Top 5 strikers of the Premier League era

#3 Wayne Rooney (England, Manchester United and Everton)

Wayne Rooney

When Sir Alex Ferguson signed a young Englishman from Everton in the summer of 2004, a lot of eyebrows were raised. Manchester United paid a colossal fee for an 18-year-old, but it can be safely said that Wayne Rooney lived up to the expectations and the transfer fee.

The Englishman developed into a world-class talent under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson and became a club legend.

Rooney had already scored 17 goals from 77 appearances in all competitions for Everton, so he came with a reputation of a budding goalscorer. However, there was so much more to the Englishman's gameplay.

Rooney was a monster on the pitch - technically sound, tactically versatile and an extremely hard worker who would run all day for his team. He became a mainstay at Old Trafford and found a place in the United folklore with his gritty never-say-die attitude.

Despite carrying out a variety of roles for United and playing in different positions, the Englishman was still constantly among goals for the Red Devils.

When Rooney left United at the end of the 2016/17 season, he had a cabinet full of trophies and had scored 253 goals from 559 games for United, becoming United's all-time leading goalscorer. 183 of those goals were scored from 393 games in the Premier League.

Rooney played for Everton for one more season in the league and ended his association with the Premier League with 208 goals from 491 games in total. Only Alan Shearer has scored more goals than him in the league.