The 20 Best Premier League Forwards of All Time

An elite forward is the ultimate currency in football.

Every great team in history has been fortunate to have both goalscorers—those who find the net and win matches and titles—and the providers who create the opportunities making those goals possible.

The Premier League is no different. Teams that lift the trophy are almost always armed with clinical strikers, mercurial wingers and clever, creative forwards.

Here, Sports Illustrated ranks the 20 best forward players to light up England’s post-1992 top flight.

20. Sadio Mane

Whether deployed on the right, left or through the centre, Sadio Mané was always a nightmare for defenses.

Endowed with blistering pace, a deadly shot and a selflessness often overlooked, Mané finished his Premier League career with 111 goals—most of them scored during his six-year spell at Liverpool. There, he earned four PFA Team of the Year selections and played a central role in ending the Reds’ long wait for a first-ever Premier League title.

Even before his Liverpool days, Mané’s explosive talent was on full display. His hat-trick for Southampton against Aston Villa in 2015—scored in just 2 minutes and 56 seconds, the fastest in top-flight history—perfectly showcased the havoc he could wreak the moment defenders let their guard slip.

19. Ruud van Nistelrooy

Of Ruud van Nistelrooy’s 95 Premier League goals for Manchester United, only one came from outside the penalty area.

The Dutch striker had an uncanny ability to find space where none seemed to exist, timing his runs perfectly and finishing with ruthless efficiency.

It’s almost certain he would have joined the 100-goal club had a major injury not disrupted his 2004–05 season. He then left for Spain in 2006.

18. Andy Cole

Manchester United's Andy Cole. — Andy Cole celebrating what he did best: putting the ball in the back of the net. | Shaun Botterill /Allsport/Getty

Andy Cole is best remembered for his time at Manchester United—particularly his lethal partnership with Dwight Yorke—where he netted 93 Premier League goals and helped fire the Red Devils to five league titles.

Yet he was just as, sometimes even more, prolific during spells at Newcastle before joining United, and later at Blackburn Rovers, Fulham and Manchester City.

What makes his 187 top-flight goals truly remarkable, however, is that only one of them was a penalty. Cole didn’t take them.

17. Robbie Fowler

Robbie Fowler’s almost supernatural knack for finding the net earned him the nickname ‘God’ among Liverpool fans, with the English striker scoring 183 times for the Reds—120 of those in the Premier League.

A true fox in the box, Fowler later added to his top-flight tally during less successful spells at Leeds and Manchester City, but it is at Anfield where he remains most revered by far.

His form between 1994 and 1997 is the stuff of legend, racking up an astonishing 71 Premier League goals in just three seasons.

16. Gareth Bale

Gareth Bale transformed himself at Spurs. | Getty/Clive Rose

Gareth Bale began his Premier League career as a left back, but in 2009, two years after joining Tottenham, Harry Redknapp made the inspired decision to push him forward onto the wing—and the rest is history.

The Welshman’s blistering pace, direct running and devastating left foot eventually proved too much for the rest of the division. Bale quickly developed into a world-class star, finishing the 2012–13 season with 21 goals and earning a world-record transfer to Real Madrid, where he would go on to achieve true superstardom.

Is there a better example of a player whose career was completely transformed by a position switch? Full credit to Redknapp.

15. Robin van Persie

Robin van Persie’s left foot was nothing short of sublime.

If the Dutchman had space at the edge of the box—whether on the ball or striking a volley—you could bet the net would bulge.

After a few injury-plagued seasons early in his career, Van Persie went on to score freely for both Arsenal and, after a controversial move, Manchester United. At Old Trafford, he played a pivotal role in securing the Premier League title in his debut season, which also happened to be Sir Alex Ferguson’s final campaign in charge.

14. Luis Suarez

Luis Suárez celebrating. — Luis Suárez was amazing at Liverpool. | Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Luis Suárez may have spent just three and a half seasons in the Premier League, but during his final two years, it was hard to argue against him being the division’s standout performer.

