Riyad Mahrez starred in midweek as Manchester City extended their lead at the top of the Premier League, scoring twice as Pep Guardiola’s side thrashed Southampton 5-2 at the Etihad.
The winger’s goals were vintage Mahrez as he ghosted into central areas from the right-hand side, cutting in onto his stronger left foot with devastating effect for the league leaders.
Mahrez’s double also saw the Algerian reach a milestone with his 50th top-flight goal with his left foot, a feat only previously achieved by six other players in Premier League history.
Here are the seven players to score 50+ Premier League goals with their left foot:
Olivier Giroud – 50
Ranking seventh amongst the leading lefties is Olivier Giroud, who has netted 50 times with his left foot during a Premier League career that has delivered 90 goals in 252 appearances across spells at Arsenal and Chelsea.
Giroud signed for Arsenal after helping Montpellier to a shock league title success in 2012, spending six seasons with the north London side and winning the FA Cup on three occasions before making a cross-capital switch to Stamford Bridge.
Despite struggling for regular starting opportunities he has remained an important part of the Chelsea squad, scoring 11 goals in just 11 starts across all competitions this season.
The 34-year-old is also the second-highest scoring player in the history of the France national side, with only Thierry Henry having ever netted more than his 44 goals for Les Bleus.
Riyad Mahrez – 51
Mahrez’s double against the Saints saw him move past Giroud and onto 51 goals with his left foot, the Algerian winger having been a constant source of goals during his time in English football.
The 30-year-old’s finest individual season came in 2015/16 as he inspired Leicester to an incredible Premier League title triumph, scoring 17 league goals and providing a further 11 assists to be named as the PFA Player of the Year.
Mahrez then became Manchester City’s record-signing and won an unprecedented domestic treble during his debut campaign at the Etihad, the fleet-footed star having sparkled on occasion in a free-scoring side under Pep Guardiola.
Mahrez has now scored 51 of his 66 goals in the division with his left foot, a huge 77% of his total efforts coming from his favoured side.
Romelu Lukaku – 57
Romelu Lukaku secured his place in the Premier League’s ‘100 club’ during a prolific spell in English football, plundering 113 goals in the division before a £73m move to Inter Milan in 2019.
The Belgium international netted 57 of those goals with his stronger left foot, with the forward enjoying impressive spells at West Brom and Everton before a £75m move to Manchester United.
Despite scoring 42 goals in just 96 appearances for the Red Devils, he was allowed to leave for Inter where he has since become the fastest player in the club’s history to reach 50 goals in all competitions.
Lukaku currently has 18 league goals for Antonio Conte’s side so far this season, two adrift of Cristiano Ronaldo in the face for the Capocannoniere award as Serie A’s top scorer.
Mohamed Salah – 76
Mohamed Salah has established himself as one of the finest forwards in world football since signing for Liverpool, returning to the Premier League following an indifferent spell at Chelsea and enjoying huge success.
The Egyptian international won the division’s Golden Boot in each of his first two campaigns on Merseyside, the first coming alongside a Footballer of the Year double after a 32-goal league campaign.
Salah has now scored 92 goals in just 148 Premier League appearances with 76 of those (83%) having come from his favoured left boot, with the 28-year-old currently leading the race for the Golden Boot once more as he seeks a third accolade in just four campaigns.
Should he win the award this season, he will join Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry as the only players to have won the Golden Boot on more than two occasions.
Ryan Giggs – 83
The most decorated player in the history of English football, Ryan Giggs’ achievements are unlikely to ever be matched following a career of incredible longevity and unprecedented success.
Giggs spent more than two decades in the Manchester United side as the Red Devils dominated the Premier League landscape, winning 13 league titles and scoring 109 league goals during an unforgettable one-club career.
The Welshman starred on the left-hand side of midfield before moving centrally in his later career, with 83 of his goals coming from one of the most reliable left foots the division has seen.
Giggs remains one of just three players – alongside Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard – to have registered both a century of goals and assists in the Premier League.
Robin van Persie – 94
Robin van Persie possessed one of the best left foots the Premier League has ever seen, given the outrageous goals the former Dutch international rifled home during a memorable career.
Van Persie scored 144 goals in the Premier League over spells at Arsenal and Manchester United, spending eight years with the former and winning the PFA Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year awards – alongside the division’s Golden Boot – in his final season at the Emirates.
In search of elusive silverware he made a controversial move to Manchester United and it proved the perfect deal for both club and player, Van Persie winning a second successive Golden Boot to inspire the Red Devils to title success in his debut season.
Van Persie scored a stunning hat-trick to seal the title against Aston Villa at Old Trafford, including a glorious left-footed volley which remains of the best strikes seen as the famous ground in recent memory.
Robbie Fowler – 104
No player has scored more left-footed goals in the Premier League than Robbie Fowler, a footballer often described as a natural goalscorer given his ability to find the net when given half a chance.
Fowler burst onto the scene as a teenager at Liverpool and rifled in 30+ goals in all competitions in each of his first three full campaigns, winning back-to-back PFA Young Player of the Year accolades in the mid-nineties and cementing himself as a firm favourite on the Kop.
Fowler’s immediate impact saw him become the youngest ever player to reach 50 goals in the Premier League, netting 120 times in 236 league appearances during his first spell at Liverpool before stints with Leeds and Manchester City.
He returned to Liverpool in 2005 and added a further 12 goals, his 163 top-flight goals the seventh-highest figure of any player in Premier League history.
Read – Remembering the night that Kaka tore Manchester United apart
Read Also – The slow death of the selfish number 9: Why centre-forwards are going out of fashion
Subscribe to our social channels:
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube
