Former England striker Alan Shearer feels that only Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane can score more goals than he has in the Premier League. Shearer currently holds the record with 260 goals scored between 1992 and 2006.
The Premier Leauge goalscoring record has stood for more than a decade ever since Alan Shearer hung up his boots at the end of the 2005/06 season. In a 19-year career, Shearer spent 14 seasons in the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United, winning just one league title with the Rovers under Kenny Dalglish.
Since then, a number of world class strikers have arrived on England’s shores and graced the Premier League. However, most of the foreign players have never hung around long enough to have a crack at the record.
A close look at the list shows that among the top 10 goalscorers in EPL history, nine are Englishmen. The only foreign player is Thierry Henry who spent eight seasons at Arsenal, winning the EPL Golden Boot a record four times. Shearer himself has won it only three times in his career.
Also read: Which player will finish top goalscorer in 2016?
Kane has the opportunity: Shearer
Ever since Harry Kane burst onto the scene in the Premier League in the 2014/15 season, the striker has gone from strength to strength. Kane scored 21 goals in the league and followed it up with 25 goals in 2015/16, taking home the Golden Boot at the age of 22.
“I thought Wayne Rooney would manage or would come near to making it,” Shearer told FourFourTwo. “But he seems to be moving further away, and now plays a more retracted role at Manchester United.”
Rooney started his senior career at Everton when he was still a teenager before making a big-money move to Manchester United. While he did play as a forward under Sir Alex Ferguson, he soon took on a withdrawn role after the arrival of Robin van Persie and Rooney has never rediscovered his golden touch in front of goal since.
“Harry Kane has made a stunning start to his career in the Premier League,” Shearer continued. “If he avoids injury and continues his career here rather than trying his luck abroad, he will have the opportunity.
“Sergio Agüero also plays for a strong and very aggressive team. But I think that the same question can be applied to him. Will he stay for the rest of his career in the Premier League?”
Aguero is 28 and he is currently on 112 goals in the league. Unless he finishes his career at Manchester City, overhauling Shearer’s mark of 260 goals seems far fetched. Rooney (31) and Jermain Defoe (34) are the only active players who have scored at least 150 goals in the league.
| Rank | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alan Shearer | 260 |
| 2 | Wayne Rooney* | 194 |
| 3 | Andy Cole | 187 |
| 4 | Frank Lampard | 177 |
| 5 | Thierry Henry | 175 |
| 6 | Robbie Fowler | 163 |
| 7 | Jermain Defoe* | 151 |
| 8 | Michael Owen | 150 |
| 9 | Les Ferdinand | 149 |
| 10 | Teddy Sheringham | 146 |
*Active players. Stats updated as of 21 December 2016
