Robin van Persie is still the highest-scoring Dutch player in Premier League history, with 144 goals for Arsenal and Manchester United. The top five has not changed since this list was first written in 2020: Van Persie, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Dennis Bergkamp and Dirk Kuyt. None of them still plays in the league, and the leading active Dutch scorer, Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo, is on 33.
Most Premier League goals by Dutch players
| Player | Premier League goals |
|---|---|
| Robin van Persie | 144 |
| Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink | 127 |
| Ruud van Nistelrooy | 95 |
| Dennis Bergkamp | 87 |
| Dirk Kuyt | 51 |
| Cody Gakpo | 33 |
| Virgil van Dijk | 31 |
| Georginio Wijnaldum | 27 |
| Marc Overmars | 25 |
| Bryan Roy | 24 |
| Rafael van der Vaart | 24 |
Robin van Persie (144)
No Dutch player has scored more Premier League goals than Van Persie. He joined Arsenal from Feyenoord in May 2004 for £2.75 million, won the FA Cup with them in 2005 and took the Golden Boot in 2011-12 with 30 goals. He did not win the league until he moved to Manchester United in the summer of 2012.
At United he wore the No. 20 shirt and delivered the club’s 20th league title in his first season. His first-half hat-trick against Aston Villa on 22 April 2013 confirmed the title with four games to spare, and the second goal, a volley from Wayne Rooney’s long pass, was United’s goal of the season. He won a second straight Golden Boot and the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (127)
Hasselbaink came to England from Boavista in 1997 and scored 34 league goals in two seasons at Leeds United. He shared the Golden Boot in 1998-99 with Michael Owen and Dwight Yorke on 18 goals, then left for Atlético Madrid. A year later Chelsea brought him back for a club-record £15 million, and he won the Golden Boot outright in 2000-01.
He scored 69 league goals in four seasons at Chelsea, then played for Middlesbrough and Charlton Athletic before finishing his career at Cardiff City.
Ruud van Nistelrooy (95)
Van Nistelrooy scored 95 Premier League goals for Manchester United between 2001 and 2006. He won the league in 2002-03 and the FA Cup in 2004. His 25 goals in 2002-03, including one on the final day against Everton, won him the Golden Boot ahead of Thierry Henry, and he was named Premier League Player of the Season.
Scoring in the first two games of 2003-04 took his run to 10 consecutive league matches with a goal, a Premier League record until Jamie Vardy scored in 11 in a row in 2015.
Dennis Bergkamp (87)
Bergkamp, who has a statue outside the Emirates Stadium (unveiled in February 2014), scored 87 Premier League goals for Arsenal and won the league three times, in 1997-98, 2001-02 and 2003-04, the last of them unbeaten. Arsenal won the FA Cup four times while he was there, in 1998, 2002, 2003 and 2005. He was the PFA Players’ Player of the Year in 1997-98.
Goals were only part of it. Bergkamp’s touch and passing made Arsenal’s attack work, and he shared the Premier League assists lead in 1998-99.
Dirk Kuyt (51)
Kuyt scored all 51 of his Premier League goals for Liverpool in six seasons from 2006 to 2012. He won the League Cup in 2012 and became a cult hero at Anfield for his work rate and versatility. His best-remembered game came on 6 March 2011, when he scored his first Liverpool hat-trick in a 3-1 win over Manchester United.
Who could join them
Cody Gakpo has 33 Premier League goals for Liverpool since joining from PSV in January 2023, including the third in the 5-1 win over Tottenham that clinched the 2024-25 title. He needs 18 more to catch Kuyt. Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk has 31, an unusual total for a centre-back.
Premier League goal totals from the official Premier League stats, as of 23 October 2026.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Andrew Yates