Manchester United top goalscorer from every Premier League season

Manchester United is one of the most flamboyant sides in the English Premier League. The club went under the radar for a while, only to script its history under Sir Alex Ferguson. Under the legendary manager, United won their first Premier League title in 1992/93. 

It was the club’s announcement of the Premier League era. The goals started to flow from the left, right, and center. A few signings fuelled the Red Devil’s ambition to become the best club in England.

The club won its last Premier League title in 2012/13, which was the last season of Alex Ferguson. Since then, it has been a rough time for the Red Devils, who have found it hard to win the Premier League with Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea strengthening their sides. 

Manchester United’s top goalscorer- A story!

In the first season of the Premier League era, Mark Hughes made it to the top of the list amongst the goalscorers at Old Trafford. He scored 15 goals in 41 games for the Old Trafford-based outfit. In the 1993/94 season, one of the best-ever signings for Manchester United and one of the top goalscorers, Eric Cantona, topped the charts. He scored 18 goals in 34 games and led Manchester United to the title.

In a bizarre 1994/95 season, where Manchester United was able to create history, it was Andrey Kanchelskis who topped the list of goalscorers in the English top-flight. The right midfielder scored 14 goals from 30 games and helped the team clinch the title.

In a season where Blackburn Rovers won the title with Alan Shearer winning the Golden Boot, Eric Cantona was Manchester United’s top goalscorer. He scored 14 goals from 30 games for the Old Trafford outfit. This was his penultimate season, and the player retired in his subsequent season at 30.

In the 1996/97 season, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the new signing, became the top goalscorer for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side. He scored 18 goals from 30+ games in the season. For the 1997/98 season, it was Andy Cole who shined for Manchester United. Seeing his fellow striker striking the gold, Dwight Yorke challenged himself to become the Manchester United top goalscorer. He went on to be the top goalscorer for an Old Trafford-based outfit, with him topping the charts twice. He was one of the crucial players in Manchester United’s treble-winning campaign.

For three consecutive seasons, from 2001/02 to 2003/04, Ruud van Nistelrooy topped the charts for Manchester United. He scored 15, 23, and 25 goals to help Manchester United dominate in England and Europe. He was considered a gamble signing as he suffered a horrific injury before the transfer.

In the next season, 2004/05, Red Devils’ new signing, Wayne Rooney, showed his capability of becoming a sensation. He topped the charts with 11 goals from 29 games. Then came the next three seasons when Cristiano Ronaldo shone and attracted European heavyweights like Real Madrid. The player scored 17,31,18 in the 2006/07, 2007/08, and 2008/09 seasons to help Manchester United to win all three titles. Before he departed, he also won the Champions League with Manchester United.

In the 2009/10 season, Wayne Rooney scored 26 goals from 32 games and became Manchester United’s top goalscorer. Dimitar Berbatov scored 20 goals in the next season to help Manchester United win the title. Despite Rooney’s best season in terms of goals in 2011/12 and being the top goalscorer for Manchester United, Manchester City clinched the title.

Sir Alex Ferguson wrapped up the deal for Robin van Persie ahead of his last season at Old Trafford. Robin van Persie scored 26 goals and helped the team to clinch the title. Sadly, that was the last PL title that Manchester United won. Since then, no Manchester United strikers or midfielders have reached the 20-goals-per-season mark in the English Premier League.

It was in 2019/20 when two players shared the podium for Manchester United. Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial became Manchester United’s top goalscorers with 17 goals from 31 and 32 games, respectively. In the 2020/21 season, Bruno Fernandes came agonizingly close to reaching the 20 goals mark with 18 goals from 37 games. And in 2021/22, Cristiano Ronaldo’s homecoming saw him finishing as the top scorer.

Who are the Manchester United top goalscorer seasons?

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