The Premier League is widely regarded as the most competitive football league in the world—home to elite teams, world-class players and relentless competition.
As such, finishing as the league’s top scorer and claiming the prestigious Golden Boot is no easy feat.
Since the Premier League’s inception in 1992, no fewer than 26 different players have won the award—some just once, others multiple times. Some topped the charts with modest tallies, while a few produced truly record-breaking goal hauls.
But who holds the record for the most goals in a single Premier League season, and who else has come close?
Let’s take a look.
Most Goals by a Player in a Single Premier League Season
The record for the most goals in a single Premier League season belongs to none other than Erling Haaland.
In his debut campaign with Manchester City in 2022–23, the Norwegian phenomenon smashed an astonishing 36 goals in just 35 games, averaging a strike every 77 minutes he was on the pitch.
Unsurprisingly, his incredible return fired City to the Premier League title, while they also went on to win the FA Cup and the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history.
Haaland ended that historic season with 52 goals in all competitions—a truly unprecedented feat.
Every Player to Score 30+ Goals in a Premier League Season
Before Erling Haaland’s record-breaking 2022–23 campaign, the record for the most goals in a single Premier League season was shared by Andy Cole and Alan Shearer.
In 1993–94, Cole struck 34 goals for Newcastle United, helping them finish third behind Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers.
The following season, Shearer matched that tally with 34 goals for Blackburn, firing them to their first—and only—Premier League title.
It’s worth noting that both Cole and Shearer achieved their totals when the Premier League featured 22 teams and 42 matches per season. The league format was reduced to 20 teams and 38 games starting from the 1995–96 campaign.
In the 38-game era, the closest anyone has come to Haaland’s tally is Mohamed Salah, who scored 32 goals for Liverpool in 2017–18.
Excluding Haaland, Cole, Shearer and Salah, only two players in Premier League history have ever surpassed the 30-goal mark in a single season; Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suárez, who scored 31 apiece in 2007–08 and 2013–14 respectively.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Most Goals Scored in a Premier League Season.
