SERGIO AGUERO
One of four players, including Crouch, still playing in the top flight, Manchester City’s diminutive Argentine will forever be remembered for his 23rd Premier League goal at the end of a dramatic 2011/12 campaign. His first for City came against Swansea on 15 August 2011 with his latest strike coming against Burnley on 2 January 2017.
Aguero, the second fastest player to reach a century, currently has 113 Premier League goals to his name and is joint 17th in the all-time scorers list.
NICOLAS ANELKA
Like Crouch, Anelka achieved the feat with six different clubs in a Premier League career that spanned 14 seasons. His first goal came in a 3-2 win over Manchester United on 9 November 1997 during Arsenal’s title winning campaign.
The Frenchman’s last top flight goal came against West Ham United at Upton Park on 28 December 2013. His glittering career saw him win league titles in England, Italy, Spain and Turkey, as well as the Champions League with Real Madrid in 2000. Anelka scored 125 Premier League goals and is 14th in the all-time top scorers.
DARREN BENT
Another player to have scored goals for six different sides, Darren Bent’s first Premier League goal came on 24 April 2002 – the only goal as Ipswich beat Middlesbrough. His most prolific season was 2009/10 when he scored 24 goals for Sunderland, but he was omitted from Fabio Capello’s 23-man squad for England’s disastrous 2010 World Cup campaign in South Africa.
Bent scored four goals in 13 appearances for the national team and is currently at Championship promotion hopefuls Derby County. He currently has 106 Premier League goals and is 23rd in the list of all-time top scorers.
ANDREW COLE
Winner of the Premier League Golden Boot in 1993/94 with 34 goals, “Cole the Goal” terrorised top flight defences for six different clubs over 16 seasons. His first Premier League goal, ironically, was an equaliser against Manchester United as Newcastle claimed a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford on 21 August 1993.
Cole became the most expensive British player in history when he joined United on 10 January 1995 and went onto win a host of honours with the Red Devils – including the infamous treble in 1999. His last top flight goal came against Bolton Wanderers for Portsmouth on 30 December 2006. Cole scored 187 Premier League goals and is third in the list of all-time top scorers.
JERMAIN DEFOE
At 34-years-old, Defoe is still one of the most feared strikers in the Premier League. With twelve goals to his name this season, only Harry Kane is ahead of the Sunderland forward as the English top scorer. Not bad going for a player whose side are propping up the table. His first Premier League goal came against Ipswich as West Ham secured a 3-2 victory at Portman Road on 28 October 2001.
Defoe, who has never been on the losing team when finding the net for his nation, scored 19 times for England and bagged his latest Premier League goal as Sunderland lost 3-1 at home to Stoke on 14 January 2017 (incidentally, Crouch scored his 99th top flight goal in the same game). He has currently scored 155 goals and is seventh in the list of all-time top scorers.
DIDIER DROGBA
One of seven players so far to have achieved this feat with just one club, Drogba scored his first Premier League goal as Chelsea beat Crystal Palace 2-0 at Selhurst Park on 24 August 2004. His ten goals that season helped the Blues to their first league title for 50 years and he went onto score 100 goals in his first spell at Stamford Bridge.
Following stints in China and Turkey, the Ivorian returned to London where he scored four more times for Chelsea, with his last top flight goal coming against Leicester on 29 April 2015. Drogba, the only African player to score a century of goals in the Premier League, finished with 104 strikes and is 24th in the list of all-time top scorers.
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Didier Drogba (24)
104 Premier League goals
Jermain Defoe (7)
155 Premier League goals
Andrew Cole (3)
187 Premier League goals
Dion Dublin (19)
111 Premier League goals
Les Ferdinand (9)
149 Premier League goals
Robbie Fowler (6)
163 Premier League goals
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (12)
127 Premier League goals
Ryan Giggs (21)
109 Premier League goals
Steven Gerrard (16)
120 Premier League goals
DION DUBLIN
Signed by Sir Alex Ferguson for £1m from Cambridge, Dublin scored his first Premier League goal as United claimed a 1-0 win against Southampton at the Dell on 24 August 1992. He would only score one more league goal for the Red Devils before moving to Coventry City.
