Ranking the 10 players with the highest calendar-year goals in Premier League history
The Premier League is the richest football league in the world, and is widely regarded as the most competitive one too.
Unlike in other top flights across Europe, any Premier League team can beat another on their day. In the near three-decade history of the competition, no team except Manchester United (twice) has done the three-peat.
Considering the above factors, many top players, especially goalscorers, have graced the Premier League over the years. Some of these players are still active in the competition.
On that note, here's a look at the ten highest Premier League goal tallies by a player in a calendar year since the turn of the century. All stats are as per transfermarkt or Premier League unless mentioned otherwise.
Note: Mohamed Salah, who has scored 25 Premier League goals this year (2021) narrowly misses out.
#10 Alan Shearer - 27 (2002)
Alan Shearer is one of the most lethal strikers in Premier League history. The all-time top scorer (260) in the competition is also the only player to score over 100 Premier League goals for multiple clubs.
He won three consecutive Premier League Golden Boot awards in the mid-90s, winning the last one in 1996-97. In 2001-02 and 2002-03, he scored 40 Premier League goals, with 27 of them coming in 2002.
If there was a ball and a goal, nothing could stop Alan Shearer
The ultimate centre-forward, @alanshearer scored with pace, power and incredible technique, netting a record 260 Premier League goals in his playing career
He is the first 2021 Inductee to the #PLHallOfFame https://t.co/ZcQIvINXa6
For all his glorious exploits in the competition, Shearer's lone Premier League title came with Blackburn Rovers in 1994-95.
#9 Harry Kane - 27 (2015)
Harry Kane is one of the most prolific active strikers in the Premier League and is one of a handful of players with over 150 goals in the competition. With all his goals coming for one club - Tottenham Hotspur - it is one of the record tallies in the competition for a single club.
In 13 seasons in the competition, Kane has scored 167 goals, but only two of those have come in 15 games this season. Nevertheless, considering his quality, it's only a matter of time before he finds his scoring boots again.
To win and score my 150th Premier League goal... perfect afternoon ⚽️ https://t.co/ouiGPX41AE
The three-time Premier League Golden Boot winner scored 46 goals in 2014-15 and 2015-16, with 27 of these strikes coming in 2015. The 28-year-old won the Golden Boot in 2015-16, scoring 25 times.
#8 Sergio Aguero - 27 (2016)
From one prolific Premier League striker, we move to the next. Sergio Aguero is a bonafide legend of the competition.
The all-time Manchester City top-scorer has a plethora of records in the English top flight. With 184 strikes in ten seasons in the competition - all for City - Aguero is the most prolific Premier League goalscorer for a single club. He also has most hat-tricks (12) in the competition.
Sergio Aguero has a firm place in #PL history, winning 5 titles with @ManCity and scoring 184 goals
None more so famous than this one... https://t.co/gfDdubK4ph
The five-time Premier League winner scored 44 goals in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 campaigns, with 27 of these strikes coming in 2016. However, City failed to win the competition in both campaigns.
#7 Mohamed Salah - 28 (2018)
Mohamed Salah is one of a handful of active players on this list. The Liverpool ace, who has 112 goals in the Premier League, has been in blistering form this season.
He is already up to 15 strikes for the season, which includes the first-ever hat-trick at the home of record Premier League champions Manchester United. This campaign, Salah created a number of milestones.
Mohamed Salah is the first away player to score a #PL hat-trick at Man Utd
#MUNLIV https://t.co/ZcBeAYZnUP
Salah became the first player to score in five consecutive Premier League opening-weekend games. He then entered the 100-goal club in the competition before overtaking Didier Drogba (104) to become the most prolific African goalscorer in the Premier League.
The two-time Golden Boot winner was on a tear in 2017-18 and 2018-19, netting 54 times. More than half of these strikes (28) came in 2018. Salah scored 19 times in Liverpool's first Premier League-winning campaign in 2019-20.