The English premier league has been graced by some of the best strikers in the world but often, you would see the so called star players and promising players go to waste. It is sad to see a promising career completely fall apart and often leaves people feeling empty when provoked to think what might have been. Another kind of falling apart occurs when big money transfers from other leagues get reduced to dust in the premier league. Over the course of this post we will go over the best and the rest in detail without stretching the post more than required.
Arsenal striker Thierry Henry scoring during the 2002 season
Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero with the ball
The premier league years can be broken down to a set of eras in which particular strikers dominated the scene for years. The second half of the 90's could be the Alan Shearer era. The Thierry Henry era could range from 2000 - 2005. Didier Drogba's era stretched from 2006 - 2010. In more recent times, we have had the Sergio Aguero era from 2011 to the present. Some would argue that the Drogba era could well have been called the Christiano Ronaldo era or the Wayne Rooney era. Also, the Aguero era could be called the Robin Van Persie era. The reason for sticking with the current names is that Ronaldo was not the main striker during his time at United. The same thing could be said for Rooney. As for Van Persie, he has been largely inconsistent with injuries and he made the move to United from Arsenal which might not have been the best decision. The aforementioned strikers are, or were, the heartbeats of their respective clubs. Another fact to note is that they have all won the premier league at least once; Shearer with Blackburn Rovers, Henry with Arsenal, Drogba with Chelsea and Aguero with Manchester City.
Alan Shearer after winning the league title with Blackburn Rovers in 1995
Shearer is clearly the best English forward in the premier league era possessing a stunning ability to strike the ball. Not the fastest, but his attacking instincts often made the opposing defenders irrelevant. Having won the premier league title with Blackburn in 1995 under the management of Kenny Dalglish, he spent the greater part of his career with Newcastle United and also helped the Toons reach the second stage of the Champions League in 2003.
Thierry Henry is a name synonymous with Arsenal's best premier league years. In 2004, he helped Arsenal to an unbeaten league season and also clinched the premier league player of the year. He looked effortless when on the ball and could create a goal scoring chance from absolutely nothing. Much like his strike partner, Dennis Bergkamp, he made everything look easy. Extremely calm and intelligent on the ball, Henry would rip the opponents defense apart often by just himself. One of his most notable performances was against Leeds United at Highbury where he scored 4 goals in a 5-0 thrashing, Leeds being relegated at the end of the season. Considered the best striker in premier league history, his legacy will live on at Arsenal and hopefully he would someday return to manage the club.
Didier Drogba never had the best ball control or obvious talent. But what he possessed was an innate ability to link with midfield players and spear head the front line on his own. Possessing great strength and pace, he was almost unplayable sometimes, as Arsenal players might account. He had a great chemistry with Frank Lampard of Chelsea with both setting up each other on numerous occasions. Drogba had a knack for scoring in big games, making him a true match winner. He scored in 4 FA Cup finals and 2 League Cup finals, Chelsea winning 5 out of the 6. His mere presence was enough to cause confusion in the ranks of the opponent's defense. At the age of 37, he has just won his 4th premier league title with Chelsea but his best years are clearly behind him.
Sergio Aguero is arguably the best striker in the world today. Possessing a very different style of play from the above strikers, he has great bursts of pace and immaculate ball control. Let's not forget the amazing finishing ability. He has a low center of gravity and great balance making it difficult for opponents to bring him down or put him off. He has helped City to 2 premier league titles and also scored the late winner in 2012 to beat United to the title. Aged only 26, he is currently at the peak of his career and will be crucial to City's prospects in the following seasons.
Now that we have covered some of the glittering careers in the premier league, it is now time to take a step down and look at some of the careers that did not live up to expectations. The biggest disappointment in the last 10 years has undoubtedly been Andriy Shevchenko who joined Chelsea from AC Milan in 2006 for a whopping 30 million pounds for that time. After winning several trophies with Milan including the Champions League in 2003, Shevchenko was expected to light up the premier league. However, the speed and physical nature of the league did not suite Shevchenko. Also, Chelsea's style of play, usually with one lone striker, did not complement Shevchenko's skills and ability. He was used to play along side another striker such as John Dahl Tomasson or Filipo Inzaghi at Milan. After 2 lackluster seasons at Chelsea, Shevchenko moved back to Milan but the striker was never the same again. Once, rated as one of the best strikers in Europe along with the likes of Henry, Raul and Ronaldo, Shevchenko's career took a leap in the premier league.
The next striker had mixed fortunes in the premier league. Fernando Torres played for Liverpool for 3 years and during his time at the club, he was the best striker in the premier league without a doubt. One thing to note is that he played for Liverpool during the "Didier Drogba Era". However, Torres had a disastrous turn in fortune after a record breaking 50 million pounds transfer to Chelsea. Once again, a striker with mouth watering ability failed at Chelsea. Throughout this time, Drogba never failed to perform. Torres' first goal at Chelsea came after 14 games. For such a prolific striker, that is too long. He had moments of brilliance at Chelsea in his second and third season. He managed to win the Champions League and FA Cup with Chelsea in 2012 where he was instrumental. But overall, his time at Chelsea will always be remembered as a disappointment.
