Often hailed as one of the most prestigious honours in the history of football, the Premier League Golden Boot is an annual award handed to the top goalscorers in England’s Premier League. Often popularly hailed as the highest level of the English football league system, the Premier League was initially founded as the FA Premier League on 20 February 1992. The glorious history of the Premier League, which spans over decades, has witnessed numerous legendary goal scorers, including Alan Shearer, Harry Kane, Wayne Rooney, Andrew Cole and many others who have revolutionised the history of the league with their dominating performances on the field.
Shockingly, a few of these trailblazing football stalwarts have failed to clinch the prestigious Premier League Golden Boot award despite their match-winning performances throughout their star-studded professional football careers so far. Have you ever wondered about the legendary football players who never succeeded in clinching the Premier League Golden Boot award despite their unmatched exploits on the field? Well, let’s find out.
In this article we will take a look at the top four legendary football players who never won a Premier League Golden Boot award even once in their careers.
Top 4 Legendary Footballers Who Never Won a Premier League Golden Boot
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Wayne Rooney
The legendary English former professional football player and manager, Wayne Rooney, is at the first spot in our list of the top four football players who have never clinched a Premier League Golden Boot even once in their careers. Often regarded as one of the greatest football players of all-time, Wayne Rooney was the record goalscorer for the England national team from 2015 to 2023, speaking volumes about his dominance of the game.
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Additionally, Wayne Rooney also established himself as the third-highest goalscorer in the history of the Premier League with a total of 208 goals. The trailblazing English former footballer and Manchester United’s all-time leading scorer, Wayne Rooney, undoubtedly witnessed one of the most successful careers in the history of the Premier League. Shockingly, despite his dominating performances, Wayne Rooney failed to win even a single Premier League Golden Boot award in his otherwise glorious professional football career.
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Diego Costa
At the second spot in our list of the top four legendary football players who have never won a Premier League Golden Boot award, even once in their careers, we have the iconic professional football player Diego Costa, who represented Brazil (2013) and Spain (2014-2018) at an international level. Diego Costa, often regarded as one of the greatest strikers in the history of the game, scored a record total of 52 goals in the Premier League, provided sixteen assists and also clinched two Premier League titles (2014–15 and 2016–17), making him one of the most successful football players to ever appear in the decades long history of the England’s Premier League.
Although Diego Costa delivered numerous match-winning performances for Chelsea FC in the Premier League throughout his glorious career, he was unfortunately never honoured with the prestigious Premier League Golden Boot award, ranking him at the second spot in our list.
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Robbie Fowler
Next, at the third spot on our list of the top four football players who have never clinched a Premier League Golden Boot even once in their careers, we have the current English football coach and former English professional football player Robbie Fowler, who recently managed Saudi First Division League side Al-Qadsiah. Often hailed as one of the greatest strikers of all-time, Robbie Fowler, often popularly referred to as “God”, made a record total of 379 appearances in the Premier League and scored a phenomenal total of 163 league goals.
Robbie Fowler earned enormous praise and recognition from millions of football aficionados from all over the world for scoring a record total of 28 goals in the 1995-96 season. Despite attracting enormous attention from the hardcore fans of the Premier League and delivering numerous sensational performances throughout his career, Robbie Fowler failed to clinch the coveted Premier League Golden Boot award even once in his career, ranking him at the third spot in our list.
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Frank Lampard
Finally, at the fourth spot in our list of the top four legendary football players who have never won a Premier League Golden Boot award even once in their careers, we have the English football manager and former midfielder Frank Lampard, who currently manages EFL Championship club Coventry City. Often regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all-time, Frank Lampard continues to hold the record for scoring the highest number of Premier League goals, i.e. 177, speaking volumes about his unmatched dominance in the game.
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The legendary box-to-box midfielder, Frank Lampard, appeared in a record total of 609 Premier League matches and also provided a record total of 102 assists throughout his star-studded career. Additionally, as of 2025, Frank Lampard continues to be the only midfielder in the world to score over 150 goals in the history of the Premier League. Unfortunately, despite his dominant performances in the Premier League throughout his career, Frank Lampard was never honoured with the coveted Premier League Golden Boot award, ranking him at the fourth spot on our list.
