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Chris Wright, Toe Poke author
Just one man now stands between Harry Kane and the all-time Premier League goal-scoring file after the Tottenham Hotspur striker scored his 209th top-flight purpose in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace to go previous Wayne Rooney into second place outright.
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England captain Kane, 29, continues to be 51 objectives behind former Three Lions skipper Alan Shearer, who has occupied the highest rung on the ladder for almost twenty years.
Shearer retired in 2006 having scored 260 objectives in 441 Premier League video games throughout his four-year stint at Blackburn Rovers, the place he received the title in 1994-95, and decade at hometown membership Newcastle United.
Shearer additionally claimed three Golden Boots over consecutive Premier League seasons between 1994-95 and 1996-97.
As solely the second participant to interrupt the 200-goal barrier in England’s prime flight because it turned the Premier League in 1992-93, Rooney had come closest to toppling Shearer. However, regardless of turning into Manchester United‘s all-time prime scorer over the course of his 13 years at Outdated Trafford, he was nonetheless 52 objectives behind by the point he scored the ultimate purpose of his Premier League profession throughout a swansong season with boyhood membership Everton in 2017-18.
If Kane continues his profession within the Premier League for one more few seasons, at Spurs or elsewhere, then it will appear solely a matter of time earlier than he overtakes Shearer. However that won’t put him on the summit of English league soccer’s goal-scoring charts — not by a good distance.
Shearer’s file (283 objectives)
Even when Kane matches Shearer’s Premier League file, the Spurs hero will nonetheless want so as to add 23 additional league objectives to his tally to equal Shearer’s total top-flight file. That’s the quantity of objectives Shearer scored in 118 video games for Southampton within the previous First Division, previous to the institution of the Premier League in 1992-93.
As such, Shearer’s total file within the English prime flight stands at 283 objectives in 559 video games scored between the 1987-88 and 2005-06 seasons, after which he was compelled to retire by way of harm on the age of 35.
The dangerous information for Kane is that even when he manages to attain the additional objectives required to beat each Shearer’s Premier League and First Division totals, he’ll nonetheless discover have a mountain to climb to change into the out-and-out prime purpose scorer in English top-flight historical past.
Certainly, the ultimate boss in Kane’s arduous quest to outscore all of them comes within the type of a fellow Tottenham legend — specifically the late, nice Jimmy Greaves.
English top-flight file (357 objectives)
Whereas Kane might have surpassed Greaves’ long-standing file purpose tally for Spurs (266 objectives in 379 video games in all competitions) to change into the membership’s all-time prime scorer in February, the 29-year-old nonetheless has some solution to go if he needs to interrupt Greaves’ astounding file in English soccer as a complete.
Famend as certainly one of England’s best pure purpose scorers, Greaves scored 357 objectives in 516 leagues video games throughout stints with London trio Chelsea, Spurs and West Ham United between 1957 and 1971 — greater than some other participant within the historical past of English top-flight soccer.
To spare you the psychological arithmetic, Kane wants to stay away 148 extra league objectives to attract stage with Greaves in that regard which is a few feat, even for him.
English soccer league file (434 objectives)
Even when Kane one way or the other beats Greaves over again, he’ll little doubt be horrified to study that he nonetheless will not be the person with essentially the most league objectives scored in English soccer outright — and worse nonetheless, it isn’t even shut.
Tacking on the smattering of league objectives Kane notched throughout his adolescence on mortgage at Leyton Orient (5), Millwall (seven), Norwich Metropolis (zero) and Leicester Metropolis (two), the Spurs striker can “solely” boast a present total whole of 223 objectives scored in English league soccer matches.
That leaves him a whopping 211 objectives shy of the last word English soccer league file held by Arthur Rowley, who scored 434 objectives in 619 video games for West Bromwich Albion (4 objectives), Fulham (27), Leicester (251) and Shrewsbury City (152) throughout an absurdly prolific profession between 1946 and 1965 performed within the prime three divisions.
The highly effective inside-forward completed his enjoying profession holding data for essentially the most league objectives scored in a single season at each Leicester (44 objectives in 1956-57) and Shrewsbury (38 objectives in 1958-59) earlier than finally shifting into administration, first with the Shrews and later at Sheffield United.
With Kane on 223 league objectives, the Spurs star wants to attain nearly as many once more between now and the tip of his profession to beat Rowley’s file. Over to you, Harry.