Premier League strikers with best goal-to-game ratio in history: Where does Haaland rank?
The Premier League has been home to some of the most prolific forwards of all time, but who is statistically the most prolific player to have ever played in the league?
We’ve put that question to the test in this article and have ranked the 10 players with the best goal-to-game ratio in the league’s history.
In order to qualify for this list, a player has to have scored at least 100 goals to give a big enough sample size.
10. Andy Cole – 0.45 goals per game
Boasting a slightly superior record to the likes of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Romelu Lukaku, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, Cole earns the 10th spot on this list.
His record of 187 goals in 414 matches is even more impressive when you consider that only one of them came from the penalty spot.
9. Michael Owen – 0.46 goals per game
Those who only remember the backend of Owen’s career don’t appreciate just how good he was during his pomp.
During his early years at Liverpool, Owen was one of the most prolific players on planet earth and he deservedly won the Ballon d’Or in 2001 for his heroics that year.
A two-time Premier League Golden Boot winner, he’s arguably the best teenager that the league has ever seen.
8. Robin van Persie – 0.51 goals per game
The Dutch forward spent 11 seasons in the Premier League and scored 10 or more goals in seven of those campaigns.
He’s one of only 10 players to have scored 30 goals in a Premier League campaign, hitting that figure during his final season with Arsenal in 2011-12.
7. Ian Wright – 0.53 goals per game
Wright enjoyed his peak years in the early 90s and averaged an impressive 0.53 goals per game during his Premier League career.
He once held the record as Arsenal’s all-time top scorer, until a certain Frenchman broke his record in 2005, but more on him later.
6. Alan Shearer – 0.59 goals per game
Shearer holds the record as the top scorer in Premier League history with 260 goals, but in terms of his goal-to-game ratio, there are five players ahead of him.
When you consider that Shearer never played for one of the traditional ‘big six’, his record of 260 goals in 441 games becomes even more impressive.
READ: A tribute to Alan Shearer’s wondervolley v Villa, his unlikeliest Newcastle goal
5. Mohamed Salah – 0.6 goals per game
Salah is the only player on this list who isn’t a traditional striker, which is a testament to his goalscoring brilliance.
It remains to be seen whether or not he’ll stay at Liverpool beyond the January transfer window, but even if he does depart soon, his legacy in England is written in stone.
With 190 goals in 315 appearances from the wing, his record of 0.6 goals per game has only been bettered by four players.
=3. Sergio Aguero – 0.67 goals per game
The Argentine forward often struggled with injuries, but when fit, few could match his goalscoring output.
During his 10 seasons in England, he scored 20+ goals in six of them and won one Golden Boot.
He’s also Manchester City’s all-time top scorer, although he is being rapidly closed down by a certain Norwegian.
=3. Harry Kane – 0.67 goals per game
Amazingly, Kane boasts the exact same goals per game ratio as Aguero did.
That’s even more impressive when you consider that Kane started his career in England and never played for the best team in the country, like Aguero did.
Kane currently ranks second on the all-time scorers chart with 213 goals and could feasibly break Shearer’s record if he returns to England in the next year or two.
2. Thierry Henry – 0.68 goals per game
For many, Henry is the greatest player to have ever graced the Premier League.
The stats are backed up by the eye test, with many from Henry’s era citing him as the GOAT of Premier League football.
For over 15 years, he’s held the record as the most prolific player in the league’s history, but has recently been surpassed.
READ: Thierry Henry’s first Arsenal hat-trick distilled all that made him great
1. Erling Haaland – 0.9 goals per game
Who else?
Not only is Haaland top of this list, but he’s in first place by an absolute country mile. Having scored 102 goals in 113 matches, he’s currently projected to break almost every scoring record in the league’s history.
Considering he’s under contract until 2034, we can’t see him leaving City anytime soon either.
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TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every team that have stopped Erling Haaland scoring this season?