A list of all the past Golden Boot winners in the Premier League

A list of all the past Golden Boot winners in the Premier League

Helix Odhiambo
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:25 PM
In this article:
Didier Drogba logo
D. Drogba
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H.Kane
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H.Son
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The English Premier League is arguably the hardest football league for any talented striker to score. Many brilliant forwards who join EPL with high hopes often end up disappointed and hardly cope with its physical nature. Therefore, credit goes to the Golden Boot winners in the Premier League, who broke all barriers.

Who won the golden boot in EPL 2022?
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (R) and Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspurs pose with their Golden Boots they won in the 2021/2022 season. Photo: Julian Finney, Tottenham Hotspur FC (modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

While the English top flight has produced many iconic strikers in world football, only a few have won the top scorer award. We have compiled a list of all Golden Boot winners the Premier League has produced since its inception in the 1992/93 season. Some have won it once, while others have multiple times.

Who has won the most Premier League Golden Boots?

Legendary Arsenal striker Thiery Henry is the most respected goalscorer in the league. His skills and vision helped propel the Gunners to success during his time. Meanwhile, Harry Kane and Mohamed Salah are among the latest Golden Boot winners Premier League fans love watching today.

Golden Boots

Players

4

Thiery Henry

3

Alan Shearer, Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah

2

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Didier Drogba, Michael Owen, Robin van Persie

1

Son Heung-min, Jamie Vardy, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Sadio Mane, Sergio Aguero, Luis Suarez, Dimitar Berbatov, Carlo Tevez, Nicolas Anelka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Kevin Philips, Dwight Yorke, Chris Sutton, Dion Dublin, Andrew Cole, Teddy Sheringham

PL Golden Boot History

The EPL was founded in 1992 and has developed into one of the most entertaining leagues, followed by billions of fans worldwide. Teddy Sheringham won the inaugural award of the top-scorer in 1992/1993 after emerging as the highest scorer. Since then, 25 players have won it as of the 2021/2022 season.

How is the Golden Boot winner decided?

Most golden boot winners Premier League
A photo of the EPL Golden Boot awarded to the best scorer in a Premier League season. Photo: Neal Simpson
Source: Getty Images

The PL Golden Boot award goes to the player with the most goals at the end of a season. However, two or more players can share the prize if they tie on goals. The accolade has been shared four times since its inception. Meanwhile, in tournaments like the World Cup, when players score the same goals, assists are used to determine the winner.

First 10 Golden Boot winners in Premier League

First 10 golden boot winners in Premier League
Nottingham Forest's Teddy Sheringham received the Adidas Golden Boot Award on 17 August 1992. He is the first player to win the accolade. Photo: Ross Kinnaird
Source: Getty Images

Teddy Sheringham was the first player to win the award in the 1992/93 season. Sheringham won it as a Tottenham Hotspur player with 22 goals after joining the club from Nottingham Forest in 1992. Here is a list of the first Golden Boot winners in Premier League history:

Season

Player

Club

Goals

1992/1993

Teddy Sheringham

Tottenham Hotspur

22

1993/1994

Andrew Cole

Newcastle United

34

1994/1995

Alan Shearer

Blackburn Rovers

34

1995/1996

Alan Shearer

Blackburn Rovers

31

1996/1997

Alan Shearer

Newcastle United

25

1997/1998

Dion Dublin Chris Sutton Michael Owen

Coventry City Blackburn Rovers Liverpool

18

1998/1999

Michael Owen Dwight Yorke Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink

Liverpool Manchester United Leeds United

18

Who won the Golden Boot in EPL 2022?

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspurs shared the accolade after scoring 23 goals each in the 2021/2022 season. Son, South Korea's captain, is the first Asian player to win the prestigious award.

Player

Team

Goals

Assists

Penalties

Games

Mohamed Salah

Liverpool

23

13

5

35

Son Heung-min

Tottenham Hotspurs

23

7

0

35

Premier League Golden Boot winners 2020

Leicester City's Jamie Vardy walked away with the award in the 2019/20 season. He edged out Danny Ings of Southampton and Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who both finished with 22 goals. Meanwhile, Tottenham's Harry Kane scooped the 2020/21 accolade after bagging 23 goals in the season.

Most Golden Boot winners in Premier League - Top 10

Besides winning the Golden Boot award, EPL's most prolific goal scorers also lifted various titles with their teams. However, some, including Harry Kane and Son Heung-min are trophyless. Below is a breakdown of the league's top 10 best scorers and titles won.

10. Jamie Vardy - 1

Premier League golden boot winners 2020
Jamie Vardy of Leicester City poses with his award at the King Power Stadium on 26 July 2020 in Leicester, United Kingdom. Photo: Leicester City FC
Source: Getty Images

The English striker was one of the stars behind Leicester City's Premier League triumph in the 2015/2016 season. He was the club's best scorer of the season with 24 but missed out on the Golden Boot race to Harry Kane (25). Vardy won his only PL top-scorer award in the 2019/2020 season with 23 goals.

9. Son Heung-min - 1

Son is one of the brightest and most talented strikers globally. He proved his doubters wrong by finishing top of the scoring chart in the 2021/2022 season, sharing the spot with Mohamed Salah (23 goals).

