Where does Drogba rank in the Top 10 Premier League Strikers?
In the annihilation of West Brom on the first day of the season, Didier Drogba notched up his 134th goal for Chelsea, passing the scoring feats of Jimmy Greaves for the club in the process. It was also his 87th in the Premier League and at this very moment in time you would be hard picked to find a better striker in the league, if not the world (although David Villa may have something to say about that), he is unplayable. But where does he rank in terms of the Premier League and its history?
For the purists among you, who rely on cold fact, the top ten in terms of goals scored looks like this:
1. Alan Shearer 260
2. Andy (sorry, Andrew) Cole 187
3. Thierry Henry 174
4. Robbie Fowler 163
5. Les Ferdinand 149
6. Michael Owen 147
7. Teddy Sheringham 147
8. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink 127
9. Dwight Yorke 123
10. Robbie Keane 121
It is however worth pointing out that between Sheringham and Hasselbaink should sit Frank Lampard with 130 goals. He has been omitted as he isn’t a striker, but it is a frightening statistic to have scored so many goals from midfield.
It’s a good list no? There are some incredible players within that ten, but for every obvious choice, there is a glaring miss. No Eric Cantona, Dennis Bergkamp or Gianfranco Zola to name but a few, and thus, clearly it can’t all be about the sheer volume of goals scored. If that were the case then James Beattie (92) would be a better striker than Dennis Bergkamp (87), and Briane Deane and Chris Armstrong (both 71) would be superior to Eric Cantona (70) – goals alone it seems, are not enough.
You also have to factor in the amount of time players have spent in the Premier League. Does a player like Fernando Torres, who has scored relentlessly since arriving from Spain, but has only been here for just over two seasons, still have to prove he can carry on his feats for a few more years, in order to be considered? And you can apply the same question to Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Wayne Rooney and Didier Drogba: does there have to be a dynasty of season upon season in the Premiership to warrant consideration among the best? Perhaps, it is more fitting to consider the speed in which they reached their goals i.e. Van Nistelrooy would be far more prolific than either Les Ferdinand or Teddy Sheringham.
Do more emotive reasons come into play: did a striker help transform a club in the way Zola did at Chelsea, helping them from mid-table obscurities to genuine trophy contenders. Is the quality of goals a factor? A Tony Yeboah compilation is more a far more enjoyable watch than Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s greatest hits. Are there any rewards for loyalty in the Thierry Henry sense of the word, or do the goal getting mercenaries like Nicolas Anelka and Robbie Keane deserve a mention for scoring goals regardless of the location, or kit they play in?
Assists should be taken into account: football is a team game and creating goals is an important as scoring them. The top five strikers in terms of Premiership assists reads like this (it shouldn’t surprise you that Giggs tops the total list with 90):
1. Thierry Henry 67
2. Wayne Rooney 57
3. Nicolas Anelka 49
4. Didier Drogba 46
5. Dennis Bergkamp 43
Very few, including this writer, would have guessed that both Drogba and Anelka would have more assists (and counting) than Dennis Bergkamp. And with Rooney boasting 57 assists as well as 106 goals, one can only imagine what those stats will look like by the time he reaches 30, let alone retires.
Taking everything into account; everything mentioned above, as well as their role in the team compared to others (were they a standout player or one of many greats in a single team – which is better?), they’re all round performances, their influence on their teammates, the problems they cause opposing players, here then, is my list of ten. Of course everyone’s opinion is different and it is impossible to orchestrate a definitive list. Jurgen Klinsmann was a ruthless and exciting striker during his time in England, he may have scored less Prem goals than Dean Holdsworth, but hopefully we all know who the better striker is…
So Enjoy. Or Hate. Or Share. Or Dispute
1. Thierry Henry
2. Alan Shearer
3. Wayne Rooney
4. Robbie Fowler
5. Eric Cantona
6. Didier Drogba
7. Dennis Bergkamp
8. Michael Owen
9. Andy Cole
10. Gianfranco Zola
Tell me I should have included Torres, and that Bergkamp is too far down the list, by following me on twitter.
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I still firmly believe that the primary function of a centre-forward, particularly one who operates in a defined, traditional ‘number nine’ role, is to score goals. By this token, the most prolific strikers and those with the best scoring rates will rank amongst the best Premier League strikers of all time. By that token, I believe that the overall goal tally list does define the best Premier League strikers of all time. I still think that Drogba has a long way to go before he comes anywhere close to dislodging someone like Alan Shearer.
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I believe Drogba is every bit as good as Alan Shearer (now i’m hated in geordie-land). What you must consider is that most of the worlds TOP strikers move between countries fairly freely nowadays. To get an real idea of how prolific a striker is you have to look at CAREER stats, not PREMIERSHIP stats, that way you can list the best strikers in Europe not just England.
If you did that then Morientes and Klinsmann would look the dods bullox!
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I think the best way to do a side by side statistical analysis would be to just divide goals scored and goals created by games played.
i.e. 10 goals and 4 assists in 10 games is better than 20 goals and 10 assists in 30 games.
There really is no definitive way to do the list though, there’s no way to show how good the opposition is in comparison with goals recouped, how poor the team the striker plays in is etc
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Roy Hodgson not a manager for the Top Teams…He only can manage middle class team…And he also always try to sign middle class players…So…Pls kick out the old man from my lovely team REDS before he spoil the team…His idea also like STUPID Bustard…!!! SON OF THE BITCH!!! And always said he want to sign this player….that player…this player …that player only with his mouth… Until now he didnt do anything…He just want to show that he is good…Stupid blady old man..!!!
Spoiling the team!! The worst manager in liverpool history since 1892…
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Hi Chris Devany not trying to cause an argument here but at club level Alan Shearer has a better scoring record than both Klinsman and Morientes.
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Shearer played for poorer teams than the rest, Drogba has played for one of the top two teams since he’s been here.
I would have hated to play against either of them as both on form where / are unplayable.
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Roy Hodgson not a manager for the Top Teams…He only can manage middle class team…And he also always try to sign middle class players…So…Pls kick out the old man from my lovely team REDS before he spoil the team…His idea also like STUPID Bustard…!!! SON OF THE BITCH!!! And always said he want to sign this player….that player…this player …that player only with his mouth… Until now he didnt do anything…He just want to show that he is good…Stupid blady old man..!!!
Spoiling the team!! The worst manager in liverpool history since 1892…
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Alan Shearer was a class for himself! He was incredible and had no weakness.
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As a striker there either great goalscorers or scorers of great goals. Thierry Henry was both which makes the best. Also he is proven in the champions league and at international level including euro championships and world cups
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Nothing wrong with the first list, it’s the bottom line and should stand period
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