Gamers with essentially the most opening-day Premier League targets

The Premier League has witnessed some blockbuster opening-day fixtures, however which gamers have contributed essentially the most targets within the season’s first recreation?

FootballFanCast has regarded on the 9 gamers who’ve scored extra instances than anybody else within the Premier League’s opening-day fixtures.

For this checklist, we now have listed the gamers who’ve scored essentially the most instances on the primary matchday, with the variety of video games scored in and opening-day appearances used as a tiebreaker.

All stats appropriate as of fifteenth August 2024.

9

Didier Drogba

6 targets

Didier Drogba’s arrival in west London marked the start of a brand new period.

He was one of many many summer time signings made by newly appointed Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho in 2004 in a recruitment drive led by Roman Abramovich that additionally noticed the likes of Petr Cech, Arjen Robben and Ricardo Carvalho be part of the membership.

Drogba turned a key participant for Mourinho and Chelsea, serving to them to win the Premier League for the primary time in 50 years throughout his first season on the membership. He additionally had a knack for scoring vital targets, particularly on the opening day of the season.

In August 2006, Drogba’s purpose capped off a convincing 3-0 win over Manchester Metropolis. Three years later, his injury-time winner in opposition to Hull Metropolis handed new Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti a victorious first recreation in cost. In 2010, Drogba’s 23-minute hat-trick in opposition to West Brom in a 6-0 thrashing bought the champions’ defence off to the proper begin.

Drogba had the power to carry out on the grandest levels, and his Premier League legacy, which included 4 titles and two Golden Boots, will likely be remembered endlessly.

8

Louis Saha

6 targets

A younger Louis Saha spearheaded a newly remodeled Fulham to Premier League promotion following his arrival from Metz for £2.1m in June 2000.

And it was right here when the prolific Frenchman actually made a reputation for himself in Fulham’s inaugural top-flight season.

Saha had scored 27 targets the earlier marketing campaign to complete because the league’s prime scorer, and it was his partnership with Barry Hayles that enabled Fulham to succeed in a then-record of 101 factors and achieve promotion.

Though his aspect finally fell 3-2 to Manchester United – which was hardly something to be ashamed of within the noughties – Saha scored his first Premier League purpose for Fulham on the opening day of the 2001/02 season.

A brace, which included a neat dink over Man United goalkeeper Fabien Barthez, had Fulham forward twice with early targets in every half, cementing Saha’s identify within the annals of the English prime flight.

Saha received his solely profession Participant of the Month award that August, and you can argue his efficiency at Outdated Trafford that day was virtually an audition, as he later went on to signal for Sir Alex Ferguson’s aspect in January 2004 for £12.8m.

In a largely injury-ridden profession, Saha went on to attain 85 targets in 289 Premier League appearances and raise the trophy in 2007 and 2008.

He additionally scored the quickest purpose in FA Cup closing historical past after 25 seconds in Might 2009 – a report surpassed by Ilkay Gundogan 14 years later.

7

Jamie Vardy

7 targets

Jamie Vardy will arguably go down as one of many Premier League’s most medical finishers, and he definitely made essentially the most of his pure ending talents within the first recreation of quite a few seasons.

Vardy is one other member of the 100 membership to seem on this checklist, having scored 136 targets in 307 appearances for Leicester Metropolis, who he has performed for since 2012.

In what turned out to be a record-breaking season for Vardy, he first scored on the opening day of the 2015/16 Premier League season in opposition to Sunderland in a 4-2 win on the King Energy Stadium.

That very same marketing campaign, Vardy set a brand new report by scoring in 11 consecutive matches – surpassing Ruud van Nistelrooy’s 2003 report of 10 straight video games with a purpose. In fact, Leicester additionally received the Premier League having been given odds of 5000/1 by bookmakers to raise the trophy firstly of the season.

Vardy’s brace wasn’t sufficient for Leicester within the first recreation of the 2017/18 season, as his aspect narrowly misplaced to Arsenal in a seven-goal thriller on the Emirates. The next 12 months, it was Man United who confronted the Englishman’s prowess on the opening day.

The striker went to attain consecutive opening-day targets in opposition to Midlands golf equipment West Brom in September 2020 and Wolverhampton Wanderers in August 2021.

Vardy has the chance to climb this specific checklist when the Foxes tackle Spurs within the first recreation of the 2024/25 season. Having scored on extra opening days than he hasn’t, there’s each likelihood he’ll have his say one way or the other when Ange Postecoglou’s aspect visits the King Energy beneath the Monday evening lights.

6

Sergio Aguero

7 targets

Sergio Aguero’s Premier League legacy will in the end be remembered for his contribution in a specific closing recreation of the season, however he was additionally prolific in entrance of purpose at first of many others.

After signing for Manchester Metropolis from Atletico Madrid for £38 million in July 2011, it didn’t take lengthy for Aguero to place his identify on the scoresheet, as he bagged a brace one month after placing pen to paper on his debut in a 4-0 win over Swansea Metropolis.

The Argentinian continued his opening-day success when he scored Man Metropolis’s first in opposition to Newcastle United in 2013. One 12 months later, the north-east membership had been on the receiving finish once more, as Aguero added to David Silva’s Thirty eighth-minute strike at St James’ Park within the first recreation of the 2014/15 marketing campaign.

Aguero went on to attain opening-day targets in opposition to Sunderland, Brighton and West Ham in 2016, 2017 and 2019 respectively. Throughout his time at Man Metropolis, he lifted the Premier League trophy 5 instances and scored a formidable 184 targets in 275 appearances for the membership.

5

Teddy Sheringham

7 targets

Teddy Sheringham’s illustrious Premier League profession spanned from its inception in 1992 till 2007, when he was launched by West Ham aged 40.

