The top tier in English football today is the Premier League, replacing the Football League First Division for the 1992–93 inaugural campaign. Since the 1888–89 season, the first year of top flight football, three players have scored over 300 goals, with a further 25 players scoring over 200. In total, 256 players have scored 100 goals or more in the English top flight.
110 individual players have been named a season's top scorer. Players from Tottenham Hotspur have been top scorer more than any other club, appearing thirteen times on this list. Jimmy Greaves, the all-time leading goalscorer in English top flight history, earned the accolade four times whilst at Tottenham. Nineteen nationalities are represented, and although the vast majority of top scorers have historically been English, there were fifteen times where the top scorer in the First Division was Scottish. Since the start of the Premier League era, the player (or players) that scores the most goals in a season is awarded the Golden Boot. In the Premier League era, Thierry Henry of Arsenal and Mohamed Salah of Liverpool have both won the Golden Boot on a record four occasions. Despite being the Premier League's third-highest goalscorer, Wayne Rooney does not appear on this list at all, having never finished an individual season as the top scorer.
Once a rarity, a more widespread assortment of nationalities has achieved this success in recent years; in the 2018–19 season, the Golden Boot was shared between three players from different African countries, and in the 2021–22 season, South Korean Son Heung-min finished level with Egypt's Mohamed Salah, becoming the first Asian to be named top scorer. Sergio Agüero won the award once, scoring 26 goals in the 2014–15 season; in total, the Argentinian striker scored 184 goals between 2011 and 2021 to become the highest scoring foreign player in the top flight, a record later bettered by Salah during the 2024–25 season.
Top scorers
By season
On six occasions Jimmy Greaves was the league top scorer: twice with Chelsea and later four with Tottenham Hotspur; however, Steve Bloomer holds the record for one team, with five won with Derby County. Thierry Henry and Mohamed Salah are the record Premier League winners with four each. Gary Lineker has won the honour three times, all with different clubs, the only player to do so.
In the 1951–52 season, Chile international Jorge 'George' Robledo became the first foreign player to score the most goals in a season, topping the list with 33 goals for Newcastle United. For two consecutive years the award was won by the lowest total of goals ever, 18. Englishmen Michael Owen, Dion Dublin and Chris Sutton won in the 1997–98 season. Owen again won in the 1998–99 season, but this time he was joined by Dutchman Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Dwight Yorke, Trinidad and Tobago, the duo becoming the first foreign, league top scorers since Robledo. During this period however, two Republic of Ireland internationals, winger Andy McEvoy and striker John Aldridge, topped the scoring charts. McEvoy shared the most goals with Jimmy Greaves in the 1964–65 season while Aldridge top scored for Liverpool in the 1987–88 season. Both players, although non-British, do not appear on the top foreign goalscorers list published by the IFFHS as well as many other more reputable football websites. Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast) became the first African to win the award in 2006–07 season and later Carlos Tevez, Luis Suárez and Sergio Agüero would add to the South American winners. In 2018–19, two players from the same club both finished as top scorers for the first time: Sadio Mané (Senegal) and Mohamed Salah (Egypt) of Liverpool, finished in another three way tie, joined by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon). The 2021–22 season saw Son Heung-min become the first Asian winner; the South Korean international scored 23 goals, finishing level with Mohamed Salah.
From the start of the Premier League, a Golden Boot trophy is presented to the top goalscorer. The first player to win this trophy was Teddy Sheringham, then playing for Tottenham Hotspur. In the 1993–94 season Andy Cole scored 34 goals for Newcastle United, the highest number of goals in the Premier League era to win the award. The following season Alan Shearer equalled it while playing for Blackburn Rovers. Both these records however, were set during a 42-match season. Since the Premier League was reduced down to 20 teams, Mohamed Salah held the record previously with 32 in a 38-match season for Liverpool until Norwegian striker Erling Haaland scored his 33rd goal for Manchester City during the 2022–23 season. Haaland's next goal saw him break the record of most goals scored in a season by a foreign player, ending Robledo's 71-year-old record. Haaland finished the season with 36 goals, the highest goal amount since Ron Davies scored 37 for Southampton fifty-eight years ago. However all these totals are dwarfed by the all time record holder, Everton legend Dixie Dean, who still holds the record for the most goals in a season with 60, set in the 1927–28 season. Dean's 310 goals scored for Everton is still the record for most goals scored for one club, and also still holds the records for most hat-tricks, both overall and in a single season.
