Highlights

  • The Premier League's Golden Boot winners since 1992 have consistently hit 20 goals or more per season.
  • Erling Haaland holds the record for most goals in a single Premier League season at 36 in 2022/23, a remarkable achievement.
  • Strikers like Andy Cole and Alan Shearer have reached the coveted 30-goal mark for the Golden Boot.

The race for the Golden Boot in the Premier League 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 Golden Boot.

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

*Indicates a 42-game season

Andy Cole

34 Goals, 1993/94

Andy Cole may be most remembered for his time with Manchester United, but the striker was arguably more prolific for Newcastle United 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 43 goals in 58 appearances.

Andy Cole's Stats During 1993/94 Season

Appearances

40

Goals

34

Assists

13

Alan Shearer

34 Goals, 1994/95

Alan Shearer celebrates scoring for Blackburn.
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The Premier League's all-time leading goalscorer, 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 Blackburn 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. Shearer hit the 30-goal mark three times, all of which came in the colours of Blackburn. After his success at Ewood Park, Shearer became Newcastle United's all-time leading goalscorer, 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

30 Goals, 1999/00

Kevin Phillips hoists his arms in celebration after scoring for Sunderland.

Kevin Phillips' stellar 1999/00 campaign helped Sunderland 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 Golden Boot, 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

Thierry Henry

30 goals, 2003/04

Arsenal's Thierry Henry roars with delight after scoring against Liverpool.
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Rightly regarded as one of the best strikers the Premier League has ever seen, Thierry Henry enjoyed his highest-scoring season for Arsenal during the 2003/04 campaign. The striker's 30 goals helped Arsenal 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, Henry again produced impressive numbers, scoring 25 goals and assisting 14 in the Premier League.

Thierry Henry's Stats During 2003/04 Season

Appearances

37

Goals

30

Assists

6

Cristiano Ronaldo

31 Goals, 2007/08

Cristiano Ronaldo.

The 2007/08 season was Cristiano Ronaldo's most prolific in front of goal in the Premier League for Manchester United. 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 UEFA Champions League. Surprisingly, this was the only season that Ronaldo surpassed the 20-goal mark 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

Robin van Persie

30 Goals, 2011/12

Robin van Persie celebrates scoring Arsenal's fourth goal vs Newcaslte

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 FA Cup, League Cup and the UEFA Champions League. The striker would go on to surpass the 20-goal mark 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

Luis Suarez

31 Goals, 2013/14

luis-suarez-liverpool

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. Liverpool 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 exceeded the 20-goal mark 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

Mohamed Salah

32 Goals, 2017/18

Mohamed Salah has consistently hit high numbers in a Liverpool shirt. The Egypt international has scored 20 goals or more in four out of six 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 against Real Madrid, 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

36 Goals, 2022/23

Erling Haaland smashed several records during his debut season 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 Manchester City 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

All data taken from TransferMarkt and the Premier League.