8. Robin van Persie - 2

All golden boot winners Premier League
Robin van Persie of Arsenal poses with the Golden Boot after the Barclays PL match against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on 13 May 2012 in West Bromwich, England. Photo: Stuart MacFarlane
Source: Getty Images

Van Persie won the Golden Boot with Arsenal and Manchester United. He first won it with the Gunners after netting 30 times in the 2011/2012 season. His second came the following season after joining United, bagging 26 goals. The Dutch legend also won the EPL title with the Red Devils.

7. Michael Owen - 2

First golden boot winners in premier league
Michael Owen of Liverpool turns away and celebrates his goal against Blackburn Rovers at Anfield. He finished among the highest scorers in EPL on two occasions. Photo: Ross Kinnaird
Source: Getty Images

Owen is one of the youngest players to win the award. He won in 1997/1998 and 1998/1999, having netted 18 times, buts shared with other players on both occasions. Owen and Cristiano Ronaldo are the only two players to win the Ballon d'Or from the Premier League. He lifted the FA Cup, League Cup, and the UEFA Cup with Liverpool, among other titles.

Has Drogba won the Golden Boot?

The former Chelsea striker was known for his physical strength, speed, and ability in the air. He is among the best strikers to play in the EPL, having won two top-scorer awards.

6. Didier Drogba - 2

Has Drogba won Golden Boot?
Didier Drogba of Chelsea celebrates scoring their second goal during the EPL match against Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on 3 December 2014 in London, England. Photo: Shaun Botterill
Source: Getty Images

Drogba won the PL Golden Boot in 2007 and 2010 and guided his team to four league titles. He also won the Champions League, among other domestic trophies. The Ivorian is considered among the best African players to play in the English top flight.

5. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink - 2

Golden boot winners Premier League
Jimmy Hasslebank of Leeds United celebrates a goal against Derby County at Elland Road in Leeds, England, on 8 November 1997. Leeds United won the match 4-3. Photo: Phil Cole
Source: Getty Images

Talk of one of the most lethal strikers of his generation, Hasselbaink boasts many accolades and records, including two PL Golden Boots. He is the only player, alongside Alan Shearer and Van Persie, to lift the award at two different clubs (Leeds United and Chelsea). Jimmy also played for Charlton Athletic and Middlesbrough.

4. Alan Shearer - 3

Shearer, an inductee into the Premier League Hall of Fame, is considered the best EPL striker of his generation. He won two Golden Boots at Blackburn Rovers and one as a Newcastle United player. Shearer also lifted the 1994/95 EPL with Blackburn.

The England legend is also the all-time Premier League top scorer with 260 goals. Wayne Rooney is second with 208, while Harry Kane is closing in with 200 as of 6 February 2023.

3. Mohamed Salah - 3

Salah's golden boot
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool poses for a photo with his PL Golden Boot after their match against Brighton and Hove Albion at Anfield on 13 May 2018 in Liverpool, England. Photo: Michael Regan
Source: Getty Images

The Liverpool winger won the EPL top scorer award in 2017/2018, 2018/2019, and 2021/2022 seasons. His 32 goals in the 2017/2018 season put him among the highest scorers in a league season. Salah's Golden Boot record makes him one of the best strikers in PL history. He also won one EPL title and a Champions League with the Reds.

2. Harry Kane - 3

Despite winning three Golden Boot awards (2015-16, 2016-17, 2020-21), Kane is yet to lift a trophy with his club, Tottenham Hotspurs. He has excellent passing and playmaking skills, making him one of the best strikers of his generation. Harry Kane has broken many goal-scoring records for club and country.

1. Thiery Henry - 4

Who has won the most Premier League Golden Boots?
Arsenal's legend Thierry Henry with his Golden Boot he won in 2004. He is one of the most successful EPL strikers of all time. Photo: Mike Egerton
Source: Getty Images

The French legend is the only player to have won the PL Golden Boot four times. His career-best was in 2003 when he netted 30 times in the league during the Invincibles era. Henry won a league title with the Gunners, among other domestic titles. He was inducted into the PL Hall of Fame alongside Allan Shearer in April 2021.

Golden Boot winners Premier League 2023

Golden boot winners Premier League 2023
Erling Haaland of Man City celebrates after scoring the team's second goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Etihad Stadium on 22 January 2023 in Manchester, England. Photo: Tom Flathers
Source: Getty Images

The battle for the 2022/23 EPL top scorer award is going on, with Manchester City's Erling Haaland leading in the race. The Norwegian has 25 goals in 19 games as of 6 February 2023. He has scored in 14 out of the 19 matches. Harry Kane is following closely with 16 goals in 21 games, while Brentford's Ivan Toney has 13 in 18 appearances.

Many football fanatics expect Haaland to break the Premier League record for most goals in a season (34) by Andy Cole and Alan Shearer. The City striker only needs to score ten goals in the 18 matches to eclipse the mark.

As observed, the list of Golden Boot winners in the Premier League history consists of purely strikers and forwards. It is not surprising because their prime duty is scoring goals for their teams. However, Shearer's record of 34 goals in a season remains the ultimate target for many strikers of the current generation.

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Authors
Helix Odhiambo photo
Helix Odhiambo
Helix Odhiambo is an award-winning Kenyan journalist and content creator with over 6 years of experience. In 2016, he won the Goal Blaze Correspondent Award for young writers.