In the Premier League’s storied history, Alan Shearer still holds the crown as the all-time top scorer, having netted 260 goals over his EPL career. ProteanCup will take you through how Shearer’s record was built, who trails him, and which recent stars are chasing the title.
What does “top scorer” mean in the EPL context
When people ask “who was the top scorer in EPL,” they usually mean one of two things:
- All-time top scorer — the player with the most goals in Premier League history (since its inception in 1992).
- Season top scorer — the player who scored the most goals in a particular EPL season.
Here we focus mainly on the all-time record, then highlight season champions.
Alan Shearer: the EPL legend
- Alan Shearer scored 260 Premier League goals across his time playing for Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United. This is the highest total by any player in EPL history.
- His scoring consistency and longevity set a standard few have come close to. edia)
Who comes close: challengers to Shearer’s record
Here are some of the players who have netted huge Premier League goal tallies, making them Shearer’s most notable rivals:
- Harry Kane — Has scored 213 goals and is second on the all-time list.
- Wayne Rooney — With 208 goals.
- Andrew Cole — Also in the top 5 with 187 goals.
- Mohamed Salah — A modern star who has steadily risen. As of the latest season(s), Salah has over 180 Premier League goals, putting him firmly in the top echelon.
These players are extraordinary, but none has yet surpassed Shearer’s monumental total of 260.
Top scorer by season: memorable Golden Boot winners
While the all-time record is Shearer’s, many players have had phenomenal single-season goal hauls. Here are some standout seasons:
- Erling Haaland holds the record for most goals in a 38-game Premier League season with 36 goals (2022-23).
- Andy Cole and Alan Shearer both scored 34 goals in single seasons (1993-94 for Cole, 1994-95 for Shearer).
- Other prolific seasons: Thierry Henry’s 30-goal campaign, Salah’s 32, etc.
Season top scorer races are often dramatic — tight finishes, debates over assists or penalties, and sometimes multiple players sharing the Golden Boot.
Why Shearer’s record may stand for a while
Several factors make this record tough to beat:
- Longevity: Shearer played at top level for many seasons, consistently scoring in almost every campaign.
- Consistency: He had fewer injury-plagued seasons, fewer goal droughts.
- Competition & style changes: Defenses have gotten tighter, tactics have changed, players rotate more — all making high goal tallies harder over long careers.
Still, players like Kane and Salah are active, so there’s always speculation someone might close in.
Recent seasons: Who topped the scoring charts
- 2022-23: Erling Haaland won the Golden Boot with 36 goals.
- 2023-24: Haaland again was the season’s top scorer with 27 goals.
- 2024-25: Mohamed Salah finished top of the scoring charts with 29 goals.
These seasons show that while some players can dominate for one or two years, surpassing a cumulative record like Shearer’s demands both elite performance and durability.
Who was the top scorer in EPL right now?
If you meant “top scorer in the current/most recent EPL season” rather than all-time, the latest Golden Boot winner was Mohamed Salah, who scored 29 goals in the 2024-25 season.
Conclusion
The all-time top scorer in the EPL is Alan Shearer with 260 goals — a benchmark for greatness. While stars like Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah, and others are chasing his record, it remains one of the toughest to break in English football.
If you love deep dives into stats like this, ProteanCup will keep you updated on who’s closing in, who wins the next Golden Boot, and how records evolve. Want to see a full top-10 list or predictions for who might be the next to challenge Shearer? Let me know — we’ll break it down.
