Liverpool star Mohamed Salah He has recently climbed to joint fifth place in the Premier League’s all-time scoring charts – though his position drops slightly when penalties are excluded from the tally.
If penalty kicks are removed completely, which players boast the most remarkable scoring records? You might encounter some unexpected names alongside familiar ones.
These are the Premier League’s all-time leading non-penalty scorers.
10. Robbie Fowler — 146
Given that Fowler netted 128 out of his total 163 Premier League goals for his hometown team, Liverpool, it comes as no surprise that he is revered as a deity in the red part of Merseyside. Fewer than seven players have managed to score more league goals exclusively for one club.
Out of Fowler's total of 163 Premier League goals, seventeen came from penalties. Although he missed five such attempts, these misses did not often prove to be crucial.
9. Jermain Defoe — 148
Across a remarkable 17-year span, Defoe netted an impressive 162 goals in 496 matches for West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, Portsmouth, Sunderland, and Bournemouth in the Premier League. This streak highlights his exceptional staying power.
The ex-England international didn't start as his team's preferred choice for taking penalties. In fact, he missed as many (four) as he scored in the league for Tottenham, which is just a small fraction of his overall 91 league goals for the club.
8. Les Ferdinand — 149
Sir Les ranks 12th on the Premier League’s all-time top-scorers list, following notable players such as Michael Owen and Frank Lampard.
His position improves in this ranking as none of his 149 Premier League goals were taken from the penalty spot.
In this top 10 list, Ferdinand stands out as the sole player who has not converted a Premier League penalty, with Emile Heskey being the only other member of the 100-goal club to share this characteristic.
"Now, I find myself sitting here filled with remorse," mused the ex-Newcastle United and Tottenham forward during an interview. The Athletic .
And while I'm having this discussion, I find myself thinking, 'You fool. Why didn't you take them?' Back then, I was younger and had different thoughts. However, it was quite an absurd way of reasoning.
7. Mohamed Salah — 150
Liverpool’s Egyptian King recently moved fifth, level with Sergio Aguero, in the all-time Premier League scoring charts – following his pair of coolly-dispatched spot-kicks against Southampton.
But 34 of Salah’s 184 Premier League goals have been penalties, leaving him seventh in the ranking for non-penalty goals.
Just two players—Lampard and the individual atop this list—have netted more penalties in the Premier League than Salah.
6. Thierry Henry — 152
Only 25 (14%) of the Frenchman’s 177 Premier League goals for Arsenal came from penalties.
That’s quite an impressive comeback from the player often regarded as the best in Premier League history.
READ: The top 10 players with the highest combined goals and assists in Premier League history: Salah climbing up...
5. Sergio Aguero — 157
The Argentine player converted 48 penalty kicks during his career but also failed on 14 occasions. However, none of them were as unforgettable as his final attempt, which was an ill-fated Panenka that resulted in a miss during Manchester City’s 2-1 loss to Chelsea in May 2021.
Overall, he was quite dependable when taking penalties. Aguero converted 27 out of 33 Premier League penalties, achieving an impressive conversion rate of 81%.
He was quite skilled during open play as well. No foreign player has netted more Premier League goals when both penalty kicks and non-penalty strikes are taken into account.
4. Harry Kane — 180
Since leaving the Premier League for the Bundesliga, Kane has acquired an additional skill. He has transformed into a precise marksman when taking penalties from 12 yards out, having scored all of his last 30 penalty kicks for both club and country since missing one against France at the 2022 World Cup.
The captain of England has maintained an impeccable record with all 21 penalties scored during his time at Bayern Munich.
Before perfecting that aspect of his play, Kane was consistently dependable. He converted 33 out of 37 (89%) Premier League penalty kicks taken during his time with Tottenham Hotspur.
He managed to score an impressive 180 non-penalty goals as well. That’s quite an achievement. If he decides to come back to England for another spell, he will surely aim to secure one of the top spots on this list.
3. Wayne Rooney — 185
Manchester United’s leading goalscorer of all time shares the same number of penalties scored as Thierry Henry, placing them both at tenth on the Premier League’s all-time penalty scorers list with 23 each.
Rooney netted fewer Premier League penalty kicks compared to Matt Le Tissier, Mark Noble, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, and Jamie Vardy.
2. Andy Cole — 186
"He [Cole] made scoring appear extremely simple, which it truly isn’t!" said Alan Shearer. Premier League’s official website When Andy Cole joined the tournament’s Hall of Fame.
He had an innate ability to score, someone who seemed not to overthink; it appeared almost second nature to him. Whether positioned centrally or out wide, using his left foot, right foot, or with powerful strikes, he could find the back of the net from virtually anywhere on the field. During his active years, few were better than him at converting opportunities.
When you consider the goals he scored along with the quantity, it's astonishing. This explains why he commands such high regard within the sport. Everyone recognizes him as an exceptional goal scorer.
Cole ranks fourth in the overall goalscorer list with 73 goals less than Shearer, yet he sits at number two in the non-penalty category—just 18 goals shy of the top spot in those statistics.
"He was never one for taking penalties; he never had the desire to do so," Shearer added.
I've discussed this with him, and I struggle to comprehend why. His goal-scoring record is impressive enough, but just think how significantly better it could be if he had attempted more penalty kicks.
QUIZ: Could you list the 12 teams Andy Cole represented during his football career?
1. Alan Shearer — 205 goals
The one and only.
Shearer leads in penalties within the Premier League with 55 goals — a tally that is 12 higher than any other player. This contributes significantly to his commanding position at the top of the overall, all-time scoring list, placing him 47 goals above Harry Kane, who ranks second with 260 goals.
However, he leads the competition in non-penalty goals as well, with a total of 205. This number remains 19 higher than any other player.
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TRY A QUIZ:
Could you list the top 25 penalty scorers in Premier League history?