Contrary to the general consensus, English football did exist before the Premier League was introduced in 1992, and while Alan Shearer is the leading scorer in the history of that competition, there have been some celebrated marksmen who were banging in the goals for fun long before his trademark goal celebration came into being.
Shearer’s total of 283 top-flight goals, 23 of which were scored in the pre-Premier League era, also known as the old First Division, leaves him fifth on the all-time list of leading scorers in the English top flight – the only player from the modern era to feature in the top 10.
Jimmy Greaves was English domestic football's greatest-ever striker, whose record of 357 goals in 516 games during his 14-year spell in the top tier of English football stands tall to this day. The only other players with 300 or more goals in the history of England's top division are Steve Bloomer and Dixie Dean.
In recent times, it was another Tottenham legend who took English top-flight by storm. The name is a certain Harry Kane, whose exploits with Spurs took him remarkably close to Shearer's Premier League record, but he is still a long way short of matching the achievements of the highest scorers in the history of the English top flight, and we have taken a look at the top 20 players who have scored the most goals.