The 8 Men With 30-Goal Premier League Seasons
The Premier League remains littered with world-class goalscoring talent, with some of the finest finishers in the business currently plying their trade in the English top-flight. From Harry Kane to Mohamed Salah via Cristiano Ronaldo and Romelu Lukaku, prolific frontmen lie around every corner.
Another race for a coveted Golden Boot is starting to gather pace, with cream already rising to the top as a prestigious personal prize is chased down by those that have grown accustomed to terrorizing opponents and breaching last lines of defense.
It remains to be seen what the final mark will be in order for one side to emerge victorious in that 38-game battle for supremacy, with English Premier League betting odds from Betfair that have reigning champions Manchester City at 8/11 to defend their crown hinting at a thrilling fight to the finish.
Strikers will go a long way towards determining the destiny of that much sought-after silverware, but who can make good on English Premier League tips and will they need to join an exclusive goal club in order to come out on top?
Players that have broken the 30-goal Premier League barrier
1. Andy Cole
Newcastle burst onto a Premier League stage in 1993-94 with Kevin Keegan overseeing a buccaneering brand of attacking football. Cole was the go-to man for goals early on, with a stunning debut season of 34 goals among the elite, followed by a nine-goal haul in the first 18 games of the 94-95 season, earning him a record-breaking move to Manchester United.
2. Alan Shearer
The Premier League’s all-time leading scorer, and the only man with two 30-goal seasons to his name. The England legend achieved that in back-to-back seasons between 1994 and 1996, inspiring Blackburn to title glory in the first of those before eventually heading home to Newcastle. Although he is one of the best footballers who never played for a big club, his achievements are legendary.
3. Kevin Phillips
Another top-flight debutant who enjoyed a stunning step up to the top tier, Phillips formed a devastating partnership with Niall Quinn at Sunderland and became the first Premier League player to win the European Golden Shoe. His 30-goal haul was one he never bettered in any league.
4. Thierry Henry
An Arsenal icon with three Golden Boots to his name, Henry reached the 30-goal mark in the Gunners’ fabled ‘Invincibles’ campaign of 2003-04. The World Cup-winning Frenchman remains the club’s all-time leading marksman with 228 overall and 175 in the league.
5. Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo’s transformation from tricky winger to devastating frontman was completed in 2007-08 when he hit 42 goals in all competitions. That haul was enough to land Premier League and Champions League crowns, while a year later the Portuguese was off to Real Madrid.
6. Robin van Persie
The Dutch striker claimed Golden Boots in successive seasons with two different clubs between 2011 and 2013. The second helped Manchester United to title glory, but the first saw him break the 30-goal barrier with Arsenal.
7. Luis Suarez
Suarez’s swansong at Liverpool, before he left for Barcelona, saw the Uruguayan plunder 31 goals in 2013-14 and come agonizingly close to delivering a long-awaited Premier League title to Anfield. Considering the controversial marksman has had three 30+ league goal seasons, including bagging 40 for Barca, he will truly go down as an all-time great.
Luis Suarez claims the Premier League Golden Boot, with 31 goals. pic.twitter.com/K1JbEp7yKf
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) May 11, 2014
8. Mohamed Salah
Salah topped the Premier League scoring charts in each of his first two seasons at Liverpool, and is now in the hunt for another notable hat-trick. The Egyptian’s maiden Golden Boot triumph came in a 44-goal season across all competitions, with 32 of those efforts coming in the league as an early marker was put down by a man that is now a Reds legend on Merseyside.
Whoever claims the Premier League title this year, it surely would be made easier were someone to step up and bag 30 goals.
