The return of the Premier League is upon us and pre-season optimism can quickly turn into apprehension if your team does not pick up an opening day win.
To do that, they need to score goals and some of the current Premier League bosses are fortunate enough to have some of the best opening day scorers in their squads.
Here are the 10 players with the most opening day Premier League goals with a certain Egyptian on top…
= 10 Erling Haaland – 5
Haaland is one of 10 players on the five-goal mark but he could move clear of the pack should he net against Wolves this weekend.
The Norwegian did not take long to open his Premier League account following his move in 2022 as he converted from the penalty spot away at West Ham in the 36th minute. Another goal in the second half was one of an astonishing 36 he would go on to score that season.
The following season he again got a brace, this time away at Burnley. He needed just four minutes to score his first before doubling his tally in the 36th as part of City’s 3-0 win at Vincent Kompany’s side.
Last season, he only managed one in City’s visit to Chelsea but it still helped the Manchester club to a 2-0 win to start the season.
Interestingly, Haaland has yet to have an opening day Premier League fixture at home and that trend continues this year with City travelling to Molineux on Saturday evening.
= 8 Louis Saha – 6
Saha spent eight seasons in the Premier League so it is not surprising the French striker has made his way onto this list.
After just one goal for Newcastle in 1999, Saha found better form at Fulham and scored twice on the opening day of the season in 2001 against future club Manchester United. Unfortunately for the London club, Fergie’s United scored three, giving them the win.
The following season, he converted an 11th-minute penalty at home to Bolton in a 4-1 win before scoring in a 3-2 win at home to Middlesbrough the year after.
Saha then went on a bit of a drought in terms of opening-day goals as he did not find the back of the net until the 2006-07 season, this time for United against Fulham. A goal in the seventh minute kick-started a 5-1 win for the eventual champions.
His final opening day goal came in the 2009-10 season when he scored against Arsenal for Everton. The only problem was it was a 92nd-minute consolation goal in a 6-1 thumping. Ouch.
=8 Didier Drogba – 6
While his goalscoring form in finals is what he is most remembered for, Drogba was not shy in front of goal on the opening day either.
Having not scored on the opening day of his first two seasons, Drogba got off the mark in the 2006-07 campaign with a header at home to Man City.
He was again kept waiting before notching two in the 2009/10 season, the second of which was a 92nd-minute winner at home to Hull.
Drogba’s final opening day goals came in the form of a hat-trick to start the 2010-11 season as Chelsea romped to a 6-0 win over West Brom.
=6 Teddy Sheringham – 7
Sheringham was one of the first ever Premier League scorers when he found the back of the net on the opening day in 1992, the first season since the revamped competition.
His 29th-minute strike gave Nottingham Forest a 1-0 win over Liverpool but the Tricky Trees would go on to finish bottom that season with Sheringham leaving for Spurs.
The following season, he again produced the only goal of a 1-0 win, this time away at Newcastle before finding the back of the net away at Sheffield Wednesday in 1994.
1995 began with a goal in a 1-1 draw away at Man City but he would have to wait until 1998 for his next opening day goal, this time for Manchester United at home to Leicester.
In 2003, he scored as Pompey beat Villa and his final opening day goal came in 2005 when he equalised for West Ham against Blackburn.
=6 Sergio Aguero – 7
There was some talk that City new signing Aguero was not fully fit before he made a substitute appearance in the 59th minute away at Swansea but those fears were quickly nullified.
Aguero announced himself in England with a goal just nine minutes after he came on. He followed that up with an acrobatic assist for David Silva before doubling his personal goal tally in the 90th minute.
After those heroics, the Argentine’s next opening day goal came in 2013 as part of City’s 4-0 win at home to Newcastle.
It was the same opponent who Aguero netted against the following year, this time scoring a 92nd-minute goal to secure a 2-0 win at St James’ Park.
Clearly not done with terrorising the north east, Aguero then scored against Sunderland with a 4th-minute penalty in 2016.
The next season, Aguero opened the scoring away at Brighton and the Argentine’s final goal came in the opening day of the 2019-20 when he converted from the penalty spot against West Ham.