He made a mind-blowing 418 appearances within the Premier League, profitable the inaugural Golden Boot and lifting the trophy on three successive events with Manchester United between 1999 and 2001.

Sheringham initially rose to prominence at Tottenham Hotspur, the place he made a mixed 236 appearances for the membership, with over 100 appearances for Man United sandwiched in between.

He set a precedent for skilled footballers to take care of the best degree of efficiency nicely into their thirties by frequently scoring targets week after week.

Sheringham was named PFA Gamers’ Participant of the Yr in 2001, aged 35, after a exceptional season with Man United which noticed him bag 15 targets in 29 appearances.

By way of opening days, the London-born striker at all times appeared to seize a purpose, whether or not that be in Spurs’ 4-3 away win at Hillsborough in 1994, or when he scored the primary purpose in Portsmouth’s 2-1 win over Aston Villa at Fratton Park.

His tally of 146 targets locations him forward of the likes of Robin van Persie, Jamie Vardy and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink within the checklist of all-time Premier League prime goalscorers.

4

Alan Shearer

8 targets

Alan Shearer holds the all-time report for essentially the most Premier League targets scored, which suggests he was certain to have scored a few of his 260 targets on the opening day of the season.

With Harry Kane now at Bayern Munich, it may imply the Newcastle United man holds onto the report for even longer than he ever would have anticipated.

Shearer spent 4 years at Southampton and Blackburn Rovers, earlier than shifting to Newcastle in 1996 for a then-record payment of £15 million. He lifted the Premier League title with Blackburn in 1995, scoring 34 targets alongside fellow striker Chris Sutton, who added 15 of his personal that season.

That was Shearer’s first of three consecutive Golden Boots that he received, scoring 34 targets the next season in what was a 42-match season, earlier than bagging 31 the subsequent, within the extra recognisable 38-game format.

It was two seasons earlier than his first Golden Boot-winning season that Shearer had arguably his greatest opening day success, as he scored two stunners from exterior the field in opposition to Crystal Palace in 1992.

Shearer scored 206 targets at his boyhood membership Newcastle throughout the last decade he spent there and retired as their all-time main scorer.

3

Mohamed Salah

8 targets

Nobody may ever have predicted the impression that Mohamed Salah would have at Liverpool upon his arrival from AS Roma for £34 million in June 2017.

The 25-year-old shortly established himself as one of many Premier League’s most prolific goalscorers after scoring on his league debut in opposition to Watford in a 3-3 draw on the opening day of the 2017/18 season.

Salah continued this streak the next season in opposition to West Ham in a 4-0 win at Anfield and proceeded to attain a purpose on the opening day of each Premier League season till he didn’t internet in opposition to Chelsea in 2023. This locations him above Shearer right here, who fired a clean on the opening day on 5 separate events.

The Egyptian’s spectacular run included a 4-1 residence win over Norwich Metropolis in 2019, a hat-trick in entrance of an empty stadium in opposition to Leeds in 2020, in addition to strikes in opposition to the Canaries as soon as once more in 2021 and away at Fulham in 2022.

Salah has received the Golden Boot 3 times at Liverpool and was instrumental in his membership’s first league title in 30 years, amongst different main honours, together with a Champions League in 2019.

The Reds winger will likely be hoping to open his account on day one as soon as once more when Liverpool journey to Ipswich for the primary Saturday lunchtime kick-off of the brand new season.

2

Wayne Rooney

8 targets

A 16-year-old Wayne Rooney introduced himself to the Premier League when he scored a long-range stunner for Everton in opposition to Arsenal at Goodison Park in 2002.

Two years later, Rooney signed for Man United on a six-year contract beneath Sir Alex Ferguson, and would go on to finish among the best careers ever seen in Premier League historical past.

Rooney was heading in the right direction in opposition to his former membership in 2005 and made it back-to-back opening-day targets in Man United’s 5-1 thrashing over Fulham the next season. He then scored the one purpose in opposition to Birmingham Metropolis in 2009 and continued this pattern in opposition to Swansea Metropolis and Bournemouth in 2014 and 2015 respectively.

With 208 targets in 491 appearances, Rooney is the third-highest Premier League goalscorer of all time, behind Shearer and Harry Kane. He lifted the top-flight trophy 5 instances and received the 2009/10 Participant of the Season.

1

Frank Lampard

8 targets

Broadly considered among the best midfielders of his technology, Frank Lampard had a pure eye for purpose.

Many individuals neglect, however Lampard had already performed practically 4 full seasons within the Premier League earlier than his transfer from West Ham to Chelsea in 2001, opening his account on day one on two events.

But it surely was at Chelsea as a 22-year-old the place Lampard launched into his journey to grow to be one of many biggest midfielders the Premier League has ever seen.

Lampard scored his first opening-day Premier League purpose in blue throughout a 3-2 win at The Valley in opposition to Charlton Athletic in August 2002. He subsequent scored on the primary day of the season in a 3-0 win over Man Metropolis 4 years later, earlier than including to his spectacular report in opposition to Portsmouth in 2008.

West Brom, Wigan Athletic and Hull Metropolis additionally fell sufferer to Lampard’s opening-day goalscoring prowess.

The long-lasting Chelsea No 8 would go on to attain 177 targets in his 609 Premier League appearances, making him the highest-scoring midfielder within the division’s historical past.

He has additionally scored on the best variety of opening matchday with eight – two greater than Salah and yet one more than Rooney. However with the Liverpool star nonetheless match and firing, he could possibly be wanting nervously over his shoulder because the Egyptian strains up a report ninth opening-day purpose.