Legendary players Alan Shearer and Andy Cole have set a record for most goals scored in a premier league season with 34 goals each in one Premier League season, and no one has managed to break it yet. However, with Erling Haaland’s impressive performances in the 2022-23 season, it looks like he might be the one to surpass the goal-scoring feats of the two greats.
Andy Cole, Alan Shearer, Mohamed Salah, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suarez, Kevin Phillips, Thierry Henry, and Robin van Persie are a few of the most prolific goal scorers in league history who have scored the most goals in a Premier League season. With their incredible goal-scoring feats, these players have set their names in football history and are still highly regarded by soccer fans throughout the world.
It is no surprise that scoring goals in the Premier League are regarded as a huge achievement for a footballer, as it can be a major factor in a team’s success and a player’s reputation and value can be substantially enhanced by their knack for finding the net in this league. Here’s a list of players who has scored the most goals in a Premier League season from 1992 to the present.
1. Andy Cole – 34 Goals in 1993-94
Manchester United decided to sign Andy Cole, the 34-goal reigning Golden Boot winner, from Newcastle United in January 1995. The whole plan was to prevent Blackburn from winning the Premier League title in 1994-1995. The move was viewed favorably, but many were surprised that Newcastle would let go of their star player.
Cole had a key role in Newcastle’s relegation to the Premier League in 1992–93. He scored 34 goals with 13 assists in that year was the highest total in both categories. In addition, none of Cole’s 34 goals that season were penalties, and at the time of his 187 goals in the Premier League in 2008, he had only converted one of them.
Andy Cole in his career with five Premier League titles, a UEFA Champions League, two FA Cups, and a League Cup. Also, these accomplishments all occurred after the 1993-94 season when Cole was undeniably the most thrilling forward in Premier League history.
2. Alan Shearer – 34 Goals in 1994-95
Alan Shearer’s 31 goals in the 1993–1994 season were outstanding. Still, they were not enough to win him the Golden Boot in the Premier League. Andy Cole won the award for his 34 goals, which made him deserving. The following year, Shearer not only scored more goals than Cole, but he led his Blackburn Rovers to win their first league title in 80 years.
Alan Shearer had a remarkable season in 1994-95, notching 34 goals in 42 appearances. He started every league game and was only subbed out twice, a remarkable feat in light of his injury history. This was the only season of his Premier League career where he was able to play in all of the games, for which he was recognized with the only major honor of his career.
3. Mohamed Salah – 32 Goals in 2017-18
Salah broke the record of three players who had scored 31 goals in the 2017-2018 season. He is one of Europe’s most promising forwards. Salah broke the 31-goal barrier in style in his first season back in England. He scored 32 goals in just 36 games and finished the season with an impressive 44 goals in all competitions. Salah was named PFA Player of the Year. He helped Liverpool finish in the top four and reach the UEFA Champions League final. Salah’s form was nothing short of spectacular, and he set a high standard for any future players looking to match or surpass his goal-scoring feats.
Salah began his club career with a goal in a 3-3 draw against Watford, and he went on to score four more goals in the rematch at Anfield. He scored against Arsenal and Chelsea, and he also had a standout performance in Liverpool’s 4-3 win over Manchester City in January.
Salah’s three goals against Tottenham were significant, but his most important goal came on the final day of the season against Brighton. He scored 32 goals in just 38 games. Despite the heartbreak of his shoulder injury in the Champions League final against Sergio Ramos. Salah’s 2017-18 league season remains one of the best in English top-flight history. This is backed up by his seven LFC player of the month awards.
4. Alan Shearer – 31 Goals in 1993-94
Although Alan Shearer’s 31 goals in the 42-game 1993-94 season may not be as remarkable as his 31 goals in the 1995-96 season, he did set a new Premier League record of 12 away goals. This showed that he had fully recovered from a knee injury that had impacted his performance the previous season. He also established a Premier League record of scoring nine doubles during the 1993-94 season, displaying his consistent ability to cause trouble by scoring multiple goals in a single game.
5. Alan Shearer – 31 Goals in 1995-96
Alan Shearer had just finished a season in which he had scored 34 goals for the defending English champions. This was the summer of 1995. However, Ray Harford was left in charge of the team after Kenny Dalglish changed his position as football director, giving Blackburn Rovers no chance to defend their championship. Despite this, Shearer still managed to score 31 goals over 38 games, helping Blackburn finish in seventh position and qualify for the Champions League. His five hat-tricks in a single season, a Premier League record, served as a testament to his success.
He ended the season with a hat trick against Wimbledon, his final game and goal for Blackburn. Shearer was the leading scorer at Euro 1996 before signing for Newcastle United for a world record fee of £15 million. Despite scoring more Premier League goals for Newcastle, he never reached the same level of goal-scoring as he did for Blackburn.