The bitey Uruguayan, with his predatory instincts in front of goal, tore apart defenses (and occasionally opponents) while scoring for fun—netting 61 times across those two seasons, including a remarkable 31 in his final Premier League campaign before departing for Barcelona.

With a stronger supporting cast around him, there’s little doubt Suárez could have scored even more—and perhaps added a Premier League title to his name.

13. Gianfranco Zola

Gianfranco Zola of Chelsea — Chelsea's Gianfranco Zola brought a wide array of outrageous skills to the Premier League. | Ben Radford /Allsport/Getty

Watch the now-viral clip of Gianfranco Zola utterly turning Liverpool’s Jamie Carragher inside out in 2003, and you’ll see just how extraordinary the little Italian was.

Technically among the finest the Premier League has ever seen, the former Chelsea star was nearly impossible to dispossess thanks to his quick feet and low centre of gravity. Add in his eye for a delightful finish and his genius creativity, and you had a player capable of changing any game in an instant.

Pure magic.

12. Didier Drogba

Of anyone on this list, if you needed a goal in a big game, Didier Drogba would almost certainly be your first choice.

While not as prolific as some of his peers, the Ivorian had an unrivaled knack for rising—literally and metaphorically—to the grandest occasions. From his remarkable record in cup finals to the 104 Premier League goals that helped power Chelsea to four titles, Drogba delivered when it mattered most.

And he rarely dealt in tap-ins. Thunderous volleys, long-range rockets, towering headers—his catalogue is pure highlight-reel material.

11. Erling Haaland

The fastest player ever to reach 100 Premier League goals, Erling Haaland is a relentless scoring machine.

Records—and defenders—seem to tumble almost every time he steps onto the pitch, with the towering Norwegian netting at a scarcely believable rate since joining Manchester City in 2022.

Arguably the purest finisher the division has ever seen, if he remains in England long enough, there is every chance he will threaten Alan Shearer’s all-time scoring record.

10. Eden Hazard

Eden Hazard of Chelsea — Eden Hazard was so often the game-changer during his time at Chelsea. | LINDSEY PARNABY/AFP/Getty Images

Eden Hazard had a talent that seemed almost otherworldly. A famously lax trainer who warmed up with laces undone and a grin on his face, he became all business the moment the whistle blew.

Arguably the Premier League’s greatest dribbler, the ball seemed glued to his feet. Despite his slight frame, he combined strength, balance and poise to glide past four or five defenders before finishing with clinical precision.

At Chelsea, Hazard was often the difference-maker, leaving defenses helpless and rewriting games with his brilliance.

9. Dennis Bergkamp

Bergkamp was one of a kind. | Getty/Phil Cole

Dennis Bergkamp did things with a football that few others on this list could even dream of.

Whether controlling a ball out of the air under pressure and calmly volleying it into the top corner, threading impossible outside-of-the-foot passes between waves of defenders, or pirouetting past Newcastle’s Nikos Dabizas after sending the ball the opposite way—only to latch back onto it and slot it home—the Dutchman regularly left fans, pundits and defenders alike utterly bewildered.

Equal parts creator and finisher, Bergkamp is without question one of the most gifted players the English game has ever seen.

8. Sergio Aguero

Sergio Agüero delivered without doubt the greatest moment in Premier League history with his last-gasp title-winning goal against Queens Park Rangers in 2012.

That strike was just one of 184 in the English top flight, though, with the Argentine boasting one of the finest goals-per-game ratios in the division.

Short in stature but immensely powerful, and forever alive inside the penalty area, Agüero propelled Manchester City to five Premier League titles in a decade. It was little surprise that Pep Guardiola was moved to tears when he departed in 2021.

7. Eric Cantona

Eric Cantona wasn’t just a footballer; he was a singular force of nature.

With an unapologetic swagger and a natural air of authority, he became the architect of a vibrant, offensive philosophy that redefined the English game and restored Manchester United to its throne at the top of the league.

While the club’s history is paved with world-class talent, Cantona’s influence occupied a space of its own, transcending mere statistics to touch the very culture of the sport. Even today, he is held in a state of near-mythic devotion by the United faithful.

6. Harry Kane

Harry Kane routinely scored against Arsenal — Harry Kane could have bettered Alan Shearer's record had he stayed with Spurs. | Ian Stephen / IMAGO

Alan Shearer may well have breathed a sigh of relief when Harry Kane left Tottenham Hotspur for Bayern Munich in 2023, with the England captain closing in on his all-time Premier League scoring record.

Kane struck 213 goals in just 320 league appearances for Spurs, finding the net with relentless regularity—right foot, left foot or head—often carrying a side that fell short of matching his individual brilliance. His eventual departure in pursuit of silverware felt inevitable.

The fact he has since elevated his game to even greater heights in Germany only reinforces his status as one of the finest forwards of his generation.

5. Mohamed Salah

Liverpool would not be the Premier League force they are today without Mohamed Salah.

Arriving from Roma in 2017 with a Chelsea flop label still hovering over him, he quickly proved that Stamford Bridge, not he, was the problem.

Now the Premier League’s all-time leading foreign goalscorer, with two titles, four Golden Boots and three PFA and FWA awards apiece to his name, the ‘Egyptian King’ and his dancing feet have laid rest to every defense and every player that has stood in his way over the past near-decade.

4. Alan Shearer

As mentioned more than once already, it is Alan Shearer who holds the record for the most goals in Premier League history.

The England striker found the net 260 times for Blackburn Rovers—whom he famously fired to the title in 1994–95—and Newcastle United.

Though Shearer himself might disagree, his game—built on strength, physical dominance and the ability to ferociously strike a ball—may not seamlessly translate to today’s more technical era. But in the Premier League’s formative years, it made him the ultimate goalscoring machine.

3. Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney was, of course, a prolific goalscorer—netting 208 times in the Premier League, the third-highest tally in the competition’s history—and he remains Manchester United’s all-time leading scorer with 253 in all competitions. But he was so much more than just a finisher.

A complete footballer blessed with relentless drive and natural technique, Rooney could influence a game in almost any way imaginable. He could ping long-range passes, link together United’s often star-studded attack, drop deep to dictate play or roll up his sleeves and even contribute defensively.

Despite all that—and the five Premier League titles he helped deliver—it still feels as though he doesn’t always receive the full credit his all-round brilliance deserves.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo

Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo — Cristiano Ronaldo tore the Premier League apart. | Alex Livesey/Getty Images

It took Cristiano Ronaldo around three years at Manchester United to evolve from a flashy teenager—prone to one stepover too many—into the most devastating player in world football. Then, by 2008, after a staggering campaign in which he scored 42 goals to fire United to both the Premier League title and the Champions League, he wnon the Ballon d’Or.

He departed for Real Madrid only a year later after another stellar year, but in 2021—aged 36—he returned to Old Trafford. Far from merely trading on nostalgia, Ronaldo scored 24 goals in all competitions in his only full season back, once again standing out as United’s best player by some distance.

His return not only cemented his status as a Premier League great, but also cast an unforgiving light on how far the club had drifted in the years in between his departure and return.

1. Thierry Henry

Thierry Henry was, for all intents and purposes, the near-perfect striker.

He had blistering pace—he remains the fastest player on record in the Premier League—combined with impressive strength, exquisite technique, and a lethal eye for goal. If he couldn’t outrun defenders, he could jink, jive and weave his way past them, finishing with deadly precision with either foot.

If there was a weakness, perhaps it was in the air—but that feels like nitpicking given how exceptional he was in every other aspect of his game.

At his peak in the early, mid-2000s, Henry was genuinely unstoppable. Two league titles and 130 Premier League goals in just five seasons between 2001 and 2006 are all the evidence you need.

The 20 Best Premier League Forwards of All Time—Ranked