Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane are just three of the greatest ever goalscorers to grace the Premier League.Since England's top-flight was rebranded in 1992, world-class strikers from both close to home and overseas have rippled the net on a regular basis to help make the competition the entertaining spectacle we know today.However, such is the saturation of quality strikers across the division's 30-year history that the debate surrounding the greatest of them all continues to be a divisive talking point amongst fans and pundits alike.
Legendary Premier League strikers
Some will simply point to Alan Shearer as the competition's all-time record goalscorer with 260 goals, while others nominate Henry as arguably the finest Premier League player in history, period.
But no matter where you stand on the debate, it's hard to deny that it's a complicated one to answer and even more so when it's fanned out to the ten greatest Premier League strikers of all time.
Sure, Shearer and Henry suddenly become shoo-ins, which makes things easier in that respect, but trying to cut down the legendary 100-goal club from 32 members to a top ten makes for a minefield of controversy.
And that's assuming that you're skating over the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who could still feasibly be picked despite never having won a golden ticket to centurion status.
Bent's 10 greatest Premier League strikers
Nevertheless, despite any top 10 list inevitably leading to vehement disagreement and angry fan comments, Darren Bent has put his neck on the line by naming his all-time Premier League striker picks.
And as a member of the 100-goal club himself with no less than 106 strikes - more than Didier Drogba, don't you know? - it's fair to say that Bent is pretty darn qualified when it comes ranking and rating goalscorers.
So, when the 38-year-old was put on the spot to name 'the 10 best players to have graced the Premier League playing up front', it only made sense that we sat up, paid attention and took notes.
In fact, we recommend that you do the same because Bent certainly made some eye-catching selections along the way and you can check out the video, as well as his full list of picks, down below:
- Thierry Henry
- Alan Shearer
- Wayne Rooney
- Sergio Aguero
- Harry Kane
- Andy Cole
- Ian Wright
- Didier Drogba
- Michael Owen
- Jamie Vardy
Very interesting. Very, very interesting.
But what do you think?
So, there's no place for Les Ferdinand, Teddy Sheringham, Robin van Persie, Robbie Keane, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Dwight Yorke and more in what is undoubtedly a divisive cohort from Bent.
Presenter Andy Goldstein revealed that he had four selections that differed from Bent's line-up, including Robbie Fowler and Ronaldo, which he proceeded to ask the former England international about.
Perhaps slightly paradoxically, Bent admitted that Fowler might just be the greatest finisher that he's ever seen, but protested that such high praise wasn't necessarily a one-way ticket to the top ten.
Leeds United's Robbie Fowler wipes his face after Liverpool scored in
the English premier league match at Elland Road, Leeds, February 3,
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And in his defence, he launched a pretty watertight argument against Ronaldo making the top 10 based on the fact that he barely played in the number nine position during his first stint at Old Trafford.
As much as Ronaldo is one of the greatest Premier League players in history, it would be a push to place him in the top 10 strikers based on the last six months in which he's notched nine league goals in 23 games.
So, it's not as though Bent doesn't have sound logic behind his fascinating selections, but he's got another thing coming if he thinks there won't be any debate at all - and you can get it started across our various social channels.
Football - Aston Villa v Everton Barclays Premier League - Villa Park - 14/1/12
Aston Villa's Darren Bent (C) celebrates scoring the first goal for his side with Gabriel Agbonlahor (R) and Stephen Ireland
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