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The Premier League hasn't been kind to players at festivals since the beginning. While the majority of leagues in Europe make sure their players enjoy the festive season, the Premier League provides them with Boxing Day.
However, it has been an entertaining period for all the football fans for years now. The players take out their disrupted Christmas frustration the next day and provide fans with a goal galore game week.
Although we are discussing the Premier League, the 1963 Division One season has to be mentioned. Boxing Day that year produced 66 goals in 10 fixtures, which has now become a historic discussion during this time of the year.
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The 2021-22 Premier League season had the potential for something similar, but the postponed fixtures due to Covid-19 shattered the possibilities of that happening.
It is also fair to say that there are a few players who enjoy this time of the year. There are many players who have scored plenty during this period. However, we will only be looking at the five players who rank at the top with the most goals on Boxing Day.
#5 Thierry Henry - 7
All-time Arsenal top-scorer (228 goals) Thierry Henry is undoubtedly one of the best to have played for the Gunners and the Premier League. Henry struggled at Juventus before Arsenal approached him in 1999. His fortunes turned right away and he helped Arsenal during their most successful decade.
The Frenchman was the club's top scorer every single season and stacked a total of 175 Premier League goals in the process. In his first season with the club, Henry scored 17 league goals, but his performance on Boxing Day was a special one.
He joined an elite group of six who scored a hat-trick on Boxing Day when Arsenal thrashed Leicester City 6-1 in 2000. He also provided two assists the same day he scored his first hat-trick. His contributions that day made him the only player with five-goal involvement on Premier League Boxing Day.
#4 Alan Shearer - 8
Alan Shearer is a Premier League legend and is also one of the most talented strikers of his time. With 260 league goals, he also holds the title as the highest scorer in the competition.
Although the majority of his career was spent at Newcastle United, it was at Blackburn Rovers that he began his Premier League journey. It was also with Rovers that he started his Boxing Day quota.
Manchester City were the unlucky side to face his wrath on two occasions. Rovers faced City in 1994 and 1995 on Boxing Day. In both meetings, the Lancashire outfit emerged victorious with Shearer scoring in both of them. He further added six more in 10 years after joining Newcastle United.
#3 Robbie Keane - 8
Robbie Keane scored the same number of goals as Alan Shearer in Premier League's Boxing Day history. However, he ranks higher as he achieved the feat in nine matches, two less than Shearer.
Keane is a versatile forward who has also had a versatile career. Starting his career at Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1997 to playing for multiple English and non-European clubs, the Irish forward had a diversified journey. But it was at Tottenham Hotspur that he played the most, making 306 appearances.
A few years before joining the Lilywhites, Keane played for Coventry City, which was where he discovered his love for Boxing Day goals. His first came against an Arsenal side that was considered the strongest in the Premier League at the time. Keane's contribution played a major role in upsetting the Premier League giants with a scoreline of 3-2 in 1999.
#2 Robbie Fowler - 9
Robbie Fowler adored this day more than the children who love Christmas. Such was his love for Boxing Day fixtures. He showed his affection for the day during his 14-season stint in the Premier League by scoring nine goals.
While leaving home early during the festive period is tough, Fowler did not find it troublesome. In fact, he preferred to travel further away and his seven goals away from home proved why he is the best Boxing Day scorer.
The English forward made 379 appearances in the Premier League for Liverpool and earned 'legend' status at the club. He also played for Leeds United and Manchester City but those spells weren't effective as injuries got the better of him. He did return to Anfield in 2006 after the failed moves, only to be benched most of the time.
#1 Harry Kane - 9
The 28-year-old English striker got the better of Robbie Fowler when he scored his ninth Boxing Day goal against Crystal Palace on Sunday. Scoring almost every year since his first full Premier League season has helped him snatch the top spot from Fowler, who did it in 10 matches. He is one of the other six alongside Henry and Fowler to have scored a hat-trick during this period.
Harry Kane is one of the best strikers of this generation to play in the Premier League. He is currently the only player who can possibly surpass Alan Shearer's long-held record as he has already scored 170 goals.
This season has not been kind to the three-time Golden Boot winner. It started with a failed away move from Tottenham Hotspur to Manchester City. Kane is having the worst start with only four goals so far. However, his goal on Boxing Day might help him turn his luck around as he is slowly looking to get back on track under Antonio Conte.
