Ranking the 5 highest Premier League goalscorers at the age of 23

The Premier League is the richest football league in the world, and arguably the most competitive one too. Premier League teams of late have also been doing well in Europe, which adds to the allure of the competition.

Over the years, many top players, especially goalscorers, have plied their trade in the English top flight. The competition has had several prolific goalscorers like Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry, Wayne Rooney and Sergio Aguero, to name a few.

However, many young goalscorers have also made their mark in the competition. Some of them are still active in the Premier League at the moment as well. On that note, here's a look at the top five goalscorers in the competition at the age of 23:

#5 Cristiano Ronaldo (three-time Premier League winner) - 54 goals

Cristiano Ronaldo has been a prolific goalscorer in the Premier League.

Cristiano Ronaldo is widely regarded as one of the best players to have graced the game.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner first made his name at Manchester United in the 2000s. He scored 84 Premier League goals in six seasons, including 31 in the 2007-08 campaign, winning the competition three times (2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09).

Back in the English top flight with United this summer after more than a decade, Ronaldo has hit the ground running, scoring seven goals in 13 games.

The 36-year-old is now only nine strikes away from joining the Premier League's 100-goal club. It's a landmark he's expected to achieve later this season.

#4 Romelu Lukaku - 60 goals

Romelu Lukaku in action for Chelsea in the Premier League.

Romelu Lukaku is one of the most prolific active goalscorers in the Premier League at the moment.

The Belgian hitman, now at Chelsea, has scored 116 goals in the competition for four different clubs. Having returned to Stamford Bridge this summer, he has scored thrice in 11 games for the erstwhile Premier League leaders.

Earlier this season, the 28-year-old scored a brace as Chelsea became only the second team to rack up 600 Premier League wins.

The 2021-22 Serie A winner has had a few quiet games after a bright start to his campaign. Lukau will hope to catch fire soon as Chelsea look to bring their stuttering Premier League campaign back on track. The Blues trail leaders Manchester City by five points, albeit with a game in hand.

#3 Wayne Rooney (five-time Premier League winner) - 71 goals

Wayne Rooney is a bonafide Premier League and Manchester United legend. He first burst onto the scene in the early 2000s, scoring a wonder goal against Arsenal.

Rooney, who is Manchester United's all-time top-scorer, is one of only two players to score over 200 goals in the Premier League with 208 strikes to his name. The five-time winner also held the record for most goals in the competition for a single club (183) before he was overtaken by Sergio Aguero (184).

Rooney registered 11 consecutive seasons of at least ten league goals - all with Manchester United. In his last campaign in the competition in 2017-18, the 36-year-old scored ten league goals for Everton before retiring.

For all his scoring exploits, Rooney never won the Premier League Golden Boot award, though.

#2 Michael Owen - 91 goals

Michael Owen is a Premier League legend.

Michael Owen is another player who burst onto the Premier League at a very young age.

He scored almost 100 goals in the competition before turning 23. Owen eventually registered exactly 150 goals in the English top flight for four different clubs. The Liverpool legend won his only league title with Manchester United in 2012-13.

With 46 goals before his 20th birthday, Owen is the most prolific goalscoring teenager in Premier League history.

The former striker is a two-time Premier League Golden Boot winner (1997-98 and 1998-99), scoring 18 times in each campaign.

#1 Robbie Fowler - 93 goals

Robbie Fowler, much like Rooney and Owen, is another player who made a blistering start to his Premier League career at a young age.

Scoring almost 100 goals before turning 23, Fowler scored 165 times overall in the Premier League for three different clubs. The Liverpool legend held the record for the quickest Premier League hat-trick before it was broken by a current Reds player, Sadio Mane (then at Southampton).

For all his prolific goalscoring exploits, though, Fowler retired without winning the Premier League.

About the author

Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 20 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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Edited by Anantaajith Raghuraman