In 1888, England’s football League came into being and ever since a player has been recognised each year for the highest number of goals scored in the League, First Division or Premier League. The first was John Goodall of Preston North End, with 21 goals, the most recent Carlos Tevez and Dimitar Berbatov, with 21 each. The football League’s top scorer was Dixie Dean of Everton, in 1927/28, with an impressive tally of 60 goals.
The list of winners reads like a Who’s Who of English football, with notable winners including Bert Freeman of Everton, Jack Bowers of Derby County, Ronnie Allen of West Bromwich Albion, Jimmy Greaves, George Best, Andy Gray, Kevin Keegan, Ian Rush, Gary Linekar, Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry, Ronaldo, Berbatov and Tevez.
Mark Metcalf and Tony Matthews tell the story of each player, through the seasons, giving us an insight into the Golden Boot from the start of the League back in 1888 all the way to the 2010/11 season.