6. Cristiano Ronaldo – 31 Goals in 2007-08
In the 2007-08 season, Cristiano Ronaldo gave a glimpse of the massive amounts of goals he would later score during his time at Real Madrid. During this season, Manchester United won the Premier League title for the second consecutive year and also claimed the Champions League trophy. The partnership between Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, and Carlos Tevez was often stunning and the latter two players were willing to do the hard work so that Ronaldo could reap the benefits. And reap the benefits he did, scoring an impressive number of goals.
Ronaldo’s 2007-08 season began with a red card in his second game, and he did not score his first goal until a match against Birmingham City in September. Despite this slow start, he had a very productive season, scoring two goals in several matches rather than relying on hat tricks. Cristiano Ronaldo’s 31st goal of the season came in the final league match against Wigan Athletic, a 2-0 victory that secured the Premier League title for Manchester United ahead of Chelsea. The same team that they would soon defeat in the final of the Champions League in Moscow on penalties.
7. Luis Suarez – 31 Goals in 2013-14
Former Liverpool player Luis Suarez made the most of his 33 Premier League appearances in the 2013-14 season, delivering an impressive performance. Suarez’s 2013-14 Premier League season will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the most exciting and dramatic in Premier League history. Despite serving a biting ban, he scored 31 goals in 33 games, making him one of the league’s most destructive forwards at the time.
His impressive goal-scoring record, combined with hat-tricks and a season-high 10 goals in a single month, made him a fan favorite and one of the season’s most memorable players. His biting incident at the 2014 World Cup, on the other hand, cast a shadow over his incredible season and career in England. Nonetheless, his 2013-14 season stands as a testament to his incredible goalscoring abilities and impact on the Premier League.
8. Kevin Phillips – 30 Goals in 1999-2000
In the 1999-2000 season, Kevin Phillips emerged as a formidable challenger to Andy Cole’s 1993-94 record for the most goals scored by a newly promoted player in the Premier League. Phillips scored 16 of his 30 goals away from home, setting a new Premier League record for the most away goals in a single season. Since the inception of the Premier League, no other player has come close to matching this feat. Phillips’ hat-trick at Derby helped him secure the Golden Boot award.
Additionally, Phillips was part of Kevin Keegan’s England squad for Euro 2000. He continued to play in the Premier League for another eight seasons with clubs such as Sunderland, Southampton, Aston Villa, Birmingham City, and Crystal Palace but never reached his goal-scoring feat of 30 goals from the 1999-2000 season. His highest goal tally after that season was 14 goals for Sunderland the following year. It wasn’t until Harry Kane won the Golden Boot as an England player in 2016 that another player surpassed Phillips’ goal-scoring total.
9. Thierry Henry – 30 Goals in 2003-04
During the 2003-04 season, Thierry Henry achieved a remarkable feat of scoring over 30 goals in the Premier League, adding to his previous five seasons where he scored 24 or more goals. This accomplishment is made even more impressive as it was the season when Arsenal won the title without a single defeat and Henry himself scored two hat-tricks within a week against Liverpool and Leeds United. The first hat trick was crucial in preserving Arsenal’s unbeaten record and the second hat trick made it almost a certainty. Henry’s skills were particularly on display at Highbury, where he scored 12 of his final 13 goals of the 2003-04 season.
10. Robin van Persie – 30 Goals in 2011-12
Robin van Persie was a brilliant footballer despite having a history of injuries. He scored 56 goals in 76 games for Arsenal and Manchester United, including a spectacular hat-trick. Thirty of these goals came in his final season with Arsenal. Notably, van Persie managed to play all 38 league games in both the 2011–12 and 2012–13 campaigns.
One of the best goal scorers in the Premier League, Robin van Persie was notorious for exploiting his weaker foot. He scored 12 goals with his right foot in the 2011–12 season, despite it being his weaker foot. In a game against Norwich in May of that same year, he scored his final goals for Arsenal. He won the Premier League championship the following season. The reason behind it was Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United, an accomplishment none of them have since repeated.
Most goals in Premier League in one season:
Rank | Player | Club | Goals scored | Premier League Season |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Andy Cole | Newcastle United | 34 | 1993-94 |
2 | Alan Shearer | Blackburn Rovers | 34 | 1994-95 |
3 | Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | 32 | 2017-18 |
4 | Alan Shearer | Blackburn Rovers | 31 | 1993-94 |
5 | Alan Shearer | Blackburn Rovers | 31 | 1995-96 |
6 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Manchester United | 31 | 2007-08 |
7 | Luis Suarez | Liverpool | 31 | 2013-14 |
8 | Kevin Phillips | Sunderland | 30 | 1999-2000 |
9 | Thierry Henry | Arsenal | 30 | 2003-04 |
10 | Robin van Persie | Arsenal | 30 | 2011-12 |
11 | Harry Kane | Tottenham Hotspur | 30 | 2017-18 |
Read also: 20 Quality Players With The Most Appearances In Premier League
Conclusion
Please share your thoughts in the comments section below. If this article helped you learn more about most goals in a season premier league. We have compiled a list of the most goals scored in a premier league season. The information was gathered from the Premier League.com official updates, for our highest score in the Premier League article. We’d like to mention that our website data is subject to change at any time, and we cannot guarantee its accuracy.