Since 2000, only three Englishmen have won the award. In the 1999–2000 season Kevin Phillips won with 30 goals for Sunderland. This was a record for most goals by a debut player, in a 38 match season, until Erling Haaland broke it in the 2022–23 season. Harry Kane won the Golden Boot in successive seasons when he scored 25 in 2015–16 and then 29 in the 2016–17 season. He won it again in the 2020–21 season with 23. The third is Jamie Vardy; the Leicester City striker scored 23 goals in the 2019–20 season.
+KeyPlayer Name of the player and number of times they were top scorer at that point (if more than one)Indicates multiple top scorers in the same seasonIndicates player also won the European Golden Shoe in the same season (since 1967–68)§Denotes the club were English champions in the same season
Season Player(s) Nationality Club(s) Goals 1888–89 John Goodall Preston North End§ 21 1889–90 Jimmy Ross Preston North End§ 22 1890–91 Jack Southworth Blackburn Rovers 26 1891–92 John Campbell Sunderland§ 32 1892–93 John Campbell Sunderland§ 31 1893–94 Jack Southworth Everton 27 1894–95 John Campbell Sunderland§ 22 1895–96 Steve Bloomer Derby County 20 John Campbell Aston Villa§ 1896–97 Steve Bloomer Derby County 22 1897–98 Fred Wheldon Aston Villa 21 1898–99 Steve Bloomer Derby County 23 1899–1900 Billy Garraty Aston Villa§ 27 1900–01 Steve Bloomer Derby County 23 1901–02 Jimmy Settle Everton 18 1902–03 Sam Raybould Liverpool 31 1903–04 Steve Bloomer Derby County 20 1904–05 Arthur Brown Sheffield United 22 1905–06 Albert Shepherd Bolton Wanderers 26 1906–07 Alex Young Everton 28 1907–08 Enoch West Nottingham Forest 27 1908–09 Bert Freeman Everton 38 1909–10 Jack Parkinson Liverpool 30 1910–11 Albert Shepherd Newcastle United 25 1911–12 Harry Hampton Aston Villa 25 George Holley Sunderland David McLean Sheffield Wednesday 1912–13 David McLean Sheffield Wednesday 30 1913–14 George Elliott Middlesbrough 32 1914–15 Bobby Parker Everton§ 35 1919–20 Fred Morris West Bromwich Albion§ 37 1920–21 Joe Smith Bolton Wanderers 38 1921–22 Andrew Wilson Middlesbrough 31 1922–23 Charlie Buchan Sunderland 30 1923–24 Wilf Chadwick Everton 28 1924–25 Frank Roberts Manchester City 31 1925–26 Ted Harper Blackburn Rovers 43 1926–27 Jimmy Trotter Sheffield Wednesday 37 1927–28 Dixie Dean Everton§ 60 1928–29 Dave Halliday Sunderland 43 1929–30 Vic Watson West Ham United 41 1930–31 Tom Waring Aston Villa 49 1931–32 Dixie Dean Everton§ 44 1932–33 Jack Bowers Derby County 35 1933–34 Jack Bowers Derby County 34 1934–35 Ted Drake Arsenal§ 42 1935–36 W. G. Richardson West Bromwich Albion 39 1936–37 Freddie Steele Stoke City 33 1937–38 Tommy Lawton Everton 34 1938–39 Tommy Lawton Everton§ 35 1946–47 Dennis Westcott Wolverhampton Wanderers 37 1947–48 Ronnie Rooke Arsenal§ 33 1948–49 Willie Moir Bolton Wanderers 25 1949–50 Dickie Davis Sunderland 25 1950–51 Stan Mortensen Blackpool 30 1951–52 George Robledo Newcastle United 33 1952–53 Charlie Wayman Preston North End 24 1953–54 Jimmy Glazzard Huddersfield Town 29 1954–55 Ronnie Allen West Bromwich Albion 27 1955–56 Nat Lofthouse Bolton Wanderers 33 1956–57 John Charles Leeds United 38 1957–58 