His final Premier League goal came against relegation-threatened Leicester on 31 January 2004 as Aston Villa enjoyed an emphatic 5-0 win at the Walkers Stadium. Dublin scored 111 Premier League goals and is 19th in the list of all-time top scorers.
LES FERDINAND
Ferdinand scored his first Premier League goal against Southampton on 19 August 1992 as Queens Park Rangers claimed a 3-1 victory at Loftus Road. The striker ended the campaign with 20 goals as QPR finished fifth in the first Premier League season, nine points off a European place.
Capped 17 times by England, Ferdinand enjoyed successful spells at Newcastle and Tottenham Hotspur before joining Leicester from relegated West Ham, where he scored twelve Premier League goals as the Foxes suffered relegation from the top flight. His 149th and last Premier League goal came for Bolton Wanderers on 11 September 2004 as the Trotters drew 2-2 with Manchester United at the Reebok Stadium. He is ninth in the list of all-time top scorers.
ROBBIE FOWLER
The man affectionately known as “God” by Liverpool fans burst onto the scene in the 1993/94 campaign when he scored twelve goals in his first Premier League season – his first goal coming against Oldham Athletic on 16 October 1993. Fowler was at his prolific best during the 1995/96 campaign where he bagged 28 goals, beaten to the Golden Boot award by Blackburn Rovers’ Alan Shearer.
Following spells at Leeds United and Manchester City, Fowler scored his last Premier League goal from the penalty spot as Liverpool beat Sheffield United 4-0 at Anfield. In total, Fowler scored 163 top flight goals and is sixth in the list of all-time top scorers.
Robbie Keane (13)
126 Premier League goals
Emile Heskey (20)
110 Premier League goals
Thierry Henry (5)
175 Premier League goals
STEVEN GERRARD
The first midfielder to feature on this list, Gerrard got off the mark in the Premier League as Liverpool beat Sheffield Wednesday 4-1 at Anfield on 5 December 1999. Capped 114 times for England, Gerrard was instrumental as the Reds won seven major honours in his time at the club – including the incredible Champions League triumph in 2005.
His last Premier League goal came in a 6-1 defeat at Stoke City on the final day of the 2015/16 season before he moved to LA Galaxy. Gerrard scored 120 top flight goals and is 16th on the list of all-time top scorers.
RYAN GIGGS
Manchester United’s Welsh wizard scored his first Premier League goal as Ferguson’s side beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 at the City ground on 29 August 1992. In a career that spanned 24 seasons, Giggs won 13 top flight titles and the Champions League twice.
The winger scored his final Premier League goal on 23 February 2013 as United beat QPR 2-0 at Loftus Road during their last title winning season. Giggs scored 109 Premier League goals under Ferguson and is 21st in the list of all-time top scorers.
JIMMY FLOYD HASSELBAINK
Two-time winner of the Premier League Golden Boot (shared with Michael Owen and Dwight Yorke in 1998/99), Hasselbaink scored on his Leeds United debut as George Graham’s side drew 1-1 with Arsenal at Elland Road on 9 August 1997.
Despite his impressive goal scoring record, the Dutchman only won one major honour: the 1997 Taca de Portugal with Boavista. His final English top flight goal came against former club Middlesbrough as Charlton lost 3-1 at the Valley. Hasselbaink scored 127 Premier League goals and is twelfth in the list of all-time top scorers.
Michael Owen (8)
150 Premier League goals
Frank Lampard (4)
177 Premier League goals
THIERRY HENRY
After a stop-start career with Monaco and Juventus, Henry joined Arsenal in August 1999 and established himself as one of the finest forwards ever to have graced the Premier League. His first Gunners league goal came in a 1-0 victory over Southampton at the Dell on 18 September 1999.
The Frenchman finished as Premier League top scorer on four occasions during his eight seasons in England and won two league titles with the Gunners before moving to Barcelona. He returned to north London on loan from New York Red Bulls and scored his final Premier League goal against Sunderland on 11 February 2012. Henry amassed 175 Premier League goals and is fifth in the list of all-time top scorers, the highest overseas player.
