The race for the Golden Boot in the has always been a hotly contested one. The top flight has been home to some of the world's greatest strikers, making for an intriguing battle to be the league's top scorer. The amount of talent on show has meant that the Golden Boot award has been shared five times since the
Premier League began in 1992. The lowest-scoring Golden Boot winner in Premier League history is a tally of 18 in 1997/98 and 1998/99. An impressive 28 out of 31 seasons since the creation of the Premier League has seen the eventual top scorer notch 20 goals or more, with Manchester City's Erling Haaland leading the way with the most goals scored in a single season, scoring 36. This article examines the strikers who have reached the much sought-after 30-goal mark in their hunt for the Player Team Goals Season Erling Haaland
Manchester City 36 2022/23
Mohamed Salah Son Heung-min
Liverpool Tottenham 23 2021/22 Harry Kane Tottenham 23 2020/21 Jamie Vardy Leicester City 23 2019/20 Pierre-Emerick Aubemeyang Sadio Mane Mohamed Salah
Arsenal Liverpool 22 2018/19 Mohamed Salah Liverpool 32 2017/18 Harry Kane Tottenham 29 2016/17 Harry Kane Tottenham 25 2015/16 Sergio Aguero Manchester City 26 2014/15 Luis Suarez Liverpool 31 2013/14 Robin van Persie
Manchester United 26 2012/13 Robin van Persie Arsenal 30 2011/12 Carlos Tevez Dimitar Berbatov Manchester City Manchester United 20 2010/11 Didier Drogba
Chelsea 29 2009/10 Nicolas Anelka Chelsea 19 2008/09
Cristiano Ronaldo Manchester United 31 2007/08 Didier Drogba Chelsea 20 2006/07 Thierry Henry Arsenal 27 2005/06 Thierry Henry Arsenal 25 2004/05 Thierry Henry Arsenal 30 2003/04 Ruud van Nistelrooy Manchester United 25 2002/03 Thierry Henry Arsenal 24 2001/02 Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink Chelsea 23 2000/01 Kevin Phillips Sunderland 30 1999/00 Michael Owen Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink Dwight Yorke Liverpool Leeds United Manchester United 18 1998/99 Dion
Dublin Chris Sutton Michael Owen Coventry Blackburn Liverpool 18 1997/98 Alan Shearer Newcastle United 25 1996/97 Alan Shearer Blackburn Rovers 31 1995/96 Alan Shearer Blackburn Rovers 34 1994/95 Andy Cole* Newcastle United 34 1993/94 Teddy Sheringham* Nottingham Forest/Tottenham 22 1992/93 Andy Cole may be most remembered for his time with , but the striker was arguably more prolific for before arriving at Old Trafford. During the 1993/94 campaign, Cole scored a whopping 34 goals during what was then a 42-game season, a goal tally that was only bettered by Erling Haaland in 2022/23, when the striker scored 36 for Manchester City. Having won promotion to the newly-formed Premier League, this was Newcastle United's first season in the top flight, and with the help of Cole's goals, the Magpies finished the campaign in an impressive third place. In two Premier League seasons for the St James' Park club, Cole scored an impressive Andy Cole's Stats During 1993/94 Season Appearances 40 Goals 34 Assists 13 The Premier League's , Alan Shearer, scored goals consistently throughout his career. However, during the 1994/95 season, the striker recorded his best-ever season in front of goal for Blackburn Rovers. Shearer's goals helped upset the odds and famously beat Manchester United to the Premier League title by a single point. Surprisingly, the striker never managed to match or surpass his 1994/95 season tally during the rest of his career. , all of which came in the colours of Blackburn. After his success at Ewood Park, Shearer became Newcastle United's , as well as the top marksman in the Premier League. Alan Shearer's Stats During 1994/95 Season Appearances 42 Goals 34 Assists 13 Kevin Phillips' stellar 1999/00 campaign helped to an impressive seventh-placed finish, narrowly missing out on a European place on goal difference to sixth-placed, Aston Villa. His tally during the 1999/00 season earned him the , though, that was as good as it got for the striker. He failed to hit similar numbers again in the top flight, with the next best being 14 goals the following campaign. His form for Sunderland in the second division and later in the Premier League did earn him an