Next is an example of a player who had the potential to become the best striker in the world. Michael Owen was the youngest player to play for England in the world cup and became the youngest player in history to score in the world cup at an age of 18 during the 1998 FIFA world cup in France. He was one of the best strikers in the premier league during the late 90's and the early 2000's alongside the likes of Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Thierry Henry and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. After his move to Real Madrid in 2004, he struggled to regain the same form in Spain and subsequent knee injuries obstructed his career. On his return to the premier for Newcastle, he was just a mere shadow of what he was. He also had a short stint at Manchester United during the 2010 season. If he had stayed at Liverpool, he could have achieved a lot with the club especially with the likes of Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher at the club. However, one of the greatest young talents of English football faded away into thin air.
In more recent times, the greatest disappointment has been Radamel Falcao for United. In the latest round of premier league games, Falcao was substituted in the 60th minute against Arsenal and the United fans were seemingly happy to see him go. Arriving at United with a prolific goal scoring record during his times at Porto, Athletico Madrid and Monaco, he failed to shine in the premier league like many strikers before him. He managed to score just 4 unimpressive goals for United and looked out of sorts during most of his appearances. It was anything but a treat to watch him play. With the absence of Van Persie due to injury, United were forced to play Falcao up front with no results whatsoever. After a horrendous loan spell at the club, he is almost surely set to leave England.
The premier league isn't the easiest league to play in. Due to that fact, the players that do succeed emerge as legends and many other falter. Another notable mention is Luiz Suarez for Liverpool. He was voted the premier league player of the year in 2014 but departed for Barca soon after. During his time in England, he was the premier league's top scorer in the 2013/2014 season. A new striker that has emerged into the limelight is Diego Costa of Chelsea. Finally, a striker has worked for the Blues after the success of Drogba and the decently impressive performances of Nicolas Anelka.
Andriy Shevchenko for Chelsea during the 2007 season.
The next striker had mixed fortunes in the premier league. Fernando Torres played for Liverpool for 3 years and during his time at the club, he was the best striker in the premier league without a doubt. One thing to note is that he played for Liverpool during the "Didier Drogba Era". However, Torres had a disastrous turn in fortune after a record breaking 50 million pounds transfer to Chelsea. Once again, a striker with mouth watering ability failed at Chelsea. Throughout this time, Drogba never failed to perform. Torres' first goal at Chelsea came after 14 games. For such a prolific striker, that is too long. He had moments of brilliance at Chelsea in his second and third season. He managed to win the Champions League and FA Cup with Chelsea in 2012 where he was instrumental. But overall, his time at Chelsea will always be remembered as a disappointment.
Next is an example of a player who had the potential to become the best striker in the world. Michael Owen was the youngest player to play for England in the world cup and became the youngest player in history to score in the world cup at an age of 18 during the 1998 FIFA world cup in France. He was one of the best strikers in the premier league during the late 90's and the early 2000's alongside the likes of Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Thierry Henry and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. After his move to Real Madrid in 2004, he struggled to regain the same form in Spain and subsequent knee injuries obstructed his career. On his return to the premier for Newcastle, he was just a mere shadow of what he was. He also had a short stint at Manchester United during the 2010 season. If he had stayed at Liverpool, he could have achieved a lot with the club especially with the likes of Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher at the club. However, one of the greatest young talents of English football faded away into thin air.
A young Michael Owen for Liverpool.
In more recent times, the greatest disappointment has been Radamel Falcao for United. In the latest round of premier league games, Falcao was substituted in the 60th minute against Arsenal and the United fans were seemingly happy to see him go. Arriving at United with a prolific goal scoring record during his times at Porto, Athletico Madrid and Monaco, he failed to shine in the premier league like many strikers before him. He managed to score just 4 unimpressive goals for United and looked out of sorts during most of his appearances. It was anything but a treat to watch him play. With the absence of Van Persie due to injury, United were forced to play Falcao up front with no results whatsoever. After a horrendous loan spell at the club, he is almost surely set to leave England.
The premier league isn't the easiest league to play in. Due to that fact, the players that do succeed emerge as legends and many other falter. Another notable mention is Luiz Suarez for Liverpool. He was voted the premier league player of the year in 2014 but departed for Barca soon after. During his time in England, he was the premier league's top scorer in the 2013/2014 season. A new striker that has emerged into the limelight is Diego Costa of Chelsea. Finally, a striker has worked for the Blues after the success of Drogba and the decently impressive performances of Nicolas Anelka.
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