12 Fastest Players to Reach 50 Premier League Goals
Daniel Hepburn
46 – 59 minutes
Summary
While some Premier League strikers take their time to hit their stride, others do so in the blink of the eye.
Current stars such as Alexander Isak and Mohamed Salah are among the quickest to reach 50 goals.
Other names like Andy Cole and Alan Shearer set the standard for strikers in the 1990s.
Scoring goals is a striker’s bread and butter. If you’re going to become a credible number nine, you have to be able to find the net, but that is easier said than done in the Premier League. With some of the best goalkeepers and defenders in the world tasked with stopping you, you have to be at the very top of your game to gain a reputation for being potent.
For some, it takes time to adjust to the rigours of English football before they blossom, with players like Chris Wood having their best seasons well into their thirties. For others, though, they are able to hit the ground running and score at will at a rapid rate. However, none have been able to hit 50 Premier League goals as quickly as these 10 names.
1 Erling Haaland
48 matches
Erling Haaland
Manchester City would have had high hopes for Erling Haaland when they decided to pay €60 million for his services in 2022, but not even they would have believed that Haaland would have the success he has done.
The Norwegian has broken record-after-record since signing for the club and he broke yet another when he bagged the opening goal against Liverpool. To reach 50 Premier League goals in just 48 games is just insane. He’s become the quickest player to reach the landmark by some distance and it’ll surely be a long, long time until his record is broken.
2 Andy Cole
65 matches
Andy Cole
All the way back in 1995, Andy Cole and his Manchester United teammates played in a match to remember – and it wasn’t only the Englishman who was smashing records that day. Sir Alex Ferguson’s imperious outfit put Ipswich Town to the sword in a 9-0 drubbing, and they duly became the first team to score nine goals in a Premier League fixture.
Cole, who was never truly appreciated by his national team, grabbed a quintet of strikes to take him to the 50-goal milestone. It seems as if the centre-forward then put the brakes on as it took him an additional 120 games to score another 50 – but there’s no denying how much of a threat he was in the box.
3 Alan Shearer
66 matches
Alan Shearer
Not only does he hold the record for the most goals scored in the division (260), but former Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United bagsman Alan Shearer also ranks highly on players to reach 50 goals in the shortest game-span (66). And truth be told, it would feel odd not seeing such a perennial goalscorer involved. With his brace of strikes against Everton in September 1994, the striker-turned-pundit notched the 50th and 51st goals of his 260-goal Premier League career.
At the time, his speedy record stood at the top of the rankings only to be surpassed a mere six months later – by Cole. His record of reaching 100 goals in 124 English top-flight games, however, still stands tall and firm – 17 games quicker than any other player that’s managed to do so.
Alan Shearer
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4 Ruud van Nistelrooy
68 matches
Ruud van Nistelrooy in action for Manchester United
A potent finisher, Ruud van Nistelrooy poached 50 goals in 68 games. Thanks to a goal against Newcastle in August 2003, the centre-forward sparked a comeback with his 50th Premier League strike, though it also marked his 10th successive goal in the competition which, in turn, broke that record.
While he was unable to top this list, he, interestingly, recorded 50 Champions League goals in 62 games, which is four faster than none other than Lionel Messi (66). Ranked fifth in Manchester United’s list of greatest-ever strikers, goalscoring came naturally to the Dutchman as he finished his 219-game Old Trafford spell on 150 goals, which is just insanely impressive.
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5 Fernando Torres
72 matches
Fernando Torres celebrates with his arms outstreched after scoring for Liverpool.
Thanks to his struggles at Chelsea, it is sometimes easy to forget what a superb striker Fernando Torres was in his first three seasons in England. So superb that it took him only 72 matches to net his first 50 goals in the Premier League. In emphatic fashion at Villa Park back in December 2009, El Nino scored a stoppage-time winner to pencil his name in on this fabled list.
Eventually ending his Liverpool stint with 65 goals in 102 appearances, he is recognised as one of the club’s finest, despite popping up with the odd howler. Following his £50m switch to Chelsea in the early 2010s, his goal threat seemed to dry up as he went on to register 20 goals in his 110-game stint at the capital club.
