Top 5 players who scored the most Premier League goals in a calendar year

No, we're not talking about players who won the Premier League Golden Boot. That award goes to players who score the most number of goals in a season.

This concerns players who scored the most goals from January to December - spread across two halves of different seasons. It's not easy sustaining that same form over two different seasons but these strikers managed to do just that.

So without further ado, who makes the top five?

---

#5 Ruud van Nistelrooy (Manchester United)

Year: 2003

Goals: 30

Games: 34

2003 was arguably the highlight of Ruud van Nistelrooy's career at Manchester United. The Dutch striker had ended the 2002/03 season with 25 goals - allowing him to beat Thierry Henry to the Golden Boot with a goal on the final day of the season.

The most memorable of the lot was probably his hat-trick against Fulham and a brace against Liverpool in the title-winning campaign.

Nistelrooy scored at least once for the Red Devils in the final eight games of the season as they overhauled Arsenal towards the end to win the title without losing a game in the second half of the season.

When he scored in the first two games of the 2003/04 season, he set a new record as it was the 10th consecutive game he had found the back of the net.

It was a record that stood for more than a decade until Jamie Vardy broke it in Leicester City's remarkable title-winning campaign.

#4 Thierry Henry (Arsenal)

Thierry Henry celebrates his solo goal against Liverpool

Year: 2004

Goals: 34

Games: 39

Just as Nistelrooy dominated the Premier League in 2003, his arch-rival Thierry Henry did the honours a year later as Manchester United and Arsenal traded blows in the title race.

However, 2003/04 was Arsenal's year and the Invincibles never fell below second place in the table. And Henry brought the fireworks in the second half of the season to win the Premier League Golden Boot.

The most memorable performance came against Liverpool when their unbeaten run was under threat and his second-half solo goal lifted the Gunners' spirits and ensured their title charge wasn't derailed.

The second half of 2004 saw Arsene Wenger's side extend their unbeaten run to 49 games until they lost at Old Trafford. But Henry continued to score goals to finish with 34 goals in the year. He would go on to win the Golden Boot yet again that season even though the Gunners failed to defend their title.

#3 Robin van Persie (Arsenal)

Robin van Persie grabbed a hat-trick at Stamford Bridge

Year: 2011

Goals: 35

Games: 35

If there ever was a moment in a player's career where he had finally arrived, it came in 2011 for Robin van Persie. Even though he had joined Arsenal while they were still at Highbury, it wasn't until years later (once he had recovered from numerous injuries) that his full potential was realised.

In fact, Van Persie had made his return from injury in the first game of the year, getting on the score sheet - his first goal of the season. He even managed to score 10 goals in six weeks - a league record for most goals scored in the first two months of a calendar year.

He never looked back.

Despite missing half the season to injury, he almost overhauled Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez in the Golden Boot race - falling just two goals short.

He continued his sublime form into the 2011/12 season. Taking on the captain's armband did not bother him one bit and it seemed to elevate his sense of responsibility. He was no longer the man with potential - he was the leader in a squad that desperately needed one following the exits of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri.

A hat-trick at Stamford Bridge in an intense 5-3 win over Chelsea was arguably the icing on the cake of a fantastic year as he finished with 35 goals in 2011.

#2 Alan Shearer (Blackburn Rovers)

Alan Shearer held the record for 22 years

Year: 1995

Goals: 36

Games: 42

Before Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge formed the SAS partnership at Liverpool, there was a pair that actually won something and made that name famous. Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton were in fine form in the 1994/95 season and it was their partnership that eventually saw Blackburn Rovers beat Manchester United to the title by a single point!

Shearer's run in 1995 kicked off with hat-tricks against West Ham and Ipswich Town in January. He had even managed to grab a brace against Arsenal as he went home with not only a Premier League winners' medal but also the Golden Boot.

The following season saw Blackburn struggle to attain the same heights of the previous campaign. They would end up finishing seventh but Shearer was the player who carried his team. Without him they might have been flirting with relegation.

Three hat-tricks in the second half of 1995 saw him eventually end with 36 goals. Many do not consider his tally as a record because the league has been reduced to 20 teams (38 games) but it was a record nonetheless which stood for 22 years.

#1 Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)

Harry Kane broke Shearer's record in the final game of 2017

Year: 2017

Goals: 39

Games: 36

Many expected Harry Kane to be a one-season wonder when he scored 21 league goals in the 2014/15 season aged just 21. But Kane has silenced his critics every year, only extending his tally every season so far (25 goals in 2015/16 and 29 goals in 2016/17).

Prior to the final game of 2017, Kane was level with Shearer on 36 goals and all eyes were on Wembley to see if he could be the player to finally break the record that had eluded so many Premier League legends before him.

A hat-trick against Southampton was the perfect script as Kane not only went past Shearer but also put the record out of reach for the foreseeable future - unless he breaks it himself.

Harry Kane: Ends 2017 having scored 56 competitive goals for club and country, more than any other player in Europe's top 5 leagues pic.twitter.com/XjWX0gBnwR

— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) December 26, 2017

Kane also became the first player to score back-to-back hat-tricks twice. He had put three past Burnley as well before the Saints game. In fact, it was his eighth hat-trick of 2017 (sixth in the league) - more than other top goalscorers Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Robert Lewandowski, Sergio Aguero, and Edinson Cavani combined!