League defense look a little stupid.
Andy Cole celebrates / Shaun Botterill / Getty Images
Manchester United were convinced enough of Cole’s scoring at Newcastle to differ from £ 7 million in 1995 – a then British record fee.
Cole kept 12 goals from 18 league games during his first half of the season with the Red Devils. However, this was only a warm-up, as he further refined and secured the Premier League’s great status, wrapped up titles and scored for fun with Yorke.
Anelka aged like a fine wine / Ian Walton / Getty Images
Anelka has played at almost every top club you can think of. Was he always a superstar? Not really. But he was always super reliable, good for a goal and ridiculously silky smooth.
Ignore his rather strange spell with West Brom in the mid-2010s and Anelka’s Premier League CV shines. From Arsenal in 1997 it took a while to settle down, but he found his mark with Manchester City, Bolton and especially Chelsea, where everything went well for the Frenchman.
He knows his own hype / Pool / Getty Images
Vardy did not kick football at Premier League level until he was 27 years old.
118 goals later and counted, he has become known as one of the league’s greatest strikers ever. Persistent, well-positioned and toxic with his shots, Vardy’s rise has been nothing short of remarkable. His shooting speed is obscene.
Time to win trophies / Catherine Ivill / Getty Images
Kane and his 166 goals and bills are incredibly difficult to place.
There is no room to deny his talent anymore. Not only is Kane a certified poacher, he has a range and has now developed an IQ that allows him to play deeper and create. Time will tell if he can pick up the trophies to reach elite levels.
Goals galore / Alex Livesey / Getty Images
The fact that the Premier League had a continuous debate about the likes of Gerrard and Scholes was a blessing.
Yet another enduring English midfielder, Scholes coupled relentless perseverance with a hidden feeling and grace. Swept up cutlery and also got ridiculous ointments. Legend.
Mr. Liverpool / Shaun Botterill / Getty Images
The fact that Gerrard is in the Premier League 100 club is freakish in itself.
For a midfielder to be able to score 100 goals in one of football’s strongest divisions, you have to be pretty damn good. Gerrard was. A Premier League title greatly eluded his career, but you can not let that dampen his remarkable abilities. Balled out for several years.
A Young Owen Was Huge / Shaun Botterill / Getty Images
Owen’s 150 goals from 326 Premier League matches are not talked about enough.
The only Ballon d’Or winner on the list, it feels incredibly tough for Owen to become ninth, but injuries ravaged the second half of his career after such a huge start to life with Liverpool.
Incredible Company / PAUL ELLIS / Getty Images
If Van Persie had won just a little more with Arsenal, it’s scary to think about what level he can be kept at.
The Dutchman was the top scorer for his country and lit up the Premier League in the 2000s and early 2010s. Injuries always gnawed at him, but could not stop his menacing two feet, obscene volleyball and extend from any angle. Carrying United to the Premier League 2012/13 really cemented his legacy.
Unplayable / Shaun Botterill / Getty Images
Drogba was brought in by Jose Mourinho for £ 24 million in 2004 and was not in the Premier League to be liked. He was perfect for Mourinho’s Chelsea.
The man for the big occasion, no one enjoyed under pressure more than Drogba. He had driven defended broken on his own and made the midfielders look like amateurs with intermission play and an ability to get in behind it was nothing short of fascinating. Ten finals, ten goals, ten trophies. Class.
Ryan Giggs was no lust / Alex Livesey / Getty Images
Another career that was damaged by social media, Giggs was truly unique.
One of football’s most decorated players, you do not make a 23-year professional career with Manchester United and win 13 league titles as a lust. By running down the edge, Giggs was able to create goals and snap them into himself. A serious football brain.
Super Frank / Chris Brunskill / Getty Images
Scholes, Gerrard and Lampard are all quite difficult to rank. But when you consider that Lampard is as close to 200 Premier League goals as a midfielder, he must come out on top.
A European and domestic champion, Lampard’s goal to gain ability from the center of the park was ridiculous. The Englishman chose passes, created games and finished his own moves. Monster mentality and a practical punisher as well.
Gunners icon / Shaun Botterill / Getty Images
The electric Frenchman revolutionized the Premier League when he arrived at Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal in 1999.
Henry played at the top, drove wide or went central and decimated the English game with a relentless feeling and control levels over the ball that remain quite unthinkable. The way he moved the ball for the Gunners was ridiculous. The best player not to win the Ballon d’Or.
His name is still screaming for a goal by Good / Stu Forster / Getty Images
Big boy numbers now.
After winning the Premier League with Blackburn in 1994/95, Shearer returned to the boys’ club Newcastle in 1996 in an attempt to be the last piece of the puzzle. It was not meant to be, but when Newcastle declined, Shearer just kept scoring. The man was a magician in front of the goal. Disgusting numbers.
Premier League Biggest Nine / Laurence Griffiths / Getty Images
The man written in Manchester City’s folklore for the rest of the time, Aguero is a living legend.
When it comes to pure out-and-out strikers, he is the best the Premier League has. The low center of gravity, a sickening turn and a shooting range that no one else was connected to a brain for the game. The truth is that it is difficult to call this place second place.
Rooney made football look painful / Alex Livesey / Getty Images
Like the midfield, it is not a correct answer between the two best.
What Aguero has in longevity and a deadly record for chasing goals during his decade with City, Rooney equalized with an unapologetic, street style football that was so British but just as foreign. Rooney ran onto the scene as a teenager and could play almost anywhere in the park, catch a player and create a goal or find one himself. United and England record shooters.