6 Mohamed Salah
72 matches
Mohamed Salah
From one player hailed as Merseyside royalty to another, Mohamed Salah matched Torres’ 50-goal record in the same number of games, 72. Of course, The Egyptian King managed to do so operating on the right flank, whereas the Spaniard was an out-and-out striker. And while he is not at the summit of this list, he his in fact the fastest Premier League asset to 50 goals in terms of minutes played – 5,374 minutes compared to Alan Shearer’s 5,380.
The former Chelsea man secured his spot on this list after netting twice in an enthralling seven-goal thriller against Crystal Palace in 2019, one in which Salah’s side went on to win 4-3. He is one of three active players in the top ten.
7 Alexander Isak
76 matches
newcastle alexander isak
Injuries may have meant that the time in terms of years to reach the 50-goal mark may have taken Alexander Isak a little longer than some others on the list, but in terms of games, the Swede is up there with the very best the English top flight has ever seen. The Newcastle United frontman has been a pivotal part of the Magpies’ turnaround from relegation candidates to European contenders, and his goals have placed him alongside the likes of Haaland and Salah in terms of the world-class attackers of his generation.
A double against Nottingham Forest, which included a cheeky Panenka penalty, was enough for the 25-year-old to reach a half-century of strikes in just 76 games, eclipsing that of some really big names.
8 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
79 matches
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
It took Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang fewer games to reach 50 goals than Henry. Let that sink in. Once upon a time, before his failed stint at Chelsea, the Gabon forward was one of the league’s most threatening forwards – and he proved just that when he hit the 50-goal achievement in just 79 matches.
The former Emirates Stadium striker scored twice during a 4-0 rout over Norwich back in 2020, but ultimately failed to join the exclusives ‘centurions’ club, finishing five short of 100 goals with 95 across stints in both north and west London. He, perhaps, didn’t receive ample opportunity to strut his stuff for the Blues, but there was a time when he was simply remarkable for the Gunners.
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9 Sergio Aguero
81 matches
Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero
Similarly to Henry, Sergio Aguero managed to reach 50 goals against Spurs, though the Argentine managed to do so in a 5-1 demolition job over the north London giants during the 2011/12 season. On home soil, too, it was a moment that the Etihad Stadium icon will never forget.
In truth, given his undeniable ability and ruthlessness in front of goal, reaching such a milestone was inevitable – it was just a question of how long it would take him. In Aguero’s case, it took him a total of 81 matches, and he is currently the seventh-fastest player to do so.
Sergio Aguero
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10 Thierry Henry
83 matches
Thierry Henry celebrating one of his record-breaking goals for Arsenal
Matching Phillips’ record of reaching a half-century of goals in 83 games is Arsenal’s cult hero Thierry Henry – and even better, he managed to do so in a north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur during a 2-1 triumph in 2001. The stuff of dreams. Despite being tied with Phillips, the mercurial Frenchman continued to set the Premier League alight, scoring 175 goals in 258 outings.
Recognised as one of the greatest footballers to have never won a Ballon d’Or, the former Barcelona marksman brought a certain type of aura to England – something that is irreplaceable. Week upon week, he was seen devastating defenders, whether that be through the middle on the left flank. They simply don’t make them like Henry anymore.
11 Kevin Phillips
83 matches
Kevin Phillips hoists his arms in celebration after scoring for Sunderland.
An enjoyer of one of the finest debut seasons in Premier League history, Kevin Phillips is a unique name on this list surrounded by all-time greats – but make no mistake about it, he knew where the back of the net was. He never managed to hit a century of goals, finishing on 92, but will forever be remembered for notching 50 in quick fashion.
Making the step up from the second tier to the first so effortless, the former Sunderland striker scored 25 goals during his first taste of the English top division. He managed to net another 25 in 83 matches in the 2001/02 campaign as his form in front of goal began to fade away. Thanks to Haaland and Isak, he now sits outside the top 10.
12 Diego Costa
85 matches
Diego Costa
Unfortunately for the former Chelsea brute, Diego Costa has also been kicked out of the top 10 in this list thanks to Haaland and Isak’s exploits. However, looking past his impressive goalscoring numbers from his days in west London would be completely remiss.
Only just passing the 50-goal mark during his brief stint at Wolverhampton Wanderers – that’s right, he didn’t reach the tally with Chelsea – he achieved this milestone in a blistering 85 matches. Back in 2017 during a 4-2 victory over Southampton, the Spain international hit the back of the net to etch his name in Premier League history, albeit for not much longer, and only went on to notch another two for the Blues afterwards.
