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Goals win you matches, but missed chances can lose you important points as well. The Premier League has had numerous top quality strikers plying their trade since its inception in 1992.
Strikers are definitely the most in-demand players because of their abilities to find the back of the net. The amount and type of goals they score always enthral the fans. Every team looks for that talismanic centre-forward who will bang in goals season after season and bring glory to the club.
Despite scoring so many goals for their respective clubs, the strikers do miss a fair share of chances as well. If a striker could have converted every chance they got, most of them would have got near the Messi-Ronaldo numbers.
In this article, we look at 10 players who have missed the most amount of 'Big chances' in the Premier League since its inception. 'Big Chances' are defined by Opta as:
A situation where a player should reasonably be expected to score usually in a one-on-one scenario or from very close range.
Note: All the data have been taken from the official Premier League site.
#10 Emannuel Adebayor & Jermain Defoe (53)
Adebayor and Defoe played for quite a few clubs in their long career. The former, a Togolese International, played 242 matches in the Premier League for the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham, Man City, and Crystal Palace scoring 97 goals in the process.
The England International, on the other hand, has played 493 games in the Premier League for clubs such as Charlton Athletic, West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, Portsmouth, Sunderland and is currently representing AFC Bournemouth. The former Spurs man has scored 162 goals in total.
Despite scoring all these goals for their respective clubs throughout their illustrious career, they both are level on one unwanted stat, i.e., the number of big chances missed in their Premier League career.
They both have squandered a combined total of 106 opportunities with 53 each in the top flight. However, for Defoe, who is still playing in the league this number could very well go up before the end of his career.
#9 Wayne Rooney (54)
Wayne Rooney is the record goalscorer for Manchester United and the second most goals scored in the Premier League ever behind Alan Shearer.
The former United-star burst onto the scene as a 16-year-old teenager, representing his boyhood club Everton. Since those early days, Rooney was earmarked for success by the pundits and fans alike.
As a result, Manchester United, probably the biggest club at the time, wasted no chance in snapping up the youngster and the young Rooney responded with instant success.
He was a consistent performer for United until he left in 2017 for his boyhood club Everton. During his time in the Premier League, Rooney scored a massive 208 goals in total, missing 54 big chances in the process.
#8 Daniel Sturridge (57)
The former Chelsea forward has been extremely unlucky with injuries throughout his career.
Sturridge, who currently plays for Liverpool has thus far played 203 games for the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea, Bolton and West Brom in the Premier League, scoring 75 times in the process.
A Premier League winner with Chelsea and a two time Player of the Month recipient, the England international has lost a yard of pace, which might partly be responsible for missing 57 big chances.x
#7 Theo Walcott (66)
There was a time when Theo Walcott was tipped to be the biggest English star since the days of Rooney. The Englishman was just 17-years old when he went to the World Cup in 2006. Such were his talents!
Another player to struggle with injuries, Walcott has made a total of 288 appearances for Arsenal and Everton in his 12-year career. The rapid winger has managed to chip in with 70 goals in the Premier League.
As is to be expected from a rapid winger, Walcott was never an accomplished finisher which is the reason why he has missed almost the same amount of chances (66) as he has scored (70).
#6 Harry Kane (70)
Harry Kane has been sensational for the fast few years scoring 20+ goals in every league season. There aren't any better strikers than him at this moment in Europe.
The England skipper has been pivotal in Tottenham Hotspur's success throughout these years. He has already scored 110 goals in just 157 appearances in the Premier League and will be adding to his tally in future as well.
But despite scoring all these goals, he has also missed 70 big chances, showing how good his movement is to carve out such chances.
#5 Olivier Giroud (71)
Oliver Giroud might not be one of the league's most prolific strikers, but the France International has had a decent career in England so far playing for Arsenal and now with Chelsea.
He has been quite useful as a substitute, playing the role of a super sub to perfection for the past two years. Giroud's aerial prowess has been a handy weapon for both London giants, especially when chasing a game.
During his time in England, Giroud has played a total of 196 games, scoring 76 times, both as a starter and as a sub. The Frenchman has been criticized in the past for his profilagy in front of goal, and it is not without a reason as the Frenchman has missed 71 big chances during his 6-seasons in the Premier League.
#4 Romelu Lukaku (73)
The Manchester United striker has played for three clubs in the Premier League scoring 104 goals in total in just 224 games.
In his first season at United, he scored 16 goals which was not a bad return for a striker playing his first season for a big club. His best goal scoring season was in 2016/17 campaign when he scored 25 goals for Everton.
United fans will be hoping that their big centre-forward can emulate the same performances at Old Trafford, but his knack of missing big chances is sure to frustrate the Old Trafford faithful.
The big man has already missed 73 big chances in the Premier League and with age on his side, he will surely end up higher on this list.
#3 Christian Benteke (74)
Another Belgian who has a habit of missing big chances is Crystal Palace's Christian Benteke. Though rest of the strikers in this list can get a pass for their misses, Benteke would have a hard time convincing people to let him slide.
In fact, the Belgian is the only player on this list who has missed more big chances (74) than he has scored Premier League goals (69).
The big striker has never looked quite himself since he moved from Aston Villa. During his time in the Premier League, the Belgian powerhouse has played for clubs like Aston Villa, Liverpool and Palace, racking up 189 appearances.
#2 Robin van Persie (80)
Robin van Persie will go down as one of the best foreign imports in the Premier League ever. During his time in England, Robin Van Persie played for two English giants: Arsenal and Manchester United.
His had a deadly left foot, which often found the back of the net. The Dutch forward, now at Feyenoord, was a two-time Premier League golden boot winner. In 280 games, he scored 144 goals and provided 53 assists.
Like most forwards, van Persie too had the knack of missing the odd chance which accumulated to 80 by the time he left the Premier League.
#1 Sergio Aguero (105)
Perhaps, a surprising name on the list, Sergio Aguero is Manchester City's greatest ever goalscorer. He will definitely go down as a Premier League legend and had injuries not taken a toll, he would have been higher on the goalscoring list.
He is currently ranked 10th in the all-time scoring chart with 146 goals in just 210 appearances to his name. He is just three goals shy of Les Ferdinand and four adrift of Owen which he will surpass sooner than later.
But the stat which he won't want to see is the 105 significant opportunities which he has failed to take since arriving on the British shores. That is an astonishing amount, out of which if he could have dispatched half of those chances he would have surpassed Rooney as second highest Premier League scorer.
