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The Premier League is the richest football league in the world, and arguably the most competitive one as well. That has helped attract some of the best players in the world to grace the competition over the years.
The Premier League's popularity and competitiveness has seen many quality foreign players arrive on English shores to ply their trade. Many of them, especially goalscorers, have found success in the competition, and have had their names firmly etched in Premier League folklore.
On that note, here's a look at the ten foreign players with the most goals in the Premier League. Some of them are still active in the competition. Without further ado, let's get started.
Note: All stats are as per transfermarkt unless stated otherwise.
Premier League: Foreigners with the highest goals in the competition
#10 Sadio Mane (Senegal) - 100 goals
Sadio Mane has been one of the most consistent performers in the Premier League. He has evolved into a world-class winger since arriving at Liverpool from Southampton in the summer of 2016.
Mane has scored exactly 100 goals in the competition and has also bagged 44 assists. All but 21 of these strikes have come for Liverpool. His last strike for Liverpool in the competition made the 29-year-old the latest entrant in the Premier League's 100-goal club. Incredibly, none of his goals in the English top flight have been penalties.
The Senegal international has scored at least ten goals in each of his seven full seasons in the Premier League. He played a key role in Liverpool's 2019-20 Premier League triumph, scoring 18 goals. He is already up to five goals in eight games this season.
#9 Didier Drogba (Cote d'Ivoire) - 104
Didier Drogba is one of the finest goalscorers to have graced the Premier League. The former Cote d'Ivoire international scored over 100 goals in the competition during a hugely successful nine-season stint with Chelsea.
A quintessential goal poacher in the penalty box, Drogba was a nightmare for opposition defenders, thanks to his physicality, strength and ability on the ball. He played a key role in Chelsea's four Premier League triumphs, scoring 55 goals across these campaigns.
The 43-year-old is a two-time Premier League Golden Boot winner. In 2012, he became the first African player to score 100 goals in the competition, a feat emulated by only two other players since then.
#8 Mohamed Salah (Egypt) - 104
Mohamed Salah has taken the Premier League by storm since his return to the competition in 2017. He had spent a forgettable two-season stint with Chelsea in early 2010s.
The Liverpool winger has been on a tear since landing at the club, scoring 102 league goals. He has scored at least 19 times in each of his last four campaigns. Salah is already up to seven goals this campaign, with his third making him only the second African player to score 100 times in the Premier League.
The two-time Golden Boot winner was one of the key players in Liverpool's 2019-20 Premier League triumph, scoring 19 goals and also bagging ten assists.
#7 Romelu Lukaku (Belgium) - 116
Romelu Lukaku is one of the most prolific goalscorers in the game at the moment. The 2020-21 Serie A winner hit the ground running on his return to Premier League leaders Chelsea this summer, scoring on his second debut for the club.
Lukaku has scored over 100 goals in the competition for four different clubs, with most of his goals (68) coming for Everton. He has also netted 28 times for Manchester United, 17 times for West Bromwich Albion and thrice for his current club.
The Belgian international recently scored a brace in Chelsea's 600th match win in the Premier League, making the Blues only the second team to achieve this milestone.
Although he has drawn blanks in his last four league games, Lukaku is expected to regain his mojo as Chelsea seek their first Premier League title in five years.
#6 Robbie Keane (Ireland) - 126
Robbie Keane is one of the most prolific foreign goalscorers in the history of the Premier League.
The Irishman notched up over 125 goals in the competition for six different clubs. He is one of a handful of players to score Premier League goals in each of the first three decades of the competition.
Keane never won the Premier League title or the Golden Boot, but his resume is replete with fabulous goals galore. The 41-year-old scored most of his goals in the competition (91) for Tottenham Hotspur.
He scored at least once in each of his 13 seasons in the Premier League. Keane also tallied 23 assists during this period.
#5 Nicolas Anelka (France) - 126
Nicolas Anelka is the 15th-most prolific scorer in the history of the Premier League. The former France international scored over 100 goals in the competition for six different clubs, with his most (38) coming for Manchester City.
Anelka was a divisive figure off the field, but he was a clinical finisher in front of goal. One of a handful of players to win Premier League titles with multiple clubs, Anelka won the competition with Arsenal in 1998 and with Chelsea 12 years later.
The Frenchman won the 2008-09 Premier League Golden Boot, scoring 19 goals. He last featured in the competition for West Bromwich Albion in 2013-14.
#4 Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (Netherlands) - 127
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was a prolific scorer in the Premier League. The 47-year-old Dutchman scored over 125 times in the competition for four different clubs. He enjoyed his most prolific stint in the Premier League with Chelsea in the early 2000s, scoring 69 times in four seasons.
The two-time Premier League Golden Boot winner never won the competition during a near decade-long stint in the English top flight, though. The centre-forward also had a mean shot from distance, apart from his prowess inside the box.
Hasselbaink enjoyed his two most prolific Premier League campaigns with Chelsea, netting 23 times in both the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons.
#3 Robin van Persie (Netherlands) - 144
Robin van Persie is one of the most skilful strikers to have graced the Premier League.
The former Dutch international netted nearly 150 times in the competition for two different clubs. Van Persie is one of a handful of players to win the Premier League Golden Boot award in successive seasons with two different clubs.
After a prolific stint at Arsenal, where he scored nearly 100 league goals, Van Persie struck gold in his debut season at Manchester United. He bagged 26 goals to fire United to their 13th and latest Premier League triumph. A goalscorer par excellence, Van Persie had a penchant for scoring 'worldies'.
Apart from his goals, Van Persie also conjured goalscoring opportunities aplenty for teammates. He tallied an impressive 67 assists during 11 seasons in the competition.
#2 Thierry Henry (France) - 175
Thierry Henry is arguably the best striker to have graced the Premier League. The Frenchman, who started as a winger, turned into a devastating striker under the tutelage of his compatriot Arsene Wenger at Arsenal.
The 44-year-old scored 175 Premier League goals for the Gunners, with all but one of his strikes coming during his first stint at the club. Henry was the ultimate goal-poacher, wreaking havoc in the opposition penalty box with his intelligent runs and blistering speed.
Henry's most prolific campaign in the competition was in 2003-04, when he scored 30 times in Arsenal's memorable Invincibles triumph.
Henry is the only player to win four Premier League Golden Boot awards, with the last three coming in as many years.
#1 Sergio Aguero (Argentina) - 184
Sergio Aguero is the most prolific foreign goalscorer in Premier League history. He scored twice on the last day of the 2020-21 season to break Wayne Rooney's record (183) for the most goals for a single club in the competition.
Aguero etched his name in Premier League and Manchester City folklore when he netted a dramatic injury-time winner to seal City's 2011-12 title. The moment is popularly referred to as the 'Kun Aguero' moment.
It was City's first triumph in the Premier League era. Aguero went on to win four more titles with the Cityzens.
The three-time Golden Boot winner holds the record for most hat-tricks (12) in the Premier League. He scored at least 12 league goals in each of his ten seasons in the competition, except an injury-riddled 2020-21 campaign. During this stretch, Aguero netted at least 20 times in five consecutive campaigns.
