Goals win games and the presence of a prolific forward can often make the difference when it comes to a team’s chances of winning the Premier League title.
Erling Haaland’s record-breaking impact at Manchester City has contributed to the club being crowned champions this season, with the forward leading the division for goals during a stunning debut season at the Etihad.
Haaland has become just the ninth player to win both the Premier League title and Golden Boot in the same season and the first to do so in his first campaign in the division.
We’ve looked back at the players to win the Golden Boot and Premier League title in the same season.
Alan Shearer – 1994/95 (Blackburn)
Alan Shearer was the first player to lead the league for goals in a title-winning season, as part of a prolific period at Blackburn Rovers.
Shearer signed for Blackburn ahead of the Premier League’s inaugural campaign, as owner Jack Walker spent big to turn the club into a competitive force.
Alan Shearer’s #PL legacy began #OnThisDay in 1️⃣9️⃣9️⃣2️⃣ when he joined @Rovers
The rest is history ⚽️🏆 pic.twitter.com/bqVuwb17R6
— Premier League (@premierleague) July 27, 2020
Shearer scored 112 goals in just 138 league appearances for Blackburn, including a haul of 34 as Kenny Dalglish’s side won the Premier League title in 1994/95.
It was Blackburn’s first top-flight crown for 81 years and Shearer’s partnership with Chris Sutton had fired their challenge, with the former adding the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award to his Golden Boot and league winners’ medal.
Dwight Yorke – 1998/99 (Manchester United)
Manchester United’s response to missing out on the Premier League title to Arsenal was to reinforce the club’s forward line ahead of the 1998/99 season. It took a club record £12.8m fee to persuade Aston Villa into the sale of Dwight Yorke, who had not been the club’s first choice target but proved to be the perfect fit at Old Trafford.
Yorke scored 29 goals in all competitions during a historic first season with the Red Devils, 18 of which came in the league to earn him the Premier League’s Golden Boot alongside Liverpool’s Michael Owen and Leeds’ Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.
3️⃣ ✖️ ⚽️ for Dwight Yorke
6️⃣ ✖️ ⚽️ for @ManUtd #PLMoment pic.twitter.com/kXL1q99SAf— Premier League (@premierleague) May 22, 2018
The Trinidad and Tobago international formed an iconic understanding with Andy Cole and Yorke’s contribution saw him win the Premier League Player of the Season award, as United won an unprecedented Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League treble.
Iconic Duos: Striking synergy perfected, Cole and Yorke
Thierry Henry – 2001/02 and 2003/04 (Arsenal)
Thierry Henry won a record four Premier League Golden Boots during his career at Arsenal and twice led the league for goals in title-winning seasons.
The Frenchman inspired the north Londoners to a domestic double with 24 league goals during the 2001/02 season, before scoring a career-best 30 in the Premier League as Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ ended the 2003/04 season as champions without losing a game.
Henry at his best was poetry in motion, the leading light of an Arsenal side who produced some of the best football of the Premier League era under Arsene Wenger.
Thierry Henry in full flight 😍#GoalOfTheDay | @Arsenal pic.twitter.com/lB4xpIcMbF
— Premier League (@premierleague) October 5, 2022
Regarded by many as the finest footballer the division has seen, Henry scored 175 league goals during a decorated career with the Gunners.
Iconic Performances: Peak Henry inspires Arsenal to Liverpool comeback
Ruud van Nistelrooy – 2002/03 (Manchester United)
Ruud van Nistelrooy was the only player to prevent Thierry Henry from winning five consecutive Golden Boots between 2002 and 2006, as the Dutchman led the league for goals for Manchester United in 2002/03.
Van Nistelrooy scored 25 goals in 34 league appearances, including hat-tricks against Newcastle, Fulham and Charlton, and scored in each of United’s final eight games of the season as the Red Devils overhauled Arsenal’s lead to be crowned champions.
The best of Ruud van Nistelrooy’s 9️⃣5️⃣ #PL strikes for @ManUtd?#GoalOfTheDay pic.twitter.com/qbvU1m5MFQ
— Premier League (@premierleague) January 22, 2019
Van Nistelrooy was named as the Premier League Player of the Season following his prolific run and ended the season with a staggering 44 goals in all competitions, having also led the Champions League for goals (12).
Cristiano Ronaldo – 2007/08 (Manchester United)
Cristiano Ronaldo’s sensational season saw him win his first Ballon d’Or in 2007/08, as the Portuguese forward produced some scintillating performances to lead Manchester United to a Premier League and Champions League double.
Ronaldo scored 42 goals in all competitions, including 31 in the Premier League to win the division’s Golden Boot. He ended the season seven goals clear of Arsenal’s Emmanuel Adebayor and Liverpool’s Fernando Torres as the league’s leading scorer, as United edged out Chelsea in the title race.
Inevitable 🏹@Cristiano | @ManUtd | #GoalOfTheDay pic.twitter.com/zLuk05ES2w
— Premier League (@premierleague) September 27, 2022
Sir Alex Ferguson’s side then beat Chelsea in Europe, with Ronaldo scoring his side’s goal as the Red Devils won the Champions League final on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Moscow.
Ronaldo ended the campaign with a wealth of individual awards, having added the FIFA World Player of the Year, European Golden Shoe, UEFA Men’s Player of the Year, PFA Players’ Player of the Year, FWA Footballer of the Year, and Premier League Player of the Season awards to his Golden Boot and Ballon d’Or.
Didier Drogba – 2009/10 (Chelsea)
Chelsea were crowned champions after a fantastic season under Carlo Ancelotti in 2009/10, one which saw the west Londoners break a whole host of records.
Chelsea became the first top-flight team to reach a century of league goals (103) since Tottenham Hotspur in 1962/63, with Didier Drogba winning the Premier League’s Golden Boot with 29 goals.
The Ivorian had a spectacular individual season and scored a hat-trick as Chelsea thrashed Wigan 8-0 to win the Premier League on the final weekend. Drogba ended the season with 37 goals in all competitions and scored the FA Cup final winner against Portsmouth as Chelsea completed a domestic double.
Dimitar Berbatov – 2010/11 (Manchester United)
Dimitar Berbatov’s best season at Manchester United saw him win the Premier League’s Golden Boot, with the forward’s 20 league goals earning him a share of the accolade alongside Manchester City’s Carlos Tevez.
Berbatov’s success came despite just 24 league starts as the Bulgarian battled with Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez for a place in the side. He scored a stunning hat-trick in a 3-2 win over Liverpool at Old Trafford and became just the fifth footballer to score FIVE goals in a Premier League fixture against Blackburn.
“We might be looking at the goal of the season”
Berbatov at his most brilliant best#GoalOfTheDay @ManUtd pic.twitter.com/X1HMp8rObY
— Premier League (@premierleague) August 29, 2019
Despite his impressive individual season, Berbatov was left out of the Manchester United squad for their 2011 Champions League final defeat to Barcelona at Wembley.
Iconic Performances: Brilliant Berbatov downs Liverpool at Old Trafford
Robin van Persie – 2012/13 (Manchester United)
Manchester United secured a stunning swoop to sign Robin van Persie from Arsenal in 2012, with the Red Devils agreeing a deal to sign the reigning PFA Player of the Year from their fierce rivals.
Van Persie’s contract situation left Arsenal with little alternative and the Dutchman moved to Manchester having scored 30 goals to win the Premier League’s Golden Boot during his final season with the Gunners.
Van Persie repeated the feat the following campaign to win a second successive Golden Boot, in an unforgettable debut season at Old Trafford. The Netherlands international led the league for goals with 26 as the Red Devils reclaimed the Premier League title from Manchester City.
💥@Persie_Official‘s exquisite volley 💥#GoalOfTheDay @ManUtd pic.twitter.com/JiKMGzxrpp
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 10, 2019
A hat-trick against Aston Villa – which included an outrageous volley from Wayne Rooney’s long pass – confirmed the title for United in what proved to be Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season in charge.
Erling Haaland – 2022/23 (Manchester City)
Erling Haaland has become the first footballer in a decade to win the Premier League and Golden Boot in the same season after a record-breaking campaign at Manchester City.
A superstar arrival last summer, the Norwegian has exceeded even those expectations with an astonishing season that has seen records tumble. Haaland has scored 36 league goals for the Citizens – a record in a single Premier League campaign – and 52 in all competitions, the second-highest scoring season for an English club and highest since the Second World War.
What a debut @premierleague season @ErlingHaaland is having! 💥
🏆 Champion
🥇 Player of the Season
🏅 Young Player of the Season
⚽️ Most goals in a single season pic.twitter.com/REKcxbQf36— Manchester City (@ManCity) May 27, 2023
Haaland is expected to add the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award to his FWA Footballer of the Year and Premier League Player of the Season accolades, while the Ballon d’Or could follow if the 22-year-old can lead Pep Guardiola’s side to a historic treble in the coming weeks.
A truly phenomenal talent.
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