5 best supersubs of the 21st century in Premier League
The Premier League is the richest football league in the world and arguably, the most competitive one as well. That explains why some of the top players in the world ply their trade in the English circuit.
Many good players, especially goalscorers, have made their mark in the competition. Some of them have done so off the bench, earning the moniker 'supersub'.
On that note, here's a look at the five greatest supersubs in Premier League history since the turn of the century:
#5 Peter Crouch - 16 goals in 157 games
Peter Crouch enjoyed a successful career in the English top flight spanning nearly two decades. The striker made 468 appearances in the Premier League for seven different clubs but didn't win the competition with any of them. Over one-third of these appearances came off the bench.
He scored over 100 goals and dished out over 50 assists in the competition, with most of them coming with Stoke City. That includes 16 strikes and six assists off the bench. Only a handful of players have scored more in the competition than Crouch after not starting.
SUPER-SUB @petercrouch has 16 substitute goals for @stokecity in the #PL (level with Javier Hernandez) - only four players have more (Defoe 24, Giroud 19, Kanu 17 and Solskjaer 17) https://t.co/wH5zF5V5Ci
The 41-year-old registered a double-digit goal haul thrice in his stint in the English league. His best season in terms of goals was 2004-05 with Southampton when Crouch netted 12 times.
#4 Daniel Sturridge (2009-10 Premier League winner) - 17 goals in 98 games
Daniel Sturridge enjoyed a decent career in the English top flight. The 33-year-old made 218 appearances in the competition, including 98 off the bench.
Sturridge has 97 goal contributions (76 goals, 21 assists) in the Premier League. That includes 26 off the bench, with 17 of them being goals and the rest assists.
Most of Sturridge's goals in the competition (10) off the bench came with Liverpool. His only Premier League triumph came with Chelsea in 2009-10. In that campaign, Sturridge made 11 of his 13 appearances off the bench, scoring once.
9 - Only Daniel Sturridge (10) has scored more Premier League goals as a substitute for Liverpool than Divock Origi (nine), with today his first Premier League goal since July 2020 against Newcastle, 469 days ago. Lifeline? #WHULIV https://t.co/b1dFKfnJT1
Sturridge's most prolific campaign in the English top flight came with Liverpool in 2013-14. The Englishman scored 21 times as the Reds tantalisingly fell short of the title.
#3 Javier Hernandez (two-time Premier League winner) - 19 goals in 78 games
Javier Hernandez had a fairly successful Premier League career, especially with Manchester United. The Mexican striker bagged 53 goals and ten assists in 158 games in the competition. Nearly half of those appearances came off the bench, with Hernandez registering an impressive 19 strikes and an assist.
A two-time Premier League winner (with United), Hernandez has one of the best minutes-per-goal ratios in the competition's history. That includes a cumulative 23 strikes in United's successful 2010-11 and 2012-13 campaigns, most of them off the bench.
130 - Javier Hernandez has the 5th best minutes per goal ratio in @premierleague history (min. 20 goals). Sharpshooter. https://t.co/51fnlNNziI
During a second stint in the English top flight in the late 2010s with West Ham United, Chicarito scored 16 times in 55 games.
#2 Olivier Giroud - 21 goals in 103 games
Olivier Giroud is one of the most impactful substitutes in the history of the Premier League. The former Arsenal and Chelsea striker never won the league in his near decade-long stint in the competition.
However, he enjoyed a successful career in the English top flight, bagging 90 goals and 28 assists in 255 appearances. Over 100 of those appearances came as a substitute.
Giroud notably scored in his 100th Premier League appearance as a substitute, netting 21 times overall and also bagging three assists.
A goal in his 100th Premier League appearance as a substitute!
Olivier Giroud - Super Sub! ๐
#CHENEW https://t.co/mTHUa3MumS
The Frenchman impressively hit double-digit hauls in each of his first five Premier League campaigns with Arsenal, including 16 strikes apiece in the 2013-14 and 2015-16 season. However, at Chelsea, his impact diminished, with his most prolific campaign being an eight-goal one in 2019-20.
#1 Jermain Defoe - 24 goals in 149 games
Jermain Defoe is one of the best strikers in Premier League history never to have won the competition.
The Englishman made nearly 500 appearances in the EPL, spanning two decades, for five different clubs. Defoe enjoyed his most prolific spell in the competition with Tottenham Hotspur, for whom he netted 91 times. Overall, Defoe scored 162 times in the English top flight and also dished out 33 assists.
Defoe made nearly 150 Premier League appearances off the bench, scoring 24 times - a competition record. He also assisted with three strikes after not starting a Premier League game.
161 Goals
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โฝ 161 Goals
๐ 0.30 GPG
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A consistent goalscorer, Jermain Defoe has hit double figures in eight different Premier League seasons, and is the only player to have netted five goals in one half. https://t.co/aJ3iAsIbIW
The 39-year-old enjoyed his most prolific campaign with Spurs, netting 18 times in the 2009-10 season.