“I’ll rank Man United icon Wayne Rooney in 5th position”- Arsenal Legend Ian Wright ranked his 10  greatest strikers in Premier League history

“I’ll rank Man United icon Wayne Rooney in 5th position”- Arsenal Legend Ian Wright ranked his 10  greatest strikers in Premier League history

Ian Wright Ranked His 10 Greatest Strikers in Premier League History

The Premier League has been fortunate enough to be home to a who’s who of superstar strikers over the years. The role of a number nine is the most high-profile on the football pitch, and as a result, those who play there create most of the headlines, command the biggest wages, and inevitably, if successful, warm themselves into the fans’ hearts the quickest.

When you think back to some prominent names throughout English football history, one name that springs to mind is Ian Wright. The now-beloved pundit may have been a late bloomer, but he became one of Arsenal’s greatest-ever players thanks to his goalscoring prowess in the 1990s.

Given that he scored 165 goals in the top flight – 113 of those coming in the Premier League era – Wright knows a thing or two about what makes a legendary frontman. Back in 2020, he named who he believed were the best to have ever held such a role in Premier League history, even excluding himself from the conversation to shower other icons with much-deserved praise.

Ian Wright’s Top 10 Premier League Strikers

1.

Alan Shearer

2.

Thierry Henry

3.

Sergio Aguero

4.

Cristiano Ronaldo

5.

Wayne Rooney

6.

Luis Suarez

7.

Ruud van Nistelrooy

8.

Harry Kane

9.

Didier Drogba

10.

Andy Cole

Kicking things off with perhaps one of the most underrated strikers of all time in Andy Cole. The former Manchester United man was a goal machine in his prime, earning a move to Old Trafford thanks to his incredible exploits for Newcastle. His partnership alongside Dwight Yorke was the stuff of legend and helped the Red Devils achieve a famous treble in 1999. He is followed by Didier Drogba, who Thierry Henry once named as the Premier League player he wished to have played with.

While Wright recognised the Ivorian’s “ratio wasn’t as good as others,” he claimed that there was “much more to his game” which prevented him from scoring more. Harry Kane slotted in at number eight, with the Englishman still a Tottenham player chasing down the all-time Premier League record at the time of Wright’s selection.

“He was like a monster,” was how the former Gunner described seventh-place Ruud van Nistelrooy. The new Leicester City manager was hampered only by the fact he didn’t stay long enough to surpass 100 Premier League goals, hitting just 95 in 149 appearances. The bottom half of the list was rounded off by Luis Suarez, who would continue to prove himself as one of the best finishers ever even after leaving Liverpool.

No one in Wright’s top 10 has won more Premier League titles than Wayne Rooney, which makes it surprising to see the Englishman down in fifth. The former Man United captain was rarely the main focal point at Old Trafford, yet he still surpassed Bobby Charlton’s goal record, finishing with 253. He was pipped to fourth by Cristiano Ronaldo. While the Portuguese is the greatest goalscorer of all time, his ranking so high is still somewhat confusing. At the time, the famous number seven had yet to make his return to English football, and he was often used as a winger during his first stint, despite the fact he scored an abundance of goals from that area.

The owner of perhaps the most famous moment in Premier League history, Sergio Aguero, takes the first step on the podium. The Argentinian was the striker Manchester City needed to take them to the next level in the early 2010s, and there were very few quite as lethal as him.

Just missing out on the top spot is the man who eclipsed Wright’s Arsenal goal record, Thierry Henry. The Frenchman was “a hybrid player,” according to Wright, who opted to go for a true number nine for his top spot. That, of course, being his good friend and all-time Premier League top goalscorer, Alan Shearer. Wright did admit, though, that he wasn’t always a fan of the iconic Magpie.

“The amount of goals he scored, and where he did it. I’ve grown to love Al, but I did used to hate him – because I was so jealous!”

All statistics courtesy of the Premier League – accurate as of 09/01/2024.