Ranking the 5 players with most goals in English competitions in the 21st century
Football in England is fiercely competitive and taxing, much more so than in many of Europe's top leagues. The reason behind this is that clubs have to play in at least three different domestic competitions, as opposed to two in most other leagues.
Teams in the German Bundesliga play only 34 league games and the DFB Pokal every season. In Spain and Italy, too, there are only two competitions domestically. France also had three domestic competitions before the Coupe de la Ligue was abolished in 2020, leaving England as the only one of the top five leagues with multiple cup competitions.
This fierce competition is what has attracted many of the world’s finest footballers, and forwards in particular, to the English game. English clubs have always recruited only the best to help them achieve success in these competitions, and the easiest way to succeed is to score goals and win matches.
So without further ado, here are the five players who have found the net the most number of times in English football in the 21st century.
#5 Harry Kane (194)
Widely regarded as one of the finest strikers of his generation, it's no surprise that Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane is part of this list. The England captain is rated as a highly prolific striker, and his numbers back up this fact.
Kane has scored 194 times in the three domestic competitions since making his senior debut in English football. The 28-year-old striker has notched up his tally in only 310 total appearances. He has scored 171 times in the Premier League in 265 appearances, 16 times in the FA Cup in 24 appearances and seven times in the League Cup in 21 appearances.
The streets wont forget Harry Kane's goal record in 2017. https://t.co/pvlNYbRbFl
Kane is yet to win any of the domestic competitions he has featured in for Tottenham Hotspur despite his incredible record. The Tottenham Hotspur man will be hoping to change that stat soon.
#4 Jermaine Defoe (204)
Jermaine Defoe is undoubtedly a Premier League cult hero. The Englishman has featured for a number of different Premier League sides, including West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, Bournemouth, Sunderland and Portsmouth.
Defoe has managed a total of 204 strikes in the English top-flight and cup competitions so far in his career. The striker managed to reach this tally in 570 games for his various clubs. He scored 163 times in 496 Premier League appearances, 19 times in 37 FA Cup matches and 22 times in 37 appearances in the League Cup.
Defoe, now 39, recently returned to Sunderland, who are currently in the third tier of English football. The Englishman was part of the Tottenham Hotspur side in 2008 that won the club's last major honor.