The English Premier League is arguably the most demanding soccer division in Europe, both physically and mentally. Every season, clubs acquire players at the peak of their powers, boosting the competitive quotient of the division. And with young blood coming in, it gets harder and harder for veterans to keep their place. Forwards, especially, find it difficult to retain their importance, as they start to lose their sharpness and agility after crossing the dreaded 30-year threshold.
Of course, there are exceptions — players who keep on delivering the goods beyond their prime and under pressure from individuals at the peak of their powers. In today’s list, we will pay homage to those heroes, celebrating the top five players who have scored the most Premier League goals after turning 30. Let’s begin!
#5 Teddy Sheringham (Tottenham, Manchester United, Portsmouth, and West Ham United) – 77 Goals
Kicking off this star-studded list is one of the most stylish strikers the Premier League has ever seen, Teddy Sheringham. The former England international played 283 games across Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Portsmouth, and West Ham United after turning 30, bagging an impressive 77 goals.
Sheringham won three consecutive Premier League titles (1998-99, 1999-00, 2000-01) during his four-year stay at Manchester United. The 2000-01 season proved to be his best at United, as he contributed with 15 goals and five assists in 29 appearances for the club. Sheringham also won a Golden Boot in his career, with it coming on the back of his 22-goal campaign with Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest in 1992-93.
#4 Frank Lampard (Chelsea and Manchester City) – 82 Goals
An imposter on this center-forward-dominated list, Chelsea icon Frank Lampard scored 82 Premier League goals in 214 games after turning 30. Six of his goals came in 26 Premier League games for Manchester City in 2014-16 and the remaining 76 arrived in 188 games for the Blues. The former attack-minded midfielder played a whopping 611 Premier League games in his career, scoring 177 times and providing 113 assists. The majority of his games and goals came during his unforgettable 13-season run at Chelsea, with him chipping in with 147 goals and 96 assists for the Pensioners in 429 league outings.
Lampard won three Premier League titles in his career, all of them coming with Chelsea (2004-05, 2005-06, 2009-10). The 2009-10 Premier League season also turned out to be his most productive, as he scored 22 goals and claimed 16 assists in 36 games.
#3 Alan Shearer (Newcastle United) – 84 Goals
Alan Shearer scored a record 260 Premier League goals in 441 games during his legendary career for Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United. The England legend added 84 goals to his all-time-best tally after he turned 30. He played 188 Premier League games for Newcastle United during his post-30 run (between 2000-01 and 2005-06).
Shearer won the Premier League title with Blackburn Rovers in the 1994-95 season. He led the attack with guile, pitching in with a Golden Boot-winning 34 goals and providing 13 assists in 42 league matches. He won two more Premier League Golden Boots in his career. The first one came in 1995-96, as he scored 31 goals in 35 games for Rovers. His third and last one came in 1996-97, with him netting 25 goals in 31 matches during his debut season for Newcastle.
#2 Ian Wright (Arsenal and West Ham United) – 93 Goals
Ian Wright enjoyed a remarkable seven-year stay at Arsenal between 1991 and 1998. He scored a total of 104 times in 191 Premier League games for the Gunners, with 84 of those goals coming in 147 games after he turned 30. His last Premier League season came at West Ham United (1998-99), during which he scored nine goals in 22 appearances.
The former center-forward won the Premier League title with the North London club in the 1997-98 season. He scored 10 times in 24 games that season. His best campaign for Arsenal, meanwhile, came the season before, as he scored 23 times in 35 games.
#1 Jamie Vardy (Leicester City) – 104 Goals*
Leicester City icon Jamie Vardy proudly sits at the summit, having scored 104 Premier League goals in 225 games after turning 30. Overall, he has played 313 matches in the English top flight, scoring 138 goals, providing 45 assists, and winning the title in the 2015-16 season.
Vardy, 37, won the Premier League Golden Boot at the end of the 2019-20 season, as a 33-year-old. He scored 23 goals and claimed five assists in 35 games that season.
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