The 10 highest scoring substitutes in Premier League history | OneFootball

Everyone loves a super sub, don’t they? And one thing is for sure, every team needs one - someone that revels in making a change when their side is in potential disarray. The most popular of the bunch is former Manchester United player and manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with the Norwegian’s knack for bagging as a substitute often being unfathomable. See the Red Devils' 1999 Champions League victory for example.

Coined ‘super subs’, many players do their best work coming off the substitutes' bench. Maybe it is in search of a late equaliser or for a player to spruce the game into life, their ability to change a game is a crucial part of any club’s make-up – and the same goes for the Premier League.

In a division known for its undying competitiveness, a goal is often make or break. The difference between relegation or surviving by the skin of your teeth, the difference between the top and bottom half of the table, the difference between winning the league and finishing just shy of the top spot.

Alongside Solskjaer, a lot of famed Premier League stars preferred to strut their stuff from the bench, when legs begin to tire, rather than from the off, when all 22 players are oozing energy. But who are, statistically speaking, the very best? Thanks to the folks over at Transfermarkt, who have crunched the numbers and provided a list of those who can be deemed prolific from the bench, GIVEMESPORT are here to give you a rundown of the top 10. When players are tied for goals, they have been separated by their assist record. Got it? Let's jump into the list then.

1 Jermain Defoe

24 goals

Known as a constant goal threat throughout his career in the Premier League, Jermain Defoe, the division's ninth-highest goalscorer of all time, can hold his head high when it comes to being a renowned super sub, too. The Englishman was subbed on 149 times for the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Bournemouth and Portsmouth and hit the back of the net 24 times – the most of any substitute in the storied history of the top flight.

Defoe, perhaps, has his longevity in the division to thank, but it would be remiss to disregard his potency – and his 163-goal tally is a testament to his brilliance. Perhaps overlooked as one of the league’s greatest-ever strikers, his status as the greatest super sub, on the basis of goals, will be a hard one to usurp.

2 Olivier Giroud

21 goals

Albeit not always utilised as a super sub, the enigmatic, yet underappreciated Frenchman was a lovable figure at both Arsenal and Chelsea. He did, however, adapt to the role like a duck to water when push came to shove. Arsène Wenger opted to use Alexis Sanchez – a winger by trade – centrally in Olivier Giroud’s final season in north London, which meant that 18 of his 29 appearances began with him on the sidelines.

Five of his goals from the bench in that campaign added to his overall haul of 21, which makes him the second-most prolific substitute in Premier League history. While his 2017 Puskas Award-winning goal against Crystal Palace springs to mind as the talisman’s best effort, many of his goals off the bench would’ve been just as crucial – if not more.

19 goals

Chicharito’s sole focus at Old Trafford was to make an impact from the bench – and that he did in emphatic fashion. Sir Alex Ferguson’s go-to man, Javier Hernandez was always on hand to produce a moment of magic and pinch a goal at the death or, as it is more commonly known, ‘Fergie Time’.

Spending five years with the 13-time Premier League champions, obviously, yielded plenty of silverware, but you sometimes have to sit and ponder: how crucial was Hernandez to their success? We’ll answer this one for you: very. Mexico’s all-time top goalscorer bulged the net on 19 occasions across 78 Red Devils substitute appearances at a rate of 0.24 per outing. Just phenomenal.

4 Nwankwo Kanu

17 goals

Starting off a trio of footballers with 17 goals is Premier League cult hero Nwankwo Kanu – an unforgettable icon of the game who is typically overlooked. The Nigerian, who played 197 times in an Arsenal strip, often had the (dis)pleasure of being their super sub thanks to Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp also being part of the Gunners fold and, understandably, ahead in the pecking order.

In 116 substitute appearances, Kanu contributed to 30 goals, with 17 of them coming in the form of a goal. His 13 assists cannot be disregarded, however, which goes to show how vital he was to their attack, albeit in the shape of a super sub.

5 Daniel Sturridge

17 goals

Daniel Sturridge once enjoyed an 11-game streak where he registered either a goal or an assist, but that is not what we are applauding him for today. Evidently a threat in the final third, that notion applied to his game even if he was called upon as a substitute.

The Englishman, now often seen on your television screens as a pundit, played for a quintet of Premier League sides in yesteryear but never really established himself as a nailed-on starter, especially at Manchester City or Chelsea. He became a more regular threat while at Liverpool, but spent the best part of his career in England on the bench and managed to net 17 goals in 98 appearances after coming off the bench.

6 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

17 goals

Despite being commonly known as one of the best super subs the Premier League has ever been witness to, the baby-faced assassin, Solskjaer, is only joint-fourth on the list of the most prolific substitutes. And with assists factored in too, he drops down to sixth.

He was, however, always capable of weighing in with a goal when coming off the bench. His most notable? Oh, just Manchester United’s Champions League-winning and treble-securing goal against Bayern Munich in the 1998/99 season. Not all of his goals were as noteworthy, however, but this hasn’t stopped him from becoming one of the most well-known super subs, one that scored 17 goals in just 84 appearances off the bench, in all corners of the globe.

7 Peter Crouch

16 goals

Despite never managing 15 goals in a solitary Premier League campaign, no one in their right mind would not consider Peter Crouch to be a true great of the English top tier. And that is, perhaps, thanks to his ability to flip a game’s fortunes on its head when managers opt for ‘Plan B’.

Introducing a substitute is perhaps a risky strategy when in need of a goal, but with the Englishman’s lanky stature and goalscoring prowess, it was always a risk worth taking, especially given Harry Kane took Crouch’s heading ability when building his perfect striker. Crouch scored 16 goals after coming off the bench 157 times in order to make an impact - not a bad tally at all.

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8 Victor Anichebe

14 goals

Perhaps a surprise name on this list considering that most of his Premier League appearances came for Everton, who are rarely seen as a team who yield ample goals, Victor Anichebe scored 14 goals in 107 substitute appearances. Considering he only bagged 27 goals in the top flight, having half of those come from him entering the fray as a substitute is worrying, yet, respectable.

The Nigerian talisman played 168 times for the Toffees, 63 times for West Bromwich Albion and 19 times for Sunderland – so to be included in this list is an achievement in itself. A rare part of their respective Plan A’s, Anichebe was always ready and raring to go if his manager needed someone to be the difference.

9 Danny Welbeck

14 goals

The only active Premier League player on the list and, as such, the only name that could climb up in the coming months. Danny Welbeck, despite being the fourteenth-most injured player in modern football, has – over the last couple of years - become a crucial cog in Roberto De Zerbi’s well-drilled Brighton & Hove Albion machine. But let’s not forget his duo of stints at Manchester United and Arsenal, despite him being unable to make waves and becoming their leading man at either outfit.

Goalscoring, while never ground-breaking, wasn’t the issue. It was the fact that both sides were studded with stars, which made breaking into the first team practically unfathomable unless you were a true world beater. The 42-cap England international has still enjoyed an amicable career in England, however, and his 14 goals from 126 substitute appearances – as things stand – attests to that.

10 Edin Dzeko

13 goals

Edin Dzeko may have racked up the fewest number of appearances as a substitute on this list, but his goalscoring record speaks for itself. Having been introduced as a substitute on 56 different occasions, the Bosnia and Hezergovina striker, who has played 133 times for his country, scored 13 goals, all while recording a further four assists for his teammates.

Granted, Dzeko was not the prettiest of footballers to watch and was best known for his goalscoring exploits – something that seemed to come like second nature. Many of his moments in a City shirt may be long and forgotten, but his cameo in his side’s 6-1 rout over arch-rivals Manchester United, which saw him bag a brace, will long live in their memory.