As Europe’s most competitive and ferocious competition, the Premier League has always attracted the world’s top talent. In turn, the pitches of England’s top-flight have long been graced by some the greatest foreign goal scorers to ever play the game.
We’ve become accustomed to seeing the very best in England and that shows no sign of slowing down as money continues to dominate the beautiful game.
The list of the league’s top foreign scorers features plenty of familiar names, but it’s where certain players – such as Didier Drogba – land that might surprise you.
Here are the top-25 foreign scorers in Premier League history…
25. Olivier Giroud – 77 goals
The French striker emerged as a goal machine for Arsenal following his arrival from HSC Montpellier in the summer of 2012, and by the time of his move to Chelsea in January 2018, his 73 league goals placed him as the club’s fifth-highest Premier League scorer of all-time.
Giroud has scored only four league goals for the Blues in just over a full season at Stamford Bridge, but has contributed well as a cup striker, scoring nine goals in Europa League games alone this campaign.
With 77 league goals over seven seasons spent in England, Giroud stands as one of the greatest foreign scorers in Premier League history.
24. Gary Speed – 81 goals
Speed’s 16-year Premier League career featured 534 appearances for Leeds, Everton, Newcastle and Bolton, and scored a goal every six and a half matches.
Though he never eclipsed more than 10 in a single season, Speed and his 81 Premier League goals rank him among the top non-English scorers of all-time.
23. Craig Bellamy – 81 goals
The winger from Wales spent 12 seasons in the Premier League with Coventry City, Newcastle, Liverpool, West Ham, Manchester City and Cardiff City, scoring the majority of his league goals for the Magpies before retiring in 2014.
The Wales international scored 81 goals during his time in the Premier League, tied with Gary Speed for second-most by any Welshman.
22. Eden Hazard – 82 goals
Chelsea’s dazzling midfielder has asserted himself as one of the Premier League’s elite all-around talents during his seven seasons in England, and while his knack for finding the back of the net makes up only a portion of his dominance, it has become a crucial skill for Hazard.
The Belgian has tallied an average of nearly 12 goals per season in the top-flight and notched a career high 16 in 2016-17, a number he appears poised to approach once again this term.
With 82 goals and counting, Hazard remains one of the top foreign goal scorers the Premier League has ever seen.
21. Louis Saha – 84 goals
Saha spent 13 seasons in the Premier League with Newcastle, Fulham, Everton, Tottenham, Sunderland and most prominently Manchester United between 2001-2013.
The French forward won two league titles and a Champions League during his time at Old Trafford and left the Premier League in 2013 with 288 appearances to his name.
Saha scored 84 league goals during his career in England, more than all but two other Frenchmen.
20. Carlos Tevez – 84 goals
The Argentinian striker averaged 12 league goals a season over his seven years spent in England with West Ham, Manchester United and Manchester City.
Tevez’s most productive years came with City from 2009-11, when he netted 23 and 20 goals respectively in consecutive seasons.
Tevez’s post-Premier League years have included time in Italy, Argentina and China, but even six years removed from his final match in England, his 84 league goals keep him among the top foreign scorers in league history.
19. Cristiano Ronaldo – 84 goals
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner spent six seasons at Old Trafford and made his mark on England before leaving for Real Madrid in 2009.
Ronaldo brought home three league titles and his first Champions League victory with Manchester United, and his 31 goals scored in the league in 2007-2008 remains the club record for most in a 38-match season.
His legacy cemented by numbers and achievements racked up in Spain and now Italy, Ronaldo – and his 84 Premier League goals – still holds a place in Premier League history, too.
18. Fernando Torres – 85 goals
The Spanish striker hit the ground running with 24 goals in his first Premier League seasons and the scoring kept coming from there.
Torres netted 56 league goals over his first three seasons in England with Liverpool, and later took home a Champions League title with Chelsea in 2012.
Torres’ scoring productivity faded during the latter half of his time in England, but few have had a more successful first three seasons in the league when the Spaniard scored 66 percent of his 85 Premier League goals.
17. Dennis Bergkamp – 87 goals
The 1993 Ballon d’Or runner-up played a vital role in Arsenal’s resurgence as a club in the mid-1990s and helped deliver the club three league titles and four FA Cups during his 11 seasons in England.
Bergkamp never scored more than 16 league goals in a single season for the Gunners, but his creativity on the pitch and the lethal combination he would later form with Thierry Henry elevated the club to its greatest heights.
The Dutchman retired following the 2005-2006 season and left Arsenal with 87 leagues goals.
16. Mark Viduka – 92 goals
The Australian forward spent nine seasons in the Premier League with Leeds, Newcastle and Middlesbrough, establishing himself as one of the top talents to ever come to the Premier League from down under.
Viduka left the Premier League in 2009 with 92 league goals.