English Premier League: The Top 20 Goalscorers of All Time by Strike Rate

The English Premier League has been in existence since 1992. Since that time 20 players have managed to join what is called the Ton up Club for scoring 100 or more goals in the Premiership during their career.

With the top two scorers all-time separated by 73 tallies, it is a mountain of goal scoring giants to overtake in order to reach the pinnacle of the English game's elite.

Midfielders as well as strikers have managed the feat and no one can deny that some players could have done more if not for road bumps in their careers.

Alan Shearer's record at the top could be one of the hardest to ever beat, and currently, only one member of the club truly has a chance of catching him.

But is is not just the amount of goals overall that can be looked at as important. Some scorers were certainly more potent than others in front of the net and it yield some surprising results on who's the best striker in EPL history.

All of the information used for this slideshow can be found on the EPL's official Statistics page as we set off to rank the English Premier Leagues all time top scorers by strike rate since 1992.

20. Ryan Giggs

The all-time appearances leader for the English Premier League Ryan Giggs starts off our list in 20th.

In his growing record of 577 games played, the Manchester United midfield legend has notched 105 goals.

He currently is the 17th highest scorer in League history and is the only player in this ranking to have played in every single Premier League season since 1992.

Rate: 18.2% chance per game.

19. Paul Scholes

Another legendary Manchester United player, the recently retired Paul Scholes comes in at 19th.

The midfielder scored 102 goals in 465 career league games for the Red Devils and is 8th all-time in the EPL appearance rankings.

Rate: 21.9% per game.

18. Emile Heskey

Emile Heskey is the first player to have played for multiple clubs and make the list. During his time in the EPL, he has played for Leicester City, Liverpool, Birmingham City, Wigan Athletic and currently is under contract with Aston Villa.

He has currently played 492 career games scoring 110 goals.

Rate: 22.4% per game.

17. Frank Lampard

Chelsea's marauding and all-around brilliant midfielder Frank Lampard comes in next on the list.

He is the highest scoring midfielder of all-time with 140 goals in 496 career games. Lampard's likely to retain that title for some time unless Liverpool's Steven Gerrard puts his scoring boots to the test in the next five years, averaging at least 10 per season in the league.

Rate: 28.2% per game.

16. Dwight Yorke

Dwight Yorke retired from Sunderland following the 2008-09 season but is most famous for his time as a midfielder with Aston Villa and Manchester United.

He scored 123 goals in 375 career games between Aston Villa, Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City and Sunderland.

Rate: 32.8% per game.

15. Jermaine Defoe

At 28, Tottenham striker Jermaine Defoe is the second youngest of the players on the list and is one of five current forwards active in the EPL on the list.

Like Lampard, he is a graduate of the West Ham Youth Academy and has spend the rest of his playing career away from the Hammers, bouncing between Portsmouth and Tottenham.

Defoe is the most recent player to join the list scoring his 100th goal in the league on April 25, 2011. He currently has 103  in 313 career matches.

His most famous moment was November 22, 2009, when he scored one of the fastest hat tricks of all-time in just seven minutes against Wigan Athletic, before finishing with a ridiculous five goals in 36 minutes.

Rate: 32.9% per game.

14. Teddy Sheringham

The seventh all time leading scorer in the EPL is striker Teddy Sheringham. Having made a name for himself first at Nottingham Forest, he eventually would have two stints with Tottenham, and also play for Manchester United, Portsmouth and West Ham United.

Sheringham scored 147 goals in 419 career games and was named by our very own Neri Stein in Bleacher Report's 24 Best Teammate Partnerships in Soccer History, alongside former Spurs teammate Jurgen Klinsmen

Rate: 35.1% per game.

13. Nicolas Anelka

Chelsea forward Nicolas Anelka gets into the list in 13th and is the fifth active player on the list to be mentioned.

He has spent time with five clubs in the Premiership, starting with Arsenal before moving on to Liverpool, Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers and now on his longest serving stint with Chelsea.

Anelka has amassed 123 goals in 349 games of a career that has seen him score in every single season but his first.

Rate: 35.2% per game.

12. Dion Dublin

Dion Dublin retired from Norwich City, and could have been higher in the all-time charts, had he finished his career in the Premiership. During his time in the top flight, he played for Manchester United, Coventry City and Aston Villa.

He scored 111 goals in 312 career Premiership matches, ranking him 15th on the all-time list.

Rate: 35.6% per game.

11. Robbie Keane

Had he not endured several seasons of out of favor bench time due to managers, Keane might still be pushing up this list in England. However, he is now attempting to fire the LA Galaxy to the 2011 MLS Cup alongside David Beckham and Landon Donovan.

