Stats: Fastest to reach 50 Premier League goals

The premier League has been home to some of the finest marksmen to have ever played the game. From Andy Cole and Alan Shearer in the nineties to Thierry Henry and Ruud van Nistelrooy in the decade after that. The League hasn’t been short on strikers who know where the back of the net is.

Sergio Aguero is slowly emerging as one who is capable of joining the aforementioned illustrious company. Against Tottenham on Wednesday, the Argentine striker scored his 50^th Premier League goal and started the rout against Spurs. Was it enough to get him into the top five quickest players to reach 50 Premier League goals? Where does Luis Suarez rank? Do the legends make it in? Read on, to find out the five quickest players to make it to 50 Premier League goals.

5. Sergio Aguero – 81 games

Sergio Aguero

Making his way onto number five on the list, is the Argentine Sergio Aguero. Signed from Atletico Madrid for a club record fee in the summer of 2011, the Argentine has taken to life at the Etihad like a duck to water. In his debut League campaign, he scored 23 goals and the most important final goal to seal City’s first Premier League title.

Although last season was a bit of a let-down with just 12 goals, this season, the 25-year-old has gone back to his old scoring ways. With 15 goals already, Aguero has shown everyone that last year was just a blip and that form is temporary, but class is permanent.

4. Fernando Torres – 72 games

Fernando Torres

Although he is yet to find his feet at Chelsea, Fernando Torres had a phenomenal start to his Premier League career, with Liverpool. Ever since signing from Atletico Madrid in 2007, Torres set the stage on fire, with his goals. In his debut season, Torres finished joint second in the race for the Golden Boot. His 24 goals broke van Nistelrooy’s record of most goals scored by a foreigner in a debut season.

And within two and half years of his time at Liverpool, Torres had scored 50 goals and was on his way towards becoming one of the finest marksmen the League has ever seen. And that is precisely why Chelsea broke the British transfer record to sign the Spaniard. An investment the Spaniard is yet to pay back.

3. Ruud van Nistelrooy – 68 games

Ruud van Nistelrooy

The Dutchman might not have been the most complete of center forwards, but in the penalty box, he was second to none. The Prolific Dutchman, who was equally capable of scoring with either feet, was also very quick off the block and deceptively good in the air as well.

van Nistelrooy scored 23 goals in his debut season with Manchester United and got to a half century, in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately for United, he didn’t stay for too long and he left for Real Madrid before completing a century of goals. Nonetheless, he was still, arguably the best poacher, the League has ever seen, your archetypal fox-in-the-box, if there ever was one.

2. Alan Shearer – 66 games

Alan Shearer

Beating the Dutchman to second place by not much, is Alan Shearer. The English center forward, who went onto became the leading goal scorer in the history of the Premier League, was only just beaten to the top spot. In fact, the Newcastle legend, reached the 50 goal mark, when he was just 24.

The man who redefined the role of a Number nine, Shearer was not only a great goal scorer, but a consistent one as well. In fact, his career tally of almost two goals in every three games, is one that will probably never be eclipsed by a player who has scored as many goals as he has done.

1. Andy Cole – 65 games

Andy Cole

Beating Alan Shearer to top spot, not by much but by just enough, is Andy Cole. The Englishman was a revelation in the nineties and was an integral part of the all-conquering Manchester United side back then. Although the Englishman was prolific at United, it was at Newcastle United that he achieved the 50 goal mark in record time.

It was his prolific scoring at the Magpies that earned him a move to the Red Devils where he scored a 100 goals and took his all-time Premier League tally to over 150 goals. Can anybody beat Cole’s record? Only time will tell.