We have been blessed as English football fans to watch some of the best strikers the world has ever seen play in the Premier League era. From Alan Shearer, Robbie Fowler and Andy Cole in the 90s, to Wayne Rooney, Sergio Aguero and Harry Kane in the 2010s. Here at NetBet, we’ve taken on the almost impossible task of ranking the top five strikers from the past decade of Premier League action.
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Diego Costa – Chelsea
Diego Costa was only in the Premier League for three seasons, but what a wild three seasons they were. He may not stand up against some of these others in terms of longevity, but on his day, there was nobody better. A centre-half’s worst nightmare, there are probably countless defenders who still wake up in cold sweats thinking about this brash, unrelenting force of a man.
Costa is a throwback striker – a nod to vintage Premier League football. His 52-goal highlight reel in England’s top-flight is a quite remarkable display of physicality, coupled with a deft touch that not many give the big striker credit for. His time in the league was short, but my word was it sweet.
Luis Suarez – Liverpool
Put all of the controversy aside for just a moment – this might be the most talented player never to win a Premier League title. The 2013/14 season – before he was snapped up by Barcelona – is one of the best individual campaigns English football has ever seen. In 33 league games, the Uruguayan racked up 17 assists and scored 31 goals, some of which will go down on the list of greatest ever goals.
Unfortunately for him, Liverpool missed out on the title by just two points, and he ended up moving on to Spain. In terms of sheer individual brilliance, not many match up to Suarez. His antics were certainly questionable at best, but his footballing genius has never been in doubt.
Wayne Rooney – Manchester United, Everton
The only player to feature in the all-time top five for Premier League goals and assists, Wayne Rooney had it all. With his incessant will to win on display every time he set foot on the pitch, the bulldog was the one man every player would have loved on their team. His versatility as a striker was astonishing – he could drop into midfield and spray long diagonals, creep into the 10 and link midfield to attack, run in behind to latch onto through balls. You name it, Wazza could do it to an elite level.
The only thing keeping Rooney from number one spot is that his numbers began to dwindle towards the mid-2010s. He reached the peak of his powers in the late noughties, although he still scored 27 goals in the 2011/12 season and totted up 29 goal involvements in as many games in 2013/14. Up front, in central midfield and probably even at right back – Rooney was one of the best to grace the league.
Harry Kane – Tottenham
We flipped a coin and Kane lost so he’s in second. In all seriousness, plenty will argue he’s the most talented striker we’ve seen in the last decade, and that might be true. The one thing that lets the England captain down is his lack of silverware – because ultimately, if you’re not winning anything at a top club, what’s the point?
In terms of his ability, Kane is the compete centre forward. The physical presence to hold the ball up, an immaculate first touch, wonderful passing range, and preposterous finishing with either foot. His longevity is also among the best – at 29 years old he has already netted an absurd 188 Premier League goals in 288 games, ranking him as the third highest goalscorer the competition has seen. And he’s not finished yet. Injury-depending, another four or five seasons at the highest level could see him smash Shearer’s record. But could he retire as an all-time great without ever winning a trophy?
Sergio Aguero – Manchester City
In the history of the Premier League, there’s no player you’d rather the ball fall to in the box than Sergio Aguero. He joined Manchester City around a decade ago, racking up 184 goals and five Premier League titles over the years – not to mention scoring arguably the most iconic goal in the competition’s history.
An out and out goalscorer, Aguero epitomised the term poacher. Always on the shoulder of the last man or hovering in and around the 18-yard box, the Argentine needed only a mere whiff of the goalpost paint and the ball was in the back of the net. Yes, he played in some phenomenal City teams, but he bagged 20+ goals in five consecutive campaigns – no player on this list managed that at any club.
The man oozes class, and one look at his greatest Premier League goals will remind you just what an anomaly he was. Dangerous on either foot, lethal inside the box and out, deceptively good in the air – Aguero is best described as an absolute handful. He is without doubt the best Premier League striker of the past decade.
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