EMILE HESKEY
Prolific in his early career, Heskey scored his first Premier League goal as Leicester beat Southampton 2-1 at Filbert Street on 21 August 1996. The striker finished his first top flight season with ten goals and went on to join Liverpool in March 2000, with Gerard Houllier splashing out a then club record £11m to secure his services.
Heskey won the League Cup four times (twice with Leicester and twice with Liverpool) and scored his last top flight goal on 20 August 2011 as Aston Villa beat Blackburn 3-1 at Villa Park. The striker scored 110 Premier League goals and is 20th on the list of all-time top scorers.
ROBBIE KEANE
After impressive displays in Division One with Wolves, Coventry paid £6m – the record fee for a teenager at the time – to bring Keane to the Premier League. It was a move that paid off as he bagged a brace on his debut against Derby County on 21 August 1999. The Irishman lasted just one season at Highfield Road before Marcelo Lippi persuaded Italian giants Inter Milan to part with £13m to secure his services.
Keane returned to England with Leeds in 2001 and, after spells at Tottenham (twice), Liverpool, Celtic, West Ham and LA Galaxy, scored his 126th and final Premier League goal in a 3-2 defeat for Aston Villa at Newcastle on 4 February 2012. He is 13th in the list of all-time top scorers.
Matt le Tissier (25)
100 Premier League goals
FRANK LAMPARD
The top scoring midfielder in Premier League history, Lampard got off the mark in England’s top flight on the opening day of the 1997/98 season as West Ham beat Barnsley 2-1 at Oakwell. In June 2001, Lampard moved across London to Chelsea for £11m and was instrumental as the club won three league titles, four FA Cups and a memorable Champions League in 2012.
His final goal in English football came for Manchester City on his last appearance in the Premier League on 24 May 2015 as Manuel Pellegrini’s men beat Southampton 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium. Lampard scored 177 Premier League goals and is fourth in the list of all-time top scorers.
MATT LE TISSIER
Renowned for his talents from dead ball situations and ability to find the net from range, Le Tissier scored his first Premier League goal for Southampton as the Saints lost 3-1 to QPR at Loftus Road on 19 August 1992.
His scored 25 league goals for the south coast club during the 1993/94 campaign and got his final top flight goal in the last game at the Dell – the winner in a 3-2 victory over Arsenal. Le Tissier scored 100 Premier League goals and is joint 25th in the list of all-time top scorers.
MICHAEL OWEN
After scoring on his Premier League debut against Wimbledon on 6 May 1997, Liverpool knew a gem had been unearthed. Unfortunately hampered by injuries during his later career, Owen is regarded as one of the most natural strikers to have played in England.
Having scored 118 goals for Liverpool, Owen moved to Real Madrid for £8m in August 2004. His stay in La Liga was short lived and, after spells at Newcastle and Manchester United, he scored his last Premier League goal as Stoke lost 3-1 at Swansea on 19 January 2013. Owen scored 150 goals in England’s top flight and is eighth in the list of all-time top scorers.
Alan Shearer (1)
260 Premier League goals
Wayne Rooney (2) and Paul Scholes (22)
195 and 107 Premier League goals
Teddy Sheringham (10)
146 Premier League goals
WAYNE ROONEY
The final player in this magnificent list still to be playing at the highest level of English football, Rooney burst onto the scene with a sensational goal for Everton against Arsenal on 19 October 2002. Since then, the forward hasn’t looked back and has become Manchester United’s and England’s record goal scorer.
His latest goal, which broke Sir Bobby Charlton’s club record, was scored against Stoke on 21 January 2017 and he is just five short of 200 league goals. Rooney has 195 Premier League goals and is second in the list of all-time top scorers
PAUL SCHOLES
One of the greatest midfielders of a generation, Scholes’ first Premier League goal came on his Manchester United debut in a 3-2 defeat to Ipswich at Portman Road on 24 September 1994. With eleven Premier League titles, three FA Cups and two Champions League triumphs to his name, Scholes enjoyed a glittering career with the Red Devils.
