5 highest-scoring foreign players in Premier League history

Who is the foreign player with the highest number of goals in Premier League history?
Who is the foreign player with the highest number of goals in Premier League history?

#3 Robin van Persie (144 goals)

Arsenal v Wigan Athletic - Premier League
Arsenal v Wigan Athletic - Premier League

The Premier League was blessed to witness the Flying Dutchman play in England. Arguably one of the best strikers of his generation, Robin van Persie started his career in the Eredivisie with Feyenoord.

He joined the Premier League in 2004 when he signed for Arsenal. The then Gunners manager Arsene Wenger wanted to use Van Persie as a striker rather than a winger in the same fashion as he did with Thierry Henry. The French manager was successful in doing that as the Dutch striker proved to be quite lethal in front of goal.

In his 194 appearances for the north London club, Van Persie scored 96 goals in the Premier League. His ambition to win the league title encouraged him to join Manchester United in the summer of 2012. The Red Devils won the title that very season, giving the former Feyenoord forward his first league trophy.

Post Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement as United manager, Van Persie struggled to be amongst goals under David Moyes and Louis van Gaal. He then decided to join Fenerbache in 2015 and then spent a season back at Feyenoord in 2018 before hanging up his boots. In his 280 appearances in the Premier League, Van Persie scored 144 goals.


#2 Thierry Henry (175 goals)

Thierry Henry for Arsenal
Thierry Henry for Arsenal

Another Arsenal striker on this list is club legend Thierry Henry. The Frenchman is arguably one of the best strikers ever to play in the history of the Premier League.

Graduating from the AS Monaco academy, Henry started his career playing as a winger. Courtesy of his solid performances with the French club, he joined Juventus in the winter of 1999. The move did not work out as he struggled against the defensive approach adopted by the Serie A teams.

This led Henry to sign for Arsenal in the summer of 1999, reuniting with his former manager Arsene Wenger. What happened thereafter is instilled in the memory of the Gunners' faithful forever. Henry was a delight to watch with his amazing knack for scoring goals.

With Henry, it was more than just goals as well. Thanks to his superb dribbling skills, nimble footwork and fine finishing abilities, the Frenchman scored and created goals at will. The Arsenal superstar won the Premier League title and the FA Cup twice with the Gunners.

Henry surprisingly signed for Barcelona in the summer of 2007 and played for the Catalan club for three seasons. He later returned to Arsenal on loan in the 2011-12 season but the spell was for a very short duration. In his 258 Premier League appearances, the prolific striker netted 175 goals.


#1 Sergio Aguero (184 goals)

Brighton & Hove Albion v Manchester City - Premier League
Brighton & Hove Albion v Manchester City - Premier League

Born in Argentina, Sergio Aguero started his career with Independiente in his native country. After joining Atletico Madrid in 2006, the Argentine developed into one of the finest strikers in La Liga. He went on to score 75 goals in his 175 appearances in Spain's top division.

Aguero signed for Manchester City in the summer of 2011 to play under manager Roberto Mancini. The right-footed striker had a stunning time with City winning the Premier League five times, including a last minute winner to clinch the title in the 2011-12 season.

With Aguero leading the line, City fans had a delightful time watching their club. The former Atletico striker is Manchester City's all-time top goalscorer and the fourth-highest goalscorer in the history of the Premier League. He has scored a total of 184 goals in his 275 league appearances, making him the highest foreign goalscorer in the competition.

Quick Links