List of English football first tier top scorers

Nineteen different nationalities are represented and although the vast majority of players are English, there were fifteen times where the top scorer in the First Division was Scottish.

[2] On six occasions Jimmy Greaves was the league top scorer: twice with Chelsea and later four with Tottenham Hotspur; however, Steve Bloomer[3] with five holds the record for one team.

[6] Owen again won in the 1998–99 season,[6] but this time he was joined by Dutchman Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Dwight Yorke,[6] 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.

Both players, although non-British, do not appear on the top foreign goalscorers list published by the IFFHS[7] 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[6] and later Carlos Tevez, Luis Suárez and Sergio Agüero would add to the South American winners.

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.

The first was Sheffield Wednesday's Andrew Wilson[20] whose career was interrupted by World War I but went onto make 501 appearances.

Derby County forward Steve Bloomer was the first player to score over 300 goals, his record of 314 stood for over half a century.

Bloomers' achievement was finally surpassed when Jimmy Greaves broke the record scoring 357 goals, playing for Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.

[26] In the Premier League era, Alan Shearer[5] sits top, but even with his full tally of 283 goals, he still trails.

Liverpool legend Ian Rush[5] is the 14th highest scorer in the history of top flight football, but his Premier League tally is only 48 goals, ranking him 132nd.

[5] Peter Beardsley[28] and Matt Le Tissier[29] (jointly ranked 71st), both scored 161 goals, 11 more than Michael Owen who is eleventh on the PL list.

Beardsley is in 96th position with 58 goals in the Premier League while a lack of centurions, assists Le Tissier's ranking.

[42] Matt Le Tissier scored in both the First Division and the Premier League to become Southampton's top scorer, exceeding the 134 goal record set by Welshman Ron Davies.

South American Jorge Robledo's record remains from the fifties, currently the joint third highest goalscorer.

Craig Johnston has been overtaking by Premier League Oceanic players while Lindy Delapenha also, has lost his Caribbean record.

However, South African duo Stuart Leary and Berry Nieuwenhuys records remain intact from decades ago.

When Dwight Yorke scored a hat-trick for Manchester United against Leicester City, on Sunday 17 January 1999,[47] he became the top foreign scorer.

With this treble he moved onto 84 top-flight goals, surpassing the previous record of 82, set by Chilean Jorge Robledo in 1953.

As of the end of the 2023–24 season, his 136 goals ranks him as the fifth-highest foreign goalscorer, behind Sergio Agüero 184, Thierry Henry 175, Mo Salah 157 and Robin van Persie 144.

Northern Ireland Republic of Ireland[56] Wales Europe (excluding UK/RoI) South America Africa[66] Oceania United States and Canada Caribbean South Africa Central America Asia Former Leeds United legend Johnny Giles in a 2016 interview published in the Irish Independent states "What other sport wipes out 100 years of records and standards and decides that Alan Shearer was the first player to score 100 goals for two clubs when Jimmy Greaves did it decades before?

[75] Son Heung-min in the 2022–23 season became the latest player to reach a century of goals, all scored for Tottenham Hotspur.

The goal-scoring career of Manchester United stalwart Bryan Robson is very nearly entirely erased, the same with Alan Smith, the Leicester City and Arsenal striker.

The Scottish midfielder is ahead of Paul Scholes and Steven Gerrard while Robson would be sitting alongside Dion Dublin and Sadio Mané, just outside the top 20.

[80] Former England left back Stuart Pearce is shown with 20 goals and not the 63 he scored, mostly at Nottingham Forest.

[114] Most consecutive league matches scored in: 15 Stan Mortensen, Blackpool 1950-51[115] Most clubs scored for: 8 Lee Chapman[27] (Stoke City, Sheffield Wed. Leeds Utd, Arsenal, Sunderland, Nott'm Forest, West Ham Utd, Ipswich Town) Consecutive hat-tricks: 3[116] Most hat-tricks for one team in a match: 3 Alf Spouncer, Enoch West and Bill Hooper Nott'm Forest, in their record breaking 12–0 home win over Leicester City on 21 April 1909.

[117] Most penalties scored: 56 Alan Shearer (from 67 taken for Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United, 1992–2006)[118] Most penalties scored in 1 season: 13 Francis Lee, Manchester City 1971–72[119] Hat-trick of penalties: Most own goals in one season: 5 Bobby Stuart (Middlesbrough 1934–35)[124] Fastest goal by a substitute: 6 seconds, Nicklas Bendtner for Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur, 22 December 2007)[125] Most consecutive Top Scorer awards: 3 Most top scorer awards with different clubs: 3 Gary Lineker (Leicester City 1985, Everton 1986, Tottenham Hotspur 1990) 100 goals for two different clubs: 3[126] Fastest player to reach 100 goals: Dave Halliday in 101 games for Sunderland.