Peter Crouch equalled Alan Shearer’s record of headed Premier League goals on this day eight years ago.
The then 34-year-old nodded in a 71st-minute winner for Stoke against Hull on February 28, 2015 for his 46th headed goal in the top flight.
Crouch admitted afterwards that he had enjoyed proving wrong those who doubted his aerial ability.
10 – The 10 players with the most headed goals in @premierleague history:
53 – Peter Crouch46 – Alan Shearer45 – Dion Dublin40 – Les Ferdinand38 – Dwight Yorke36 – Duncan Ferguson36 – Teddy Sheringham32 – Olivier Giroud31 – Tim Cahill31 – Christian Benteke
Stilts. https://t.co/Gz2c0zf93o
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 16, 2021
The 6ft 7in striker said: “There were a lot of people in the early days who said I was better on the ground than at heading, so it’s pleasing to rub it in a little bit.
“A lot of people said, for my size, I wasn’t as good (at heading) as I should have been when I was younger. Becoming the record holder for headed goals in the Premier League is something I didn’t think would happen when I was 15 or 16.
“I’m very proud – Alan Shearer’s a hero of mine. He’s one of the best, if not the best, striker the Premier League’s ever seen, and to equal any record of his, I’m very pleased with that.”
Crouch passed the record on May 24 with another headed goal in Stoke’s 6-1 victory over his former club Liverpool to conclude the season and remains the record holder with 53.
The striker moved from Stoke to Burnley in January 2019 and announced his retirement in July the same year.
He ended his career with 108 Premier League goals, having also played for the likes of Tottenham, Portsmouth and Aston Villa, and netted 22 times in 42 appearances for England.
