Ranking the top 10 forwards in Premier League history after Mo Salah confirms Liverpool exit
The age-old debate over the greatest forward in Premier League history has returned to our timeline after Mohamed Salah announced his decision to leave Liverpool at the end of the season.
First and foremost, Salah deserves his flowers.
Since joining from Roma in 2017, the Egyptian King has 189 goals and 92 assists in 310 Premier League appearances for Liverpool, the most goals and assists combined any player has for a single club in Premier League history.
There is no doubting his impact when it mattered most. He played a crucial role in both of Liverpool's title wins, notching 23 goals and 13 assists as they ended their 30-year wait for a Premier League, before bagging 34 goals and 23 assists across the 2024/25 campaign.
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And he loved turning up against their biggest rivals. Remarkably, Salah is currently the eighth-highest Premier League scorer at Old Trafford in the 2020's, a record that includes Manchester United players.
So, where does he rank in our list of the top 10 forwards in Premier League history?
The following list is based on rankings from the six-strong SPORTbible team, with players receiving a score of 10 points for being top of an individual ranking, all the way down to one point for a 10th place finish.
For context, the highest possible score was 60, with former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry receiving 59 points in total.
10th – Eric Cantona (3 points)
"When Eric Cantona came, he was a messiah. He transformed us. The confidence factor. There's no question about that." – Sir Alex Ferguson.
Cantona's move from Leeds United to Manchester United in November 1992, believed to be worth just ÂŁ1.2 million, is widely regarded as one of the club's most important signings.
United won the Premier League in all but one of Cantona's five full seasons with the club. The only time they didn't was in 1994/95, when he missed the final stages after being handed an eight-month ban for kung-fu kicking a member of the crowd.
Cantona never broke through the 20-goal barrier in a single campaign for United, but he was more than just goals.
9th – Luis Suarez (8 points)
"He had everything. I played with some top players, Xabi Alonso, Javier Mascherano, Fernando Torres, but Suarez was just different." – Steven Gerrard
Suarez, who joined Liverpool from Ajax in 2011 for around ÂŁ22.7 million, scored 69 goals in 110 Premier League games across a three-and-a-half year spell at Anfield.
After a largely forgettable first six months, the Uruguayan marked his final two seasons by scoring 54 goals in just 66 games, with 31 of those coming in his final season at Liverpool.
On his day, Suarez was unstoppable in a Liverpool shirt.
8th – Andy Cole and Didier Drogba (11 points)
"Andy made goalscoring look very easy when it is not. He was an instinctive finisher, one of those where he just didn't have to think, it just looked as if it came naturally to him." – Alan Shearer
One of the most underrated players in Premier League history. To date, only Alan Shearer, Harry Kane and Wayne Rooney have scored more than his 187 goals in England's top flight.
Domestically, the striker was a consistent threat for over a decade. He scored a then-Premier League record of 34 goals in a single season for Newcastle in 1994 and continued from there.
As mentioned above, he is the fourth-highest scorer in Premier League history, with 93 of the 187 goals arriving in a Manchester United shirt.
"Didier arrived at Stamford Bridge for 24 million pounds, but he is probably the best-value Chelsea player ever." – Jose Mourinho.
Across two different spells at the club, Didier Drogba scored 164 goals in 381 appearances for his beloved Chelsea, a record that ranks him fourth on the club's all-time scoring list.
The Ivorian also lifted four Premier League titles, four FA Cups and three League Cups with the Blues, as well as that famous Champions League win in 2012, when he scored the winning penalty against Bayern.
He was a handful for some of the league's finest defenders and often turned up when Chelsea needed him most.
7th – Harry Kane (30 points)
“He works up front, he’s aggressive in his all-round play and you couldn’t pick anyone better worldwide. He’s a fantastic player in a very difficult position." – Sir Geoff Hurst.
With 213 goals to his name for Tottenham before his big-money move to Bayern Munich in 2023, Harry Kane will go down as one of the greatest goalscorers in Premier League history.
Kane, who has three Premier League Golden Boots to his name, is just 47 goals away from breaking Alan Shearer's all-time goals record. Will he make a return to England before hanging up his boots? You'd think so.
6th – Sergio Aguero (36 points)
"We love him so much. He is a special person for all of us. We cannot replace him." – an emotional Pep Guardiola.
As well as being Manchester City's record goalscorer with 260 goals in 390 games, the prolific Aguero lifted five Premier League titles and scored 20 or more goals in five consecutive seasons.
He is, of course, known for scoring that iconic winner against QPR, a goal that summed up his prolific nature in front of goal.
5th – Alan Shearer (40 points)
“Alan is a player in a class of his own. He lifts the whole team and turns draws into victories. In a word: priceless.” – Kenny Dalglish
I know what you're thinking. The Premier League's record goalscorer in fifth? Maybe our age shows, but his lack of trophies let him down on this occasion.
Alan Shearer's peak, in terms of numbers, came at Blackburn Rovers, as he smashed the 30-goal barrier in three consecutive seasons. One of those campaigns resulted in his first and only Premier League title.
He would go on to score 206 goals for Newcastle United.
4th – Mohamed Salah (41 points)
"You deserve a send-off that reflects your status at LFC – the greatest. Second to none." – Andy Robertson
As noted above, Mohamed Salah has 189 goals and 92 assists in 310 Premier League appearances for Liverpool, the most goals and assists combined any player has for a single club in Premier League history.
He also played a crucial role in both of Liverpool's title wins and helped his side lift the Champions League in 2019.
3rd – Cristiano Ronaldo (42 points)
“When Ronaldo gets the ball, you can just leave him to it while he beats player after player." – Ryan Giggs
He arrived at Old Trafford as a boy and left as one of the greats. Across two different spells, the Portuguese forward scored 145 goals in 346 appearances for Manchester United.
As well as three consecutive Premier League titles, Ronaldo lifted the Champions League, an FA Cup and his first Ballon d'Or trophy during his time at Old Trafford.
2nd – Wayne Rooney (46 points)
"He is the best English player in English history and we are lucky to have him.” — Ander Herrera
Rooney burst onto the scene aged 16 at Everton, and went on to become a Premier League great.
For a generation, Rooney was the main man. He is Manchester United's all-time top goalscorer with 253 goals, the third-highest goalscorer in Premier League history with 208, and the third-highest assist provider with 103.
He could do it all.
1st – Thierry Henry (59 points)
“Thierry Henry could take the ball in the middle of the park and score a goal that no one else in the world could score.” – Arsene Wenger
Are you surprised? Henry won three Premier League titles with Arsenal, scored 174 Premier League goals, and netted 24 times in five consecutive seasons.
He was also named in the league's Team of the Season in five consecutive seasons between 2000/01 and 2005/06. He never managed to win a Champions League, but we'll let him off. The greatest.
Honourable mentions: Dennis Bergkamp (1 point), Sadio Mane (1 point) and Romelu Lukaku (1 point... feel free to tweet @TomJenkns for suggesting this one).
Topics:Â Premier League, Wayne Rooney, Thierry Henry, Mohamed Salah, Arsenal, Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea
Jack Kenmare