Most goals off bench in Premier League history: Jhon Duran chasing substitute record for single season
Jhon Duran's start to the 2024/25 season has brought consistent joy to Aston Villa fans, finding a key role as a super sub and winning the club significant points late in matches.
The 20-year-old Colombia forward joined in the summer of 2023 from MLS side Chicago Fire and has settled into his Premier League home quite well.
Coming off the bench in each of Aston Villa's first nine Premier League matches of the season, Duran has scored four goals, with three of them proving to be match-winning strikes.
While the young Villa striker could be on his way towards a single-season record, Duran has quite a ways to go before he can be considered one of the league's most prolific substitute goal scorers. The Sporting News brings you all the info on who Duran is chasing and how far he has to go.
MORE: Updated Premier League top goal scorers list for 2024/25 season
Most goals by a substitute in Premier League history
The most goals by a substitute across an entire Premier League career came from Jermain Defoe, whose 24 super-sub strikes are three more than anyone else.
Arsenal and Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud comes next, as roughly 40% of his Premier League appearances came off the bench and he became adept at contributing in such a role.
Stats up to date as of October 31, 2024.
Player | Substitute Goals | Overall goals | Apps (Subs) | Clubs |
Jermain Defoe | 24 | 162 | 496 (149) | Tottenham, Sunderland, West Ham, Portsmouth, Bournemouth |
Olivier Giroud | 21 | 90 | 255 (103) | Arsenal, Chelsea |
Javier Hernandez | 19 | 53 | 158 (78) | Man United, West Ham |
Nwankwo Kanu | 17 | 54 | 271 (116) | Arsenal, Portsmouth, West Brom |
Daniel Sturridge | 17 | 76 | 218 (98) | Liverpool, Chelsea, Man City, Bolton, West Brom |
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer | 17 | 91 | 235 (84) | Man United |
Peter Crouch | 16 | 108 | 468 (157) | Stoke City, Liverpool, Tottenham, Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Southampton, Burnley |
Danny Welbeck* | 15 | 73 | 342 (131) | Brighton, Man United, Arsenal, Sunderland, Watford |
* Active currently for Premier League club
Most goals by a substitute in a single Premier League season
The most substitute goals in a single campaign by a Premier League player was eight by Adam Le Fondre of Reading in the 2012/13 season.
It's two more than anyone else, as three players struck six times off the bench on four separate occasions.
Jhon Duran had four goals as substitute in 2024/25 only two months into the Premier League campaign, well on his way to the record. However, he could fall short if he becomes a regular in the Aston Villa starting lineup, cutting down his opportunities to come off the bench and make an impact.
Brighton's Danny Welbeck is the active leader in goals as a Premier League substitute with 15, with over half coming for his current club. Marcus Rashford has the most match-winning substitute goals in league history with five, a number that Duran is already over halfway to with three this season alone.
Player | Club | Season | Substitute goals | Overall goals | Apps (Sub) |
Adam Le Fondre | Reading | 2012/13 | 8 | 12 | 34 (23) |
Olivier Giroud | Arsenal/Chelsea | 2017/18 | 6 | 7 | 29 (22) |
Olivier Giroud | Arsenal | 2016/17 | 6 | 12 | 29 (18) |
Jermain Defoe | West Ham | 2001/02 | 6 | 10 | 35 (21) |
Christian Benteke | Liverpool | 2015/16 | 6 | 9 | 29 (15) |