Bobby Smith Tottenham Hotspur 36 1958–59 Jimmy Greaves Chelsea 33 1959–60 Dennis Viollet Manchester United 32 1960–61 Jimmy Greaves Chelsea 41 1961–62 Ray Crawford Ipswich Town§ 33 Derek Kevan West Bromwich Albion 1962–63 Jimmy Greaves Tottenham Hotspur 37 1963–64 Jimmy Greaves Tottenham Hotspur 35 1964–65 Jimmy Greaves Tottenham Hotspur 29 Andy McEvoy Blackburn Rovers 1965–66 Roger Hunt Liverpool§ 29 Willie Irvine Burnley 1966–67 Ron Davies Southampton 37 1967–68 George Best Manchester United 28 Ron Davies Southampton 1968–69 Jimmy Greaves Tottenham Hotspur 27 1969–70 Jeff Astle West Bromwich Albion 25 1970–71 Tony Brown West Bromwich Albion 28 1971–72 Francis Lee Manchester City 33 1972–73 Pop Robson West Ham United 28 1973–74 Mick Channon Southampton 21 1974–75 Malcolm Macdonald Newcastle United 21 1975–76 Ted MacDougall Norwich City 23 1976–77 Andy Gray Aston Villa 25 Malcolm Macdonald Arsenal 1977–78 Bob Latchford Everton 30 1978–79 Frank Worthington Bolton Wanderers 24 1979–80 Phil Boyer Southampton 23 1980–81 Steve Archibald Tottenham Hotspur 20 Peter Withe Aston Villa§ 1981–82 Kevin Keegan Southampton 26 1982–83 Luther Blissett Watford 27 1983–84 Ian Rush Liverpool§ 32 1984–85 Kerry Dixon Chelsea 24 Gary Lineker Leicester City 1985–86 Gary Lineker Everton 30 1986–87 Clive Allen Tottenham Hotspur 33 1987–88 John Aldridge Liverpool§ 26 1988–89 Alan Smith Arsenal§ 23 1989–90 Gary Lineker Tottenham Hotspur 24 1990–91 Alan Smith Arsenal§ 22 1991–92 Ian Wright 29 1992–93 Teddy Sheringham 22 1993–94 Andy Cole Newcastle United 34 1994–95 Alan Shearer Blackburn Rovers§ 34 1995–96 Alan Shearer Blackburn Rovers 31 1996–97 Alan Shearer Newcastle United 25 1997–98 Dion Dublin Coventry City 18 Michael Owen Liverpool Chris Sutton Blackburn Rovers 1998–99 Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink Leeds United 18 Michael Owen Liverpool Dwight Yorke Manchester United§ 1999–2000 Kevin Phillips Sunderland 30 2000–01 Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink Chelsea 23 2001–02 Thierry Henry Arsenal§ 24 2002–03 Ruud van Nistelrooy Manchester United§ 25 2003–04 Thierry Henry Arsenal§ 30 2004–05 Thierry Henry Arsenal 25 2005–06 Thierry Henry Arsenal 27 2006–07 Didier Drogba Chelsea 20 2007–08 Cristiano Ronaldo Manchester United§ 31 2008–09 Nicolas Anelka Chelsea 19 2009–10 Didier Drogba Chelsea§ 29 2010–11 Dimitar Berbatov Manchester United§ 20 Carlos Tevez Manchester City 2011–12 Robin van Persie Arsenal 30 2012–13 Robin van Persie Manchester United§ 26 2013–14 Luis Suárez Liverpool 31 2014–15 Sergio Agüero Manchester City 26 2015–16 Harry Kane Tottenham Hotspur 25 2016–17 Harry Kane Tottenham Hotspur 29 2017–18 Mohamed Salah Liverpool 32 2018–19 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Arsenal 22 Sadio Mané Liverpool Mohamed Salah Liverpool 2019–20 Jamie Vardy Leicester City 23 2020–21 Harry Kane Tottenham Hotspur 23 2021–22 Mohamed Salah Liverpool 23 Son Heung-min Tottenham Hotspur 2022–23 Erling Haaland Manchester City§ 362023–24 Erling Haaland Manchester City§ 272024–25 Mohamed Salah Liverpool§292025–26 Erling Haaland Manchester City 27
By number of seasons as top scorer