Thierry Henry remains the highest scoring continental European player in Premier League history, with 175 goals in a red and white shirt. That figure has stood for close to two decades now, even with a new generation of forwards chasing it down. Anyone browsing Premier League odds will still see plenty of markets built around Henry’s old scoring records at Arsenal.
The competition has always attracted the best forwards from across the continent, and a handful of them have gone on to rewrite the record books. This list covers players born in continental Europe rather than the British Isles, since England and Ireland already have their own long list of prolific scorers. Here’s a look at the five highest-scoring European players in Premier League history, their careers, and some of the goals that made them.
Thierry Henry, 175 goals
Henry joined Arsenal from Juventus in 1999 and spent eight years at the club before a brief loan return in 2012. He won four Golden Boots and was named PFA Players’ Player of the Year twice, forming the spearhead of the Invincibles side that went unbeaten through the 2003-04 season.
His most famous goal came against Tottenham in 2002, when he collected the ball inside his own half and ran the length of the pitch before finishing calmly past the goalkeeper.
Robin van Persie, 144 goals
Van Persie spent eight seasons at Arsenal before a move to Manchester United in 2012. He won the Golden Boot with 30 goals in his final season at Arsenal, then retained it with 26 goals in his first year at Old Trafford, helping United win the title with four games to spare. That title was sealed by a first-half hat-trick against Aston Villa, including a first-time volley widely rated as one of the best goals in Premier League history.
Nicolas Anelka, 125 goals
Anelka played for six Premier League clubs across his career, including Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers, Chelsea and West Bromwich Albion. He won the Golden Boot in 2008-09 while at Chelsea, scoring 19 goals that season. Known for his pace and clinical finishing, Anelka’s best spell came under Carlo Ancelotti as Chelsea won the league and FA Cup double in 2010.
Erling Haaland, 112 goals
Haaland joined Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund in 2022 and broke the record for goals in a single Premier League season with 36 in his debut year, helping City complete the treble. For those following football betting markets on goalscorer records, Haaland’s rate remains the fastest of any player to reach fifty Premier League goals. His hat-trick against Manchester United in October 2022 remains one of his most memorable displays.
Cristiano Ronaldo, 103 goals
Ronaldo scored plenty of goals across two spells at Manchester United, first between 2003 and 2009, then again in 2021-22. He won both the PFA Player of the Year award and the Golden Boot for the 2007-08 season with 31 goals, a season that also brought his first Champions League title. His free-kicks and pace down the wing became a defining feature of United’s game during that period.
These five players span more than two decades of Premier League football, and between them they’ve won league titles, Golden Boots and some of the competition’s most memorable individual moments.