Let’s be honest. We all thought Alan Shearer’s record was safe forever. 260 goals is a mountain. It’s a decade and a half of relentless, bruising excellence in the hardest league in the world. But then a 6'4" Norwegian cyborg landed in Manchester, and suddenly, the math doesn't look so impossible anymore.
Erling Haaland is currently the best scorer Premier League fans have seen in terms of raw, unadulterated efficiency. As we sit here in January 2026, he’s already sitting on 20 goals for the 2025/26 season. He's making the Golden Boot race look like a foregone conclusion, yet again. It’s getting a bit ridiculous, isn't it?
The Haaland Tax: How the Race Looks Right Now
If you haven't been checking the tables lately, the gap is widening. Haaland has 20 goals in just 21 appearances this season. Behind him, Igor Thiago—who has been a revelation for Brentford—is chasing with 16. That’s a massive jump for Thiago, but it still feels like he's running a different race.
Further down the list, we see names like Antoine Semenyo and Dominic Calvert-Lewin. They’re having great seasons, but they aren't "Haaland" seasons. Even Mohamed Salah, who we basically expect to score 20+ every year, has had a quieter start by his astronomical standards, currently sitting on 4 goals as he adapts to a slightly different role under the post-Klopp era at Liverpool.
It’s not just the volume. It’s the way he does it.
I was watching the highlights from City's win over West Ham last month. Haaland scored twice, but it was his movement—that weird, ghost-like drifting behind defenders—that makes him the best scorer Premier League defenders have to deal with. He doesn't need to touch the ball for 89 minutes. Give him one look, and it's in the back of the net.
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The All-Time Mount Rushmore
When we talk about the "best scorer," we have to look at the history books. Numbers don't lie, even if they don't tell the whole story.
- Alan Shearer (260 goals): The king. The benchmark. He did it with Blackburn and Newcastle, mostly with defenders literally hanging off his shirt.
- Harry Kane (213 goals): The man who was supposed to break the record. He’s currently at Bayern Munich, and despite those 2026 release clause rumors, he seems happy in Germany.
- Wayne Rooney (208 goals): People forget how good Rooney was because he did so much else on the pitch.
- Mohamed Salah (190 goals): The only active player in the top five. He’s closing in on 200, which is just insane for a winger.
Haaland? He’s already cracked the top 35 all-time. He’s at 105 goals in only 118 games. That’s a goal-per-game ratio of nearly 0.9. To put that in perspective, Shearer’s ratio was 0.59. Henry was 0.68. Haaland is playing a different sport.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Golden Boot
Everyone thinks the "best scorer" is just about the person with the most goals. It’s not. It’s about game-state impact.
Think about it. Who would you rather have? A striker who scores a hat-trick in a 5-0 win against a relegated side, or the guy who scores one winning goal in four separate 1-0 games?
This is where the debate gets spicy. Critics (mostly rival fans on X, let’s be real) claim Haaland is a "tap-in merchant." They say he benefits from Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden feeding him on a silver platter. But if it were that easy, why hasn't every other City striker scored 36 goals in a season?
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The reality is that his "expected goals" (xG) is consistently lower than his actual output. He finishes chances that shouldn't be goals. That’s the definition of an elite finisher.
The Return of the King?
There’s a lot of chatter about Harry Kane. His contract at Bayern has a rumored release clause for the summer of 2026. If he comes back, the race for the all-time record is back on. Shearer has even joked about it, basically telling Kane to stay in Germany so his record stays safe. Honestly, I'd love to see it. Kane vs. Haaland for the next three years would be peak cinema.
Breaking Down the 2025/26 Stats
If you’re betting on the Golden Boot this year, here is the current state of play as of mid-January:
- Erling Haaland (Man City): 20 goals. He's the favorite, obviously.
- Igor Thiago (Brentford): 16 goals. The dark horse. He’s been clinical.
- Antoine Semenyo (Man City): 10 goals. Benefiting from the same system as Erling.
- Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds): 9 goals. Finding a second life at Leeds.
- Hugo Ekitiké (Liverpool): 8 goals. Starting to find his feet at Anfield.
It’s worth noting that Igor Thiago has scored 5 penalties, while Haaland has only scored 2. If you strip away the spot-kicks, the gap is even bigger.
Why This Matters for the Future
The Premier League is changing. We’ve moved away from the era of the "false nine" and back to the era of the monster #9. Clubs are desperate for that one guy who can guarantee 20 goals a season. Look at Manchester United—they spent big on Benjamin Sesko because they saw what Haaland was doing and realized they needed their own version.
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If Haaland stays healthy and stays in England, he hits 260 goals by the time he’s 30. That is a terrifying thought for every other club in the league.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts
If you're tracking the best scorer Premier League race this season, keep these three things in mind:
- Watch the injury reports: Haaland’s only real enemy is his own fitness. If he misses a month, the race opens up.
- Look at non-penalty goals: If you want to know who the best finisher actually is, look at who is scoring from open play. Igor Thiago is great, but five penalties inflate the numbers.
- Monitor the summer transfer window: If Kane returns or if a team like Arsenal finally lands a world-class striker, the 2026/27 season will be a bloodbath.
The record books are being rewritten in real-time. We’re lucky to be watching it. Whether you love City or hate them, you have to respect the sheer inevitability of what we’re seeing right now.
To keep track of this race, follow the official Premier League player stats pages which update after every matchday. Pay attention to the "Big Chances Missed" stat too; it often tells you who is due for a scoring outburst and who is just getting lucky.