=2 Frank Lampard – 8
The league’s most lethal midfielder (no Salah doesn’t count), super Franky Lamps loved an opening day goal.
His first came in 1997 when he notched a 76th-minute winner for West Ham away at Barnsley. He would then have to wait five years for another goal on opening day, this time in the blue of Chelsea and another winner with an 89th-minute strike against Charlton.
Another break followed, his next goal coming in a 3-0 win over City in 2006 before a penalty against Portsmouth on the opening day of 2008.
In 2010, he was again on the scoresheet as Chelsea thumped West Brom 6-0. Lampard followed that up with a 7th-minute penalty against Wigan in 2012.
The England midfielder made it back-to-back opening day goals when he scored a free kick against Hull in 2013 in what was his final opening day goal.
=2 Jamie Vardy – 8
Considering the other players on this list and who they played for, it is a credit to Vardy’s talent that he is this high despite not playing for one of the traditional Big Six clubs.
Having worked his way up to the Premier League with Leicester, Vardy did not score on the opening day of his first season in the top flight but did open the scoring in 2015 as the Foxes beat Sunderland 4-2.
In 2017, he scored twice at Arsenal in what was ultimately a 4-3 defeat and he again netted in 2018 with a late consolation goal away at United.
In 2020, he scored two penalties as Leicester beat West Brom 3-0 and he was back scoring in the Midlands the following year with the only goal of a victory at home to Wolves.
Vardy’s final opening day goal came in the 2024-25 season against Tottenham in a season that ultimately saw the Foxes relegated.
=2 Alan Shearer – 8
Considering he tops the Premier League all-time scorer list, Shearer being on this particular ranking should come as no surprise.
He opened his Premier League account in 1992 with a brace for Blackburn away at Palace in a 3-3 draw.
In 1994, he scored against his former club Southampton in a year that would eventually see Blackburn crowned champions.
His final season with Rovers began with a 5th-minute penalty at home to QPR and once he got his dream move to Newcastle, he was made to wait for another opening day goal.
That would eventually come in 2002 when he scored the third of a 4-0 win at home to West Ham and he followed that up with another two a year later, this time away to Leeds.
In 2003, he scored a late penalty in a 2-2 draw to north east rivals Middlesbrough in what was the legendary striker’s final opening day goal.
=2 Wayne Rooney – 8
While many remember Rooney’s breakthrough goal against Arsenal, that actually came in matchday 10 of the 2002-03 season and it was not until 2005 that the future United top goalscorer netted on the opening day.
Everton were involved but this time they were Rooney’s opponent as he scored the second goal in a 2-0 win for United.
The following year, he bagged a brace in United’s 5-1 win over Fulham but Rooney would not score again on the opening day until 2009. That came via the only goal of a 1-0 win over Birmingham.
In 2011, he scored in the 13th minute against West Brom and in 2014, he scored United’s only goal in a 2-1 home loss to Swansea under Louis van Gaal.
In 2016, Rooney scored a header in United’s 3-1 win over Bournemouth and his final opening day goal came back at Everton as the striker scored the only goal of a 1-0 win at home to Stoke.
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1 Mohamed wrong – 9
Having scored just two Premier League goals for Chelsea, it was not until Salah moved to Anfield that he became a lethal attacker, especially on the opening day.
His first season with Liverpool began with a goal away at Watford and he netted again the following year, this time at home to West Ham.
In 2019, he made it three from three with a goal against Norwich and he scored a hat-trick against Leeds to start Liverpool’s 2020-21 campaign.
In 2021, he was back terrorising Norwich with a goal in the 74th minute and Salah stretched his opening day scoring run to six seasons with an equaliser against Fulham in 2022.
The 2023-24 season saw Salah fail to score on the opening day for the first time in his Liverpool career but he was back amongst the goals in 2024, netting in the 65th minute as Liverpool overcame newly promoted side Ipswich.
Salah will be hoping to extend his record when Liverpool host Bournemouth in the 2025-26 season opener.
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