England call-up, where he went on to make eight appearances for his national side, failing to score during that time. Kevin Phillips' Stats During 1999/00 Season Appearances 36 Goals 30 Assists 1 Rightly regarded as one of the best strikers the Premier League has ever seen, Thierry Henry for Arsenal during the 2003/04 campaign. The striker's 30 goals helped win the Premier League and went the whole season unbeaten in the process. Henry surpassed the 20-goal mark on four other occasions, and he is Arsenal's all-time leading goalscorer, overtaking Ian Wright, with 228 goals for the Gunners. The following season, during the 2004/05 campaign, again produced impressive numbers, scoring 25 goals and assisting 14 in the Premier League. Thierry Henry holds the record for the most assists in a single season (20), alongside Kevin De Bruyne. Thierry Henry's Stats During 2003/04 Season Appearances 37 Goals 30 Assists 6 The 2007/08 season was Cristiano Ronaldo's most prolific in front of goal in the Premier League for The Portugal international netted an impressive 31 times and provided seven assists for his teammates. The forward's form helped Sir Alex Ferguson's side win the Premier League and Surprisingly, this was the only season that Ronaldo in the top flight, with his second-highest coming in 2008/09 and 2021/22 with 18 goals. In 236 Premier League appearances for Manchester United, Ronaldo scored 103 goals and provided 39 assists. Despite a turbulent return to Old Trafford in 2021, the forward is still remembered fondly at Old Trafford. Cristiano Ronaldo's Stats During 2007/08 Season Appearances 34 Goals 31 Assists 7 The 2011/12 season was, incredibly, the first time Robin van Persie had surpassed the 20-goal mark in the Premier League. It turned out to be the Dutchman's most prolific season in the top flight too. The striker's 43 goal contributions, including 30 goals, helped Arsenal to a third-place finish. Despite van Persie's impressive numbers in front of goal, Arsenal failed to win a trophy during the 2011/12 season, falling short in the , League Cup and the UEFA Champions League. The striker would go on to in the Premier League for the second and final time during the 2012/13 season, this time in the colours of Manchester United. Robin van Persie's Stats During 2011/12 Season Appearances 38 Goals 30 Assists 13 The 2013/14 season saw Luis Suarez win the Golden Boot for the first, and surprisingly, the only time in his career in the Premier League. ran eventual champions, Manchester City, close in what was a hard-fought campaign. Suarez's form for Brendan Rodgers' side was a large part in the club finishing just four points behind City. The Uruguayan spent just four seasons at Anfield but in two out of those four campaigns. The 2013/14 season was Suarez's best in a Liverpool shirt for both goals and assists. His second-best came a season earlier, scoring 23 times and assisting 11 in the Premier League. Luis Suarez's Stats During 2013/14 Season Appearances 33 Goals 31 Assists 17 has consistently hit high numbers in a Liverpool shirt. The
Egypt international has scored 20 goals or more seasons for Jurgen Klopp's side and is on course to do so again during the 2023/24 campaign. His 32 goals for Liverpool during his first season at Anfield is the highest tally he has recorded in the Premier League and helped his side to a top-four finish. Despite individual success in winning the Golden Boot in the top flight, Salah and Liverpool endured heartbreak in the
Champions League final , with the forward going off injured in the first half. Mohamed Salah's Stats During 2017/18 Season Appearances 36 Goals 32 Assists 11 Erling Haaland smashed in the Premier League, scoring the most goals in a single season, the first player to score 20 goals before January, the fastest player to score three hat-tricks in the top flight, and the first player to have five goal involvements in a Manchester derby. The Norway international certainly made an instant impact at and helped the side win a historic treble, becoming the first English side to win three trophies in a season since Manchester United during the 1998/99 campaign. Should Haaland remain in the Premier League for a lengthy period, given his age, and the rate he scores goals, he may be considered as a real threat to Alan Shearer's all-time record. Erling Haaland's Stats During 2022/23 Season Appearances 35 Goals 36 Assists 8