SPORTbible's rankings for iconic Premier League strikers range from the greatest ever to 'Overrated' and even 'Not A Footballer,' with Manchester City legend Sergio Aguero and Tottenham striker Harry Kane included.
Aguero has the highest goal-per-minute ratio in the Premier League, whereas Alan Shearer has the most Premier League goals (260). Neither, though, is at the top of SPORTbible's TierMaker rankings.
Thierry Henry, the Arsenal No 14 who was speedy, a goalscorer, an assist machine, a magician: basically every sort of striker rolled into one, is the 'GOAT' alone at the top. Shearer and Aguero, on the other hand, are proud members of the 'Legend' group, alongside Didier Drogba and Wayne Rooney.
Five players are labeled 'Overrated' because, despite their slew of Premier League goals, they could have been even better if they had dedicated themselves to their art.
Robbie Fowler is a Liverpool icon, yet his best goal return came when he was just 21 years old, and he never lived up to his enormous potential. Despite 97 Premier League goals, Emmanuel Adebayor was unhappy, Carlos Tevez went on strike for a season, and Dwight Yorke's golden years were cut short by his off-field actions.
'Underrated' features well-known strikers whose achievements are arguably yet underappreciated. For example, Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku scored 118 Premier League goals but was dubbed a "failure" following a terrible season at Manchester United.
Then there's Olivier Giroud, Nicolas Anelka, who has moved too much to ever become a star at one club, and Dion Dublin, who has scored more Premier League goals than Didier Drogba (winning the all-important DD golden boot battle).
Kane is a member of the 'Elite,' but he is well on his way to becoming a legend. We haven't included magnificent No 10s like Dennis Bergkamp, Gianfranco Zola, or Matt Le Tissier because our list is primarily focused on out-and-out forwards.
It's amusing, but only one man is deserving of the 'Not A Footballer' moniker: a renowned Premier League player whose tale will never be forgotten.
In 1996, Ali Dia persuaded Southampton that he was related to George Weah and that he was an exceptional footballer (he wasn't). He was brought on for a game, then taken off by Saints manager Graeme Souness when it became evident he wasn't a football player.
Iconic. The rest of the Premier League's legendary front men are listed below in their respective categories.
Thierry Henry has been dubbed the "Greatest of All Time."
LEGEND: Alan Shearer, Didier Drogba, Wayne Rooney, Eric Cantona, Sergio Aguero, Ian Wright, Luis Suarez
ELITE: Andy Cole, Jamie Vardy, Harry Kane, Michael Owen, Les Ferdinand, Robin van Persie, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Teddy Sheringham, Fernando Torres.
UNDERRATED: Olivier Giroud, Romelu Lukaku, Diego Costa, Dion Dublin, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Nicolas Anelka, Jermain Defoe, Robbie Keane
OVERRATED: Dwight Yorke, Robbie Fowler, Emmanuel Adebayor, Mark Viduka, Carlos Tevez
SOLID: Peter Crouch, Kevin Phillips, Emile Heskey, Yakubu, Chris Sutton, Darren Bent
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