Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane has just made history by scoring his 209th top-flight goal in a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, surpassing Wayne Rooney to take second place in the Premier League all-time goal-scoring record.
However, the striker still has a long way to go to catch up with the leader of the pack, Alan Shearer. The former Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United player scored 260 goals in the Premier League over his 18-year career, including three Golden Boots over consecutive seasons.
Shearer’s record (283 goals)
Even if Kane manages to equal Shearer’s Premier League record, he still needs to score an additional 23 goals to match Shearer’s overall top-flight record, which includes 118 goals scored for Southampton in the old First Division. Shearer’s overall record in the English top-flight stands at 283 goals in 559 games scored between the 1987-88 and 2005-06 seasons.
English top-flight record (357 goals)
Kane’s toughest challenger, however, is the late Tottenham legend Jimmy Greaves. Though Kane has already surpassed Greaves’ record goal tally for Spurs, he still has a long way to go if he wishes to break Greaves’ astounding record in English football as a whole. Greaves scored 357 goals in 516 leagues games during stints with Chelsea, Spurs, and West Ham United between 1957 and 1971 – more than any other player in the history of English top-flight football. Kane needs to score 148 more league goals to draw level with Greaves, which is quite the feat.
English football league record (434 goals)
But even if Kane manages to beat Greaves all over again, he still won’t be the man with the most league goals scored in English football outright. The ultimate English football league record is held by Arthur Rowley, who scored 434 goals in 619 games for West Bromwich Albion, Fulham, Leicester, and Shrewsbury Town during an absurdly prolific career between 1946 and 1965 played in the top three divisions. Kane can only boast a current overall total of 223 goals scored in English league football matches, leaving him 211 goals shy of Rowley’s record.
In conclusion, while Harry Kane is on track to become one of the greatest goal-scorers in Premier League history, he still has a long way to go before he can claim the title of English football’s all-time top scorer. Kane will have to surpass some of the most legendary names in English football history, including Alan Shearer, Jimmy Greaves, and Arthur Rowley, if he hopes to cement his place in the record books.
