The Premier League has seen some of the greatest strikers in football history ply their trade, from Thierry Henry and Alan Shearer, to more recent greats like Wayne Rooney and Sergio Aguero. All four of them can be considered some of the best goal-scorers English football has ever seen, but perhaps no-one even comes close to matching what Erling Haaland has been producing at Manchester City.
The Norway international has taken to the top-flight like a duck to water, and even going a game without a goal is virtually a mini goal-drought by his standards. But after netting his 100th Premier League goal in the game against Fulham, the towering centre-forward stands alone as the quickest player to a century of goals in the top-flight.
And so, after Haaland’s emphatic breaking of the record, here is a list of the fastest players in Premier League history to net 100 goals in the top-flight, and it’s fair to say City’s talisman has beaten some illustrious names to the number one spot.
10
Andy Cole and Michael Owen
Games Played for 100 Premier League Goals: 185
Having both taken 185 games to net their 100 Premier League goals, Andy Cole and Michael Owen jointly take their places on this list of the fastest players to score a century of goals. The former was a genius finisher and ultimate poacher, and enjoyed some incredibly fruitful spells with Newcastle, Manchester United and later Blackburn Rovers.
Owen, on the other hand, was one of the best teenagers in football history, bursting onto the scene with Liverpool and even winning the Ballon d’Or – he remains the last Englishman to lift the biggest individual award around. It was at Liverpool where he scored the bulk of his top-flight goals, although he did add a few more at United and Stoke City.
9
Les Ferdinand
Games Played for 100 Premier League Goals: 178
After enjoying a period of great success at QPR, Les Ferdinand really showcased he can play at the highest level when he made the move to a Newcastle United side battling for Premier League titles. His best campaign in English football’s top-flight came in his debut season at St James’ Park, when he netted 25 goals in just 37 Premier League games, before adding another 16 in the following year. While his goal-scoring exploits somewhat dipped after that – he never broke into double digits in the league at Tottenham – he did play superbly well at Leicester when he scored 12 times in 29 Premier League games.
8
Robbie Fowler
Games Played for 100 Premier League Goals: 175
Robbie Fowler
A supreme finisher who seemed to just be a naturally-gifted goal-scorer, Robbie Fowler might have grown up as an Everton fan, but he more than made himself into a Liverpool hero having come through the Reds’ academy. Despite only having 26 caps to his name with England – Fowler was incredibly unfortunate to be playing at a time when the Three Lions had an abundance of options up front – the striker proved why he was one of the best in the business while at Anfield.
In two successive campaigns from 1994 to 1996, he netted over 25 goals in the Premier League alone, while he got into double digits in the league while also playing for the likes of Leeds United and Manchester City.
7
Ian Wright
Games Played for 100 Premier League Goals: 173
One of the most popular individuals in football today, there’s not many people out there who can say they begrudge Ian Wright. The former England international’s affable nature means that despite playing for the likes of Arsenal, Crystal Palace and West Ham during his career, he seems universally loved. A fantastic striker in his own right, the Gunners legend thrived off running in behind defences before showing off his innovative finishing through chips and intricate dinks. The majority of his Premier League goals came during his spell at Highbury, where he established himself as one of the league’s best, including becoming Arsenal’s top goal-scorer ever before a certain Thierry Henry came onto the scene.
6
Mohamed Salah
Games Played for 100 Premier League Goals: 162
Given his incredible success with Liverpool, it’s easy to forget that Mohamed Salah actually got his first couple of Premier League goals while he was at Chelsea, notching twice in 13 games for the Blues. But of course, it was only after his move to Anfield in the summer of 2018 from Italian side AS Roma, that Salah really burst into life in English football.
The Egyptian hit the ground running at Liverpool, and would score his 100th Premier League goal in a 3-0 win over Leeds United in September 2021. Salah has since gone on to score a bucket-load more, and it is a testament to his enduring brilliance, that you wouldn’t even put it past him to finish at the 200 Premier League goals mark before the season ends.
5
Thierry Henry
Games Played for 100 Premier League Goals: 160
Thierry Henry Arsenal
One of the greatest strikers in football history, Thierry Henry didn’t exactly enjoy the most auspicious of starts when he joined Arsenal from Juventus, enduring a bit of a barren spell as he got to grips with English football – indeed, he didn’t even register a single goal or assist in his first seven Premier League games. But once he settled into life at Highbury, there was no stopping him.
Henry would break the 50-goal barrier in just 83 games, and would then reach the coveted 100 mark in 160 appearances in the top-flight. His landmark goal came in the first of a brace that he scored against Southampton in February 2004, which was also of course the season in which the Gunners went ‘Invincible’.
4
Sergio Aguero
Games Played for 100 Premier League Goals: 147
Having already established himself as one of European football’s finest marksmen while with Atletico Madrid, Sergio Aguero showed the world just why he was considered a striking great when he joined Manchester City to play in the Premier League. The Argentine took to English football like a duck to water, netting a remarkable eight goals in just five top-flight games, while he would reach the 100-goal mark in the Premier League after just 147 games.
Aguero’s 100th goal came in a 1-1 draw against Newcastle in April 2016 as Manuel Pellegrini’s side ended up finishing fourth in the Premier League that season. Nevertheless, Aguero had made history and proven himself as one of the Premier League’s all-time greats.
3
Harry Kane
Games Played for 100 Premier League Goals: 141
Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane.
Now at Bayern Munich, many people expected Harry Kane to stay in the Premier League in order to chase Alan Shearer’s all-time record of 260 goals in English football’s top-flight. While he decided to take the step to move to the Bundesliga, Kane had already left a massive mark in England while with Tottenham.
The England captain’s remarkable rise from relative obscurity to being one of the best strikers in the world right now is testament to his hard work and dedication, especially when you consider that he scored just three times in his first 19 Premier League games. Kane however would step up in lightning-quick fashion, getting to the 100-mark in a total of just 141 matches – indeed, in going from 50 to 100, Kane would score a whopping six hat-tricks in that run.
2
Alan Shearer
Games Played for 100 Premier League Goals: 124
The man who was at the top of this list for a very long time until a certain Erling Haaland came along, Alan Shearer bagged his total of 100 Premier League goals in just 124 matches. The Newcastle legend actually got his Premier League goal-scoring underway while at Blackburn Rovers, when he netted on the opening day of the rebranded top-flight season back in the 1992/1993 season, scoring twice in a 3-3 draw against Crystal Palace.
Shearer would get to the 50-goal mark in 66 games, before scoring his next 50 in just 58 appearances – his 100th goal in the Premier League came in a 2-1 win over Tottenham back in December 1995. Now with this record gone, Shearer will be nervously looking over his shoulder at Haaland now breaking his all-time Premier League goals record of 260.
1
Erling Haaland
Games Played for 100 Premier League Goals: 111
And now the man who takes his spot as the fastest player to ever score 100 Premier League goals, Erling Haaland. The Norwegian’s achievements since joining Manchester City have been nothing short of remarkable, breaking records left, right and centre. A striker who just scores week after week with very little chance of going on a goal drought, Haaland has undeniably asserted himself as the best striker the Premier League has seen in recent seasons.
Haaland already holds the record for the fewest appearances needed to reach 50 Premier League goals, and when you think of the future, it’s difficult to imagine anyone overtaking Haaland on this list. His place at the top seems very much secure.
