The English Premier League has never had a shortage of quality creators and goalscorers. Since its facelift in 1992, some of the finest ball players in the world have given masterclasses by creating chances out of thin air. Legendary strikers have left our jaws on the floor by scoring astonishing goals. The Premier League has also seen a handful of players who can unselfishly set up teammates and apply an unstoppable finish when needed.
In the list below, we will pay homage to this exceptionally rare breed of versatile forwards. Read on to explore the top five players who have both scored and assisted in the highest number of Premier League matches. Let’s begin!
#5 Andrew Cole (Newcastle United, Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Fulham, Manchester City, and Portsmouth) – 28 Games
As the enormous heading suggests, Andrew Cole played for his fair share of clubs in the Premier League. He also managed to make his mark at all the aforementioned clubs, scoring a goal and providing an assist in 28 Premier League matches. Cole’s last double came for Portsmouth on Matchday 21 of the 2006-07 season. The former center-forward scored and provided an assist but Portsmouth still succumbed to a 3-2 loss to Bolton Wanderers.
Cole, a five-time English champion with Manchester United, played 414 league games in the English top flight, scoring 187 goals and providing 73 assists. He won the Golden Boot in 1993-94.
#4 Alan Shearer (Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United) – 31 Games
Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer scored a goal and provided an assist in 31 Premier League games in his illustrious career. Shearer’s last goal-assist combination arrived in on Matchday 17 of the 2005-06 season. His goal and assist proved crucial as Newcastle United secured a 4-2 victory away at West Ham United.
Shearer is a Premier League icon. He emerged as the division’s all-time top scorer, having scored 260 goals in 441 games — a record that remains unshaken to this day. The three-time Golden Boot winner also showed his creative side time and again, claiming 64 assists. Shearer only won the title once, with it coming at Blackburn Rovers in the 1994-95 season. He also won the Premier League Player of the Season award in 1994-95.
#3 Thierry Henry (Arsenal) – 32 Games
Arguably the best foreign player to play in the Premier League, Thierry Henry, both scored and assisted in 32 league matches for Arsenal. His last double came against Manchester United on Matchday 24 of the 2006-07 Premier League. He scored a goal and claimed an assist to propel the Gunners to a hard-fought 2-1 win over the Red Devils.
Henry enjoyed a remarkable run in the premier division of English soccer. He helped Arsenal to two Premier League titles, including the unbeaten one in 2003-04, and won a record four Golden Boots. The 1998 FIFA World Cup winner played 258 Premier League games, scoring 175 goals and providing 74 assists.
#2 Wayne Rooney (Manchester United and Everton) – 36 Games
One of the finest goalscorers in English soccer history, Wayne Rooney scored and claimed an assist in 36 Premier League matches across Manchester United and Everton. The former England international — who started out at Everton, won it all at Manchester United, and ended his Premier League stint at Goodison Park — last claimed a goal and an assist in the Toffees’ 3-1 win over Swansea City on Matchday 18 of the 2017-18 Premier League season.
Rooney played 491 Premier League matches in his career. He scored 208 goals and provided 103 assists, winning the title a whopping five times with Manchester United.
#1 Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – 37 Games*
At the summit sits Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah, having scored a goal and provided an assist in a whopping 37 Premier League games since joining Liverpool in the summer of 2017. Salah recorded his goal-assist combo on Matchday 14 of the 2024-25 Premier League season. He scored two goals and provided an assist in the Reds’ 3-3 draw with Newcastle United.
Salah, who is in the final year of his contract with Liverpool, has played 264 Premier League matches for the club, scoring 168 goals and providing 76 assists. The three-time Golden Boot winner helped them to the English top-flight title in 2020.