Keane has spent time at five separate Premiership sides starting with Coventry City then moving on the Leeds United, Tottenham, Liverpool and West Ham United.

A career that has seen ups and downs in all direction for Ireland's greatest forward has allowed him to collect 123 goals in 343 matches.

Rate: 35.9% per game.

10. Matthew Le Tissier

Southampton FC legend Matthew Le Tissier is the 20th all-time scorer in EPL history and is the lowest scoring member of the 100 plus goal club.

His exploits topped out at 101 goals in 270 top flight games which is the third least appearances for a player to reach over 100 goals. To do that as a midfielder is a feat in and of itself.

Rate: 37.4% per game.

9. Les Ferdinand

Tied as the fifth all-time leading scorer, Les Ferdinand's career spans 351 top flight matches with seven clubs.

He began with Queens Park Rangers before joining Newcastle United, Tottenham, West Ham United, Leicester City and Bolton Wanderers.

During his EPL time, he scored 149 goals and shares that milestone currently with Manchester United's Michael Owen, who should surpass him at some point if Sir Alex Ferguson will give him a chance.

Rate: 42.5% per game.

8. Robbie Fowler

The Liverpool player that backed the Dockers enters the list as the Reds most prolific scorer in the top flight as far as total career goals scored. However, he is not the Red with the highest career EPL strike rate.

Fowler played in 378 career EPL Games between three stints at Liverpool and Leeds United, two terms at Manchester City and his final term in England's top flight with Blackburn Rovers. He is famous for scoring the fastest hat trick in both the Reds and the Premiership's history, completing it in just four minutes and 32 seconds against Arsenal in 1994.

Rate: 43.1% per game.

7. Wayne Rooney

The youngest player on the list and most likely to have a shot at knocking Alan Shearer off the top of the charts currently is Manchester United's Wayne Rooney. The 25 year-old is well on pace to have the most goals all-time in the EPL.

Rooney averages 14.5 goals per season in the league with United and that would have him eclipsing Shearer at the age of 35. So far he has 126 goals in 289 career games between Everton and Manchester United.

Rate: 43.6% per game.

6. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is the only Dutchman to rank in the top 20 of the EPL's scoring charts. He is also the only player on the charts to represent both Charlton and Middlesbrough.

In 288 career games, the masterful Dutchman scored 127 goals including a belter recently ranked in Bleacher Report's World Football Free Kicks: 12 of the Fastest All Time.

During his nine competitive seasons in the top flight Hasselbaink played for Leeds United, Chelsea, Middlesbrough and Charlton.

Rate: 44.1% per game.

5. Andrew Cole

The second all-time leading scorer in the EPL's history is Andrew Cole. While he earned the most acclaim when he put on the kit of Manchester United, he played for seven different top flight clubs.

Cole began his career with Newcastle United before moving to Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Fulham, Manchester City, Portsmouth and Sunderland.

A 17-year career in the Premiership saw him score 187 goals in 414 appearances.

Rate: 45.2% per game.

4. Michael Owen

Once considered to have had the chance to be one of the greatest Reds of all time, Michael Owen still has managed to be tied for the fifth highest goal scorer in the EPL's history.

Since leaving Liverpool, he has only scored a double-digit goal tally one time in the league, which he achieved during his Newcastle United days after returning from Real Madrid.

He now is a dedicated reserve or cup tie player for Manchester United having netted a brace just this past week against Leeds.

Rate: 46.9% per game.

3. Ian Wright

Ian Wright is the 14th highest all time goal scorer, but he raced to that total in only seven top flight seasons, six with Arsenal and one with West Ham United.

He only played in 213 career games, but netted 113 goals in that time, making him one of only three players in the top 20 to average a goal every other game.

Rate: 53.1% per game.

2. Alan Shearer

The greatest striker in the history of the Premier League, and possibly all of England, is Newcastle United Legend and Geordie Hero Alan Shearer. Only 20 men have scored over 100 goals, but only Shearer has scored more than 200.

Shearer made a run for 300 before topping out at 260 career goals in 441 games between Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United. I could go on about the player but his legend speaks for itself.

However, despite his record, he is not the deadliest scorer in the Ton-Up club

Rate: 59.0% per game.

1. Thierry Henry

The third all time scorer in the EPL's history is former Arsenal great Thierry Henry. The Frenchman is the only member of the top 20 to represent his country in England's 100 plus goal scorers club.

Henry is nearly 10 percent more likely to score in a game than his next best opponent, Alan Shearer. France's greatest striker to play on English soil scored 174 league goals for Arsenal in 254 games.

No player has proven to be more deadly in the top flight and it is no wonder Premier League defenses were happy to see him part ways with the Gunners and head to Barcelona.

Rate: 68.5% per game.