An annual competition called the Premier League Golden Boot is one of the most awaited awards of football players.
Premier League golden boot winners are typically chosen from the leading goal scorers, which grants the awardee £1,000 for every score they make throughout the season, and could donate to any charity they prefer.
And with the Golden Boot competition just around the corner, it’s interesting to know how many people have achieved the prestigious award in the history of the Premier League.
Footsteps of the previous English winners
In 1992/93, Teddy Sheringham from Tottenham Hotspur made 22 goals within 41 games, equivalent to 0.54 goals per game. While in 1993/94, Newcastle United’s Andy Cole succeeded with 34 goals in 40 games, giving him a 0.85 GPG.
They were soon followed with the set record of Alan Shearer from Blackburn Rovers in 1994/95 with 34 goals throughout 42 games (0.81 GPG). Alan made a comeback in 1995/96, where he scored 31 goals in 39 games (0.89 GPG) before he secured 25 goals within 31 games back in 1996/97 (0.81 GPG).
In 1997/98, three players reigned in the Golden Boot competition. They were Chris Sutton from Blackburn Rovers, where he scored 18 goals in 35 games (0.51 GPG); Coventry City’s Dion Dublin and Liverpool’s Michael Owen, who both scored 18 in their 36 games, giving them a GPG of 0.50.
And it seems like Owen’s triple luck hasn’t yet vanished since he also reigned the Golden Boot competition alongside Dwight Yorke from Trinidad & Tobago and Leeds United’s Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink back in 1998/99. Owen received a 0.60 GPG, thanks to his 18 goals for his 30 games, while Yorke made the same goals but with 33 games (0.55 GPG) and left Hasselbaink the 0.50 GPG when he garnered a score of 18 in his 36 games.
In 1999/20, Kevin Phillips from Sunderland had 30 goals in 36 games, which gave him a 0.83 GPG. Instead of representing Leeds United, Hasselbaink took the name of Chelsea as he became the Golden Boot winner in 2000/01 with 23 goals throughout the 35 games (0.66 GPG).
In 2001/02, Thierry Henry from Arsenal rose to the top and set 24 goals in 33 games (0.73 GPG), while Ruud van Nistelrooy from Manchester United made 25 goals when he played 34 games (0.74 GPG) in 2002/03.
In the history of Golden Boot, Thierry Henry set a record for reigning for three consecutive years as the winner, where he set 30 goals in 37 games (0.81 GPG) back in 2003/04. Then played 32 games and had a total of 27 (0.78 GPG) goals in 2004/05 and made 27 goals within 32 games (0.84 GPG) back in 2005/06.
Chelsea’s Didier Drogba made 20 goals in 36 games (0.56 GPG) during his reign in 2006/07. Eventually, in 2007/08, Christiano Ronaldo from Manchester United have gained 31 goals in his 34 games (0.91 GPG). On the other hand, Nicolas Anelka from Chelsea also scored 19 goals in 36 games (0.53 GPG) in 2008/09.
Meanwhile, Drogba acquired the award again in 2009/10 after scoring 29 goals within 32 games (0.91 GPG). He was followed by the new winners, Carlos Tevez from Manchester City and Dimitar Berbatov from Manchester United in 2010/11. Tevez scored 20 goals in 31 games (0.65 GPG), while Dimitar made 20 goals in 32 games (0.63 GPG).
When Robin van Persie acquired the Golden Boot award in 2011/12, he represented the Arsenal team, where his 30 goals in 38 games (0.79 GPG) gave him his desired prize. But when he took over the next year in 2012/13, Robin represented Manchester United in a series of 26 goals within 38 games (0.68 GPG).
Liverpool’s Luis Suarez then made his name back in 2013/14 after setting 31 goals in 33 games (0.94 GPG). Then in 2014/15, Sergio Aguero from Manchester City made 26 goals from his 33 goals (0.79 GPG).
In 2015/16, Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane stayed on the throne for two years. However, this year, he scored 25 goals in 28 games (0.65 GPG). Yet, when he rose in 2016/17, he made an impressive record of 29 goals from 30 games (0.97 GPG)—the highest so far in Golden Boot history!
Mo Salah from Liverpool showcased his football skills after successfully achieving the Golden Boot award in 2017/18 in gathering 32 goals in 36 games (0.89 GPG). In 2018/19, the triple luck made its appearance again after Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubamayeng, Liverpool’s Sadio Mane, and Mo Salah shared the award. According to the records, Aubamayeng and Mane tied at 22 goals in 36 games (0.61 GPG), while Salah scored 22 in 38 games (0.58 GPG).
And the recent winner was Jamie Vardy from Leicester City in 2019/20 after he successfully made 23 goals in 35 games, giving him a 0.65 GPG.
To conclude, the data have shown that there were 24 English Golden Boot winners in total as detailed by history.