The midfielder came out of retirement for the 2012/13 campaign and scored his final top flight goal as United beat Wigan 4-0 on 15 September 2012. Scholes scored 107 Premier League goals and is 22nd in the list of all-time top scorers.
ALAN SHEARER
The only player to have scored a century of goals for two different Premier League clubs, Shearer bagged his first of an incredible 260 top flight goals as Blackburn drew 3-3 with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on 15 August 1992. He won the league title at Ewood Park in 1995 before moving to Newcastle in 1996.
It would be Shearer’s only honour of a goal-laden career, during which he won the Premier League Golden Boot for three consecutive seasons between 1994 and 1997. The legendary striker scored his final goal as Newcastle thrashed Sunderland 4-1 at the Stadium of Light on 17 April 2006. His phenomenal goal tally sees him sit atop the list of all-time top scorers.
Ian Wright (17)
113 Premier League goals
Robin van Persie (11)
144 Premier League goals
Dwight Yorke (15)
123 Premier League goals
TEDDY SHERINGHAM
“Steady Teddy” scored his first – and only – Premier League goal for Nottingham Forest in a 1-0 victory over Liverpool on 16 August 1992. The striker moved to Tottenham in a £2.1m deal and finished the season as Premier League top scorer with 22 goals.
His potency in front of goal saw him form formidable partnerships with Andrew Cole, Ole Gunner Solskjaer and Dwight Yorke at Manchester United as they won an unprecedented treble in 1999. Sheringham’s final top flight goal came as West Ham lost 2-1 at home to Portsmouth on Boxing Day 2006. He scored 146 Premier League goals and is tenth in the list of all-time top scorers.
ROBIN VAN PERSIE
The Dutchman got off the mark for Arsenal on 30 October 2004 with a 92nd minute equaliser against Southampton at Highbury. Van Persie won the Golden Boot in his final season with the Gunners before signing for Manchester United in a deal worth more than £22.5m.
The forward helped United claim the title in his first season at Old Trafford and claimed a second consecutive Golden Boot in the process. His last top flight goal came on 11 February 2015 as the Red Devils beat Burnley 3-1. Van Persie scored 144 Premier League goals and is eleventh in the list of all-time top scorers.
IAN WRIGHT
Arsenal’s legendary striker got his first Premier League goal as the Gunners put Liverpool to the sword in a 2-0 victory at Anfield on 23 August 1992. Of 185 goals for Arsenal, 104 came in the Premier League.
He joined West Ham in 1998 and scored a further nine top flight goals, the last of which came at White Hart Lane on 24 April 1999 as the Hammers won 2-1. Wright scored 113 Premier League goals and is joint 17th in the list of all-time top scorers.
DWIGHT YORKE
It took seven Premier League games for Yorke to get off the mark, but once he found the back of the net in a 3-0 win for Aston Villa against Crystal Palace on 5 September 1992 he never looked back. The Tobagonian enjoyed success at Manchester United, where he formed a lethal partnership with Andrew Cole before spells at Blackburn, Birmingham, Sydney and Sunderland.
His final top flight goal came on 24 November 2007 as the Black Cats were thrashed 7-1 by Everton at Goodison Park. In total, Yorke scored 123 Premier League goals and is 15th in the list of all-time top scorers.
Sergio Aguero (17)
113 Premier League goals
Nicolas Anelka (14)
125 Premier League goals
Darren Bent (23)
106 Premier League goals
When Peter Crouch found the net against Everton on Tuesday 31 January 2017, he joined 25 fellow professionals in an elite club to have scored 100 or more Premier League goals.
The striker amassed his tally while playing for six different clubs over 17 seasons in England’s top flight, but, despite his goal scoring exploits, only has one major domestic honour to his name – a memorable 2006 FA Cup triumph against West Ham with Liverpool.
Crouch bagged his first Premier League goal on his debut for Aston Villa against Newcastle on 2 April 2002, but who does the man with 42 caps and 22 goals for England join in this illustrious club?