The longest goal droughts in Premier League history،
While it's not exactly his strong point, for Joe Gomez the inescapable truth is that he has now played 125 Premier League games for Liverpool and is still waiting to score his first goal for the club. Indeed, some 8,695 minutes of top-flight football have now passed without the shy defender failing to open his account despite being deployed in a more advanced left-back role by manager Jurgen Klopp in recent weeks.
Additionally, across all competitions, Gomez's goalless streak now stands at 200 senior games and 14,039 minutes of action without finding the net for the Reds since joining them in 2015 from the club childhood of Charlton Athletic (where he also failed to find the net in 24 first-team matches). appearances.)
Granted, the 26-year-old is a central defender and so his main task is to try and keep the ball out of the net, but still; 145 hours (and counting) is a significant amount of Premier League football to get through without at least unintentionally ricocheting a wayward shot behind your back at the other end of the pitch.
As the England international (zero goals in 11 senior caps or 32 appearances at various youth levels) continues his quest for his first goal, how does his goalless streak compare to those of those unlucky outfield players who have spent the most minutes on a Premier League pitch without scoring. a single hit to their credit?
Some players have endured droughts, others have seen their barren journeys extend into a seemingly hopeless drought, but a select group of Premier League alumni have truly taken their inability to find the net to the elite level .
Note: Although some of these players scored in lower leagues, the old First Division before the creation of the Premier League and in various cup competitions, this list has been exclusive to the Premier League since its inaugural 1992-93 season.
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10. Justin Edinburgh: 174 games/13,646 minutes without a goal
The strong Edinburgh left-back represented Tottenham in the Premier League for eight seasons between 1992-93 and 1999-00, and started all 174 of his games during that period without managing to disrupt the scoresheet. He scored his one and only goal for the club in a 2-2 draw against Sheffield United in the league, but that was in 1991, a year before the Premier League was established. However, he at least made an offensive contribution by chipping in with seven assists in that span. However, Edinburgh had no difficulty finding goals as manager; his Leyton Orient team won the fifth-tier National League scoring 73 of them in 46 games during the 2018-19 season. Sadly, his untimely death that summer at the age of 49 meant he never got to see the Os score a goal in the EFL.
9. Alan Kimble: 181 games/15,097 minutes
An almost ever-present at Wimbledon from the early years of the Premier League until the turn of the millennium, reliable left-back Kimble never managed to score a single league goal for the Dons, but provided 24 assists. He therefore continues to hold the Premier League record as the player who has created the most goals without ever scoring himself.
8. Lucas Radebe: 197 games/15,724 minutes
Considered a cult hero by Leeds United fans even today, Radebe spent a decade playing in the Premier League and became known as a reliable captain and leader. The South African international defender was even deployed as an emergency goalkeeper on several occasions, but never found the net in over 200 high-profile matches for Los Blancos.
7. Steve Potts: 204 games/16,182 minutes
A hardworking right-back, Potts made a total of 399 league appearances for West Ham during his 17 years with the club, but scored just one goal (in a 7–1 win over Hull City in Division 2, in October 1990). ). He has since held various coaching roles with the Hammers and is now in charge of the club's under-23 team – although he has probably hired someone a little more qualified to take charge of the finishing sessions.
6. Danny Simpson: 213 games/17,808 minutes
After starting his career at Manchester United, Simpson played for Blackburn, Newcastle, QPR and Leicester City in the Premier League and even won the title with the latter in 2015-16 as part of Claudio Ranieri's triumphant underdogs. Despite being a true champion, the right-back has never managed to score in the top flight in almost 300 hours of testing.
5. Stéphane Henchoz: 243 games/20,841 minutes
Henchoz spent 10 seasons in the Premier League, representing Wigan, Liverpool and Blackburn (over two spells) between 1997-98 and 2007-08 while playing almost 250 top-flight matches. The Swiss international defender came closest to a goal with the only assist he managed to get in 2006-07 after returning to Blackburn for a second spell.
🙌 | You wait 308 games for a Tony Hibbert goal – and he keeps it for his own testimony! 😄#this day in 2012… 🔵 pic.twitter.com/fwNNUp09S0
-Everton (@Everton) August 8, 2020
4. Tony Hibbert: 265 games/21,422 minutes
Hibbert's lack of attacking ability became something of a joke during his 17-year one-club career at Everton – so much so that the immortal chant “If Hibbert scores, we riot!” could regularly be heard ringing around Goodison Park in affectionate banter. The long-serving full-back did score a goal in a Toffees shirt but, alas, this happened in his testimonial match against AEK Athens and therefore cannot be strictly taken into account in his tally official.
3. Richard Shaw: 253 games/22,298 minutes
A pillar of Crystal Palace and then Coventry City in the 1990s and early 2000s, Shaw has built a solid reputation as a reliable and pragmatic central defender. He is certainly not remembered for his goals, of which he managed a total of zero in over 370 hours of Premier League action (although he did score four elsewhere).
2. Des Walker: 264 games/23,308 minutes
One of the most accomplished English central defenders of the early 1990s, Walker proved himself at Nottingham Forest (where he scored a goal before the Premier League) before joining Sampdoria in Italy, then Sheffield Wednesday, for whom he did everything. 264 of his Premier League appearances between 1993-94 and 1999-00. While many attackers have struggled to beat expert scorer Walker, the defender himself has also failed to beat a single top goalkeeper – despite having two assists in the league for the Owls.
1. Kenny Cunningham: 335 games/29,620 minutes
Far ahead with a 6,000 minute buffer between him and his nearest opponent, Cunningham made over 500 appearances in the English football league during his long career, including 335 in the Premier League, first with Wimbledon, then with Birmingham City. . He never scored a single goal for either club, in any competition.
To further cement his credentials as the world's top scorer, the full-back also won 72 caps for the Republic of Ireland without scoring an international goal. Truly a master in the noble art of keeping your powder dry.
