You know, honestly, if you sit in any pub from Liverpool to London and start talking about the leading scorers in premier league history, you’re basically asking for a three-hour debate. People love to throw around names like they’re reading a grocery list. Shearer. Rooney. Kane. But when you actually look at the numbers—especially now that we’re deep into the 2025/26 season—the reality is way more chaotic than just a simple top-ten list.
We’ve all seen the graphics. Alan Shearer sits at the top with 260. It’s been the "untouchable" number for two decades. But for the first time ever, that number feels sorta vulnerable. Not because of Harry Kane—who’s currently busy scoring goals in Germany—but because of a 6-foot-4 Norwegian who seems to have been built in a lab specifically to ruin record books.
The 260 Wall: Why Shearer Still Reigns
Alan Shearer is the gold standard. Period. People forget he did a huge chunk of that scoring before the modern "super club" era really took over. He was doing it at Blackburn. He was doing it for a Newcastle side that wasn't always a top-four lock.
The stat most people ignore? Shearer actually has more top-flight goals if you count the old First Division, but in the Premier League era, he’s the king of the mountain. He survived ACL tears. He survived different managers. He basically just bullied defenders for 14 years.
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Then you've got Harry Kane. 213 goals. It’s kinda heartbreaking for Spurs fans, isn't it? He was so close. He was 47 goals away from immortality when he packed his bags for Munich. If he’d stayed three more seasons, he would’ve walked past Shearer. Now, he’s a massive "what if" in the record books.
The Erling Haaland Problem
Let's talk about the elephant in the room. Erling Haaland.
As of January 2026, Haaland is moving at a pace that doesn't even make sense. This past December, he hit his 100th Premier League goal against Fulham. He did it in 111 games. To put that in perspective, it took Shearer 124 games to hit a century.
Haaland didn't just break the record; he shattered it.
He’s currently leading the 2025/26 Golden Boot race with 20 goals. Man City creates chances like a factory, and Haaland is the finishing arm. If he stays in England until his late twenties—which is a big "if" given the constant Real Madrid rumors—he won’t just beat Shearer. He’ll make 260 look like a warm-up.
Mohamed Salah and the "Quiet" Climb
While everyone is obsessing over Haaland’s freakish stats, Mohamed Salah is basically rewriting history under our noses.
People always overlook wingers in these conversations. It’s usually all about the Number 9s. But Salah just passed Andy Cole. He’s sitting at 190 goals right now. He’s in fourth place all-time.
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Think about that.
The "Egyptian King" has more goals than Sergio Agüero. He has more than Thierry Henry. He’s currently chasing down Wayne Rooney’s 208. Honestly, by the time this season ends, or early next year, Salah could be the third-greatest scorer in the history of the league. And he does it while being one of the best playmakers in the world, too. Last season, he had 29 goals and 18 assists. That's just stupidly good.
The New Blood: Igor Thiago and the 2026 Surprise
If you’re looking at the leading scorers in premier league charts for just this season, you might see a name that wasn't there two years ago: Igor Thiago.
The Brentford man has been a revelation. 16 goals so far. He’s currently sitting in second place behind Haaland. It’s one of those classic Premier League stories—a player coming in, fitting a system perfectly, and suddenly outscoring the "Big Six" superstars.
The league is changing. It's not just the same five guys anymore.
What the Numbers Actually Tell Us
If you want to sound like you actually know your stuff the next time football comes up, stop looking at total goals and start looking at the "Strike Rate."
- Thierry Henry: 0.68 goals per game.
- Harry Kane: 0.67 goals per game.
- Sergio Agüero: 0.67 goals per game.
- Erling Haaland: 0.89 goals per game (!!!).
Haaland is essentially playing a different sport. Everyone else is fighting for the "best of the rest" title while he competes against math itself.
The Top 10 All-Time (Status: January 2026)
- Alan Shearer: 260
- Harry Kane: 213 (Inactive in PL)
- Wayne Rooney: 208
- Mohamed Salah: 190 (Active)
- Andrew Cole: 187
- Sergio Agüero: 184
- Frank Lampard: 177
- Thierry Henry: 175
- Robbie Fowler: 163
- Jermain Defoe: 162
Look at Frank Lampard. 177 goals from midfield. We will never see that again. Never. In a world of specialized roles, a midfielder getting nearly 180 goals is basically a glitch in the Matrix.
Why Records Might Be Safe for a While
Here’s the thing most "experts" won't tell you: The transfer market is the biggest enemy of the leading scorers in premier league record.
Back in the day, if you were a top striker in England, you stayed in England. Now? If you score 25 goals a season, PSG or Real Madrid come knocking with a mountain of cash. It’s why Kane left. It’s why Haaland might leave before he hits 260.
To beat Shearer, you don't just need talent. You need loyalty (or a lack of better offers) and insane luck with injuries.
Practical Takeaways for the Stat Obsessed
If you're tracking these numbers for your FPL team or just for bragging rights, keep an eye on these specific shifts over the next few months:
- The Rooney Watch: Salah needs 19 more goals to tie Wayne Rooney for 3rd place. He’s averaging about 0.6 goals a game this season. Do the math—he could hit it by early 2027 if he stays fit.
- The Haaland Century: Now that he's past 100, the next milestone is the 150 mark. He’ll likely get there faster than anyone in history.
- Vardy's Last Dance: Jamie Vardy is still hanging around the top 15 with 145 goals. Every goal he scores now is a victory for the "older" generation.
- The Son Milestone: Son Heung-min is currently tied with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink at 127 goals. One more puts him into sole possession of 16th place all-time.
The record books are basically a living document right now. Every weekend, someone moves a rung up the ladder. It’s a wild time to be watching.
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To stay ahead of the curve, you should be checking the official Premier League "Stats" hub every Monday morning. The "all-time" section is updated in real-time, which is helpful because, with guys like Haaland and Salah, the numbers I'm giving you today might be outdated by Tuesday night. Focus on the goal-per-minute ratios rather than just the totals; it gives you a much better idea of who’s actually clinical and who’s just playing every single minute.