Top 5 players who scored the most Premier League goals in a calendar year

#1 Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)

Harry Kane broke Shearer's record in the final game of 2017

Year: 2017

Goals: 39

Games: 36

Many expected Harry Kane to be a one-season wonder when he scored 21 league goals in the 2014/15 season aged just 21. But Kane has silenced his critics every year, only extending his tally every season so far (25 goals in 2015/16 and 29 goals in 2016/17).

Prior to the final game of 2017, Kane was level with Shearer on 36 goals and all eyes were on Wembley to see if he could be the player to finally break the record that had eluded so many Premier League legends before him.

A hat-trick against Southampton was the perfect script as Kane not only went past Shearer but also put the record out of reach for the foreseeable future - unless he breaks it himself.

Harry Kane: Ends 2017 having scored 56 competitive goals for club and country, more than any other player in Europe's top 5 leagues pic.twitter.com/XjWX0gBnwR

— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) December 26, 2017

Kane also became the first player to score back-to-back hat-tricks twice. He had put three past Burnley as well before the Saints game. In fact, it was his eighth hat-trick of 2017 (sixth in the league) - more than other top goalscorers Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Robert Lewandowski, Sergio Aguero, and Edinson Cavani combined!