by Original Dub » Mon Feb 21, 2011 12:03 am
Here's the fastest to 50 premier league goals. I know these are overall and that Tevez' West ham and rag careers would be taken into account, but it gives some indication of how well he's done in goals to game ratio since joining City - right up there with the very best.
Premier League audiences have been privileged to bear witness to some of the greatest goalscoring exploits in living memory, with the English top flight widely regarded as the most entertaining division in world football.
Global superstars continue to flock to these shores to test themselves against the best in the business, while the finest home-grown talent has also continued to flourish.
Of those to have shone brightest since the Premier League's inception in 1992, it comes as no surprise to hear that it is the fearsome frontmen who have taken most of the plaudits.
After all, they are the ones charged with the task of finding the back of the net - and isn't that what football is all about?
The latest star attraction to be strutting his stuff across the country is Liverpool striker Fernando Torres, who has adapted to life in England with ease since arriving from boyhood heroes Atletico Madrid in 2007.
The Spaniard has given countless centre-halves nightmares over the course of the last two-and-a-half seasons, and passed the 50-goal barrier in the league with a late winner against Aston Villa on Tuesday.
He has reached that milestone in double-quick time, but he sits only fourth on the list of those to have clocked up a half-century in the shortest amount of time.
Here skysports.com acknowledges the considerable achievements of Torres, while also taking a look at a few of the other Premier League hot-shots who have found the target with unerring regularity.
Andy Cole
During his days at Manchester United, Cole earned a reputation for spurning more opportunities than he took. That, though, is unfair on a man who was among the most prolific strikers of his generation. Able to boast just about every major honour on an enviable CV, 'Goal King Cole' will rightly be remembered for the many chances he did take, rather than those he did not. The England international burst onto the Premier League scene while on the books of Newcastle, persuading Sir Alex Ferguson that he was worth £7million of Manchester United's money in 1995. It was during this period that he was at his awesome best, and he tops our list of fastest men to 50 goals as he managed to achieve that feat in just 65 appearances.
Alan Shearer
There was never any doubt that Shearer would feature prominently on this list, with the Premier League's most celebrated hit-man making a career out of hitting the back of the net. He could always be relied upon to lead the line, with Southampton, Blackburn and Newcastle benefiting from his considerable talents. It is during his time at Ewood Park that Shearer enters our latest Top Ten, with his goals helping Rovers to the Premier League title in 1994/95. On his way to that crowning glory, England's No.9 plundered 50 Premier League goals in 66 top-flight outings, meaning he misses out on top spot by the narrowest of margins.
Ruud van Nistelrooy
Patience certainly paid off for Manchester United in 2001 when they finally got their hands on Van Nistelrooy. The Dutchman was supposed to be on his way to Old Trafford 12 months earlier, but a cruciate knee ligament injury delayed his arrival. He was well worth the wait, as he quickly became the Red Devils' goal-poacher in chief. Rarely would see Van Nistelrooy smashing the ball into the top corner from 25 yards, but that was not what his game was about. He had natural goalscoring instincts and could sniff out half a chance where others would have been found wanting. He bagged 150 goals for United during a glittering five-year spell, with his first 50 in the Premier League coming in 68 appearances.
Fernando Torres
The latest entry to this roll of honour, Torres continues to carry the weight of expectation at Liverpool with commendable composure. In the space of two short years, the baby-faced assassin has cemented his place as a Kop idol and is unlikely to see that standing waver any time soon. Torres was not renowned for being a lethal marksman during his time with Atletico, but he has added that string to his bow in style during his time at Anfield. Providing he can steer clear of injury, the Spaniard is a guaranteed source of 20-plus goals a season, while his ability to provide time and space for those around him is also invaluable. As previously mentioned, he recently totted up 50 Premier League goals in the space of 72 fixtures.
Thierry Henry
Arsenal's top scorer of all-time makes the top five, with his phenomenal scoring exploits with the Gunners unlikely to be surpassed in the foreseeable future. The darling of Highbury, Henry is among the finest foreign exports to have graced the Premier League. He helped to turn Arsenal from also-rans into invincibles during eight memorable years in North London. He joins this list with a record of 50 top-flight goals in 83 outings, which is some going given the less then conventional start he had to life with the Gunners. Signed from Juventus as a winger, Arsene Wenger helped to turn Henry into the best striker in world football and made him an icon to millions all over the globe.
Kevin Phillips
Not necessarily a name you would expect to find on a run-down of this sort, but Phillips' inclusion is more than justified. Given that he did not even grace the Premier League until the 1999/00 campaign, the fact that he made such an impression at the highest level speaks volumes for the diminutive, but combative, frontman. Tipped to struggle when surrounded by England's elite, Phillips silenced his critics in spectacular style as notched 30 league goals in his first season, earning him the domestic and European Golden Boot. It did not take him long to go past the 50-goal mark either, with 83 games all that were required for him to break that barrier.
Ian Wright
The second Arsenal icon to make the Top Ten, Wright was ripping defences to shreds long before the dawn of the Premier League. Already an established household name by the time the shiny new top flight was put in place, the fiery cockney was always going to leave his mark on any goalscoring records. On his way to breaking Cliff Bastin's long-standing scoring record for the Gunners he notched 50 Premier League goals in 87 appearances. His record would eventually fall to French maestro Henry, but his place in the hearts of the Arsenal faithful is secure.
Robbie Fowler
Taking into account the fact that Fowler is still affectionately referred to as 'God' in the red half of Merseyside, his lofty standing on this list comes as no surprise. The Toxteth Terrier made the breakthrough at Liverpool while still in his teens, but he looked anything but a rookie during his formative years at Anfield. Never blessed with lightning pace, or the best aerial ability, Fowler came alive with the ball at his feet. As a result he found the back of the net on a regular basis, with well over 200 goals to his name in English football. His first 50 in the Premier League came in 88 outings, which is not too shabby at all.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Famed for his time with Chelsea, Hasselbaink actually began his assault on Premier League defences at Leeds United. He found the target on 34 occasions in two seasons while at Elland Road, and was the top flight's joint top scorer in 1998/99. One season in Spain with Atletico Madrid followed before he was brought back to England by Chelsea in 2000. He slotted back into life in the Premier League with consummate ease, grabbing 23 league goals in each of the next two seasons. That fine record allowed him to clock up 50 in 94 appearances, keeping him inside a goal every other game.
Teddy Sheringham
Sheringham boasts an identical record to Hasselbaink, with his first 50 Premier League strikes coming in 94 games. He would manage to find the target 147 times in total, taking in spells at Nottingham Forest, Tottenham (twice), Manchester United, Portsmouth and West Ham. Honours came his way by the bucketload while on the books at Old Trafford, but he had already blazed past the half-century of goals by that point. Considered to have one of the finest football brains of the modern era, Sheringham was able to compete at the highest level past his 40th birthday and would probably still be going now if somebody gave him the opportunity.
