The English Premier League is one of the foremost footballing leagues in the world. It plays host to some of the most iconic players, stadiums, and teams in the world of professional football, and its standard of play is the envy of many countries.
Controversy regarding the Super League aside, the Premier League has many stories to tell; it’s a league with a lot of history, and all of that history is utterly fascinating.
With that in mind, here are nine fun facts about the Premier League that you may not have known!
The Fewest Goals Scored at Home in the Premier League: 9
If you’re wondering which club holds the record for the least amount of goals scored in their home stadium during a Premier League season, that dubious honor goes to Fulham.
The club scored only nine goals during the 2020-2021 season while at home, which is pretty poor considering that the home stadium is usually where a team performs best. The previous record holders were Man City with 10, which isn’t stopping them from achieving dominance.
Premier League legends Glen Johnson and Richard Dunne told Betway that Man City is their pick for the overall 2022-23 season winners. We’ll have to see about that!
The Premier League Started in 1992
Of course, there’s always been a “top division” in English football, a league where the creme de la creme can congregate and duke it out for dominance. However, the Premier League as we know it today didn’t actually come into existence until 1992.
Before that, it was known as Division One, and if you speak to a lot of older folks today, that’s probably still how they remember it. Renaming the League helped to create division between top-level football and "the rest," but things are a bit more complicated today.
Only 3 Players Have Scored, Assisted & Scored an Own Goal
There are only three players in Premier League history who have managed to score a goal, score an assist on someone else’s goal, and score an own goal in the same game.
Can you guess who they are?
The first is, of course, living legend Wayne Rooney, while the other two are Kevin Davies and Gareth Bale. It must be a rather confusing moment when a player realizes they’ve done something like that.
Mixed emotions, to say the very least!
The Fewest Goals Conceded in a Season: 15
Chelsea is one of the mightiest teams in the Premier League. They have, of course, had their ups and downs, just like any other team, but by and large, they’re one of the major dominant forces in English football.
It’s feats like conceding just 15 goals in the 2004-05 season that led to them attaining this fearsome reputation. That legendary team included players like Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, and Ricardo Carvalho, so it’s no wonder they performed so well on the pitch.
Only 2 Players Have Scored Penalties With Both Feet
A penalty shoot-out is a truly nerve-wracking experience. Players have to be on the top of their game to overcome the butterflies and manage to score, and it’s hard enough to do this with the dominant foot.
However, two players in Premier League history have managed to go the extra mile and score penalties with both feet: Fulham’s Bobby Zamora in 2012 and Newcastle’s Obafemi Martins. Interestingly, Martins is ambidextrous, while Zamora is left-footed.
Sebastien Bassong Is “Cursed”
What makes a Premier League player "cursed?"
Some would say it’s their team losing every time they take the field, while others would define “cursed” as being unable to score goals or constantly conceding penalties.
It’s hard to argue with the Sebastien Bassong definition, though, which refers to Premier League player Bassong being relegated six times across his career, many of those relegations being with different teams.
Rough.
Alan Shearer Is Still the League’s Top Scorer
Alan Shearer is a true legend of the sport.
Making his living now as a pundit (and rightfully so, given his level of expertise), Shearer still holds the record for the Premier League’s top scorer of all time, having amassed a whopping 260 goals across his Premier League career.
The second highest scorer is Wayne Rooney, which should put paid to anyone who tells you Rooney is "overrated." Even young guns like Harry Kane are making a name for themselves in the top 10 list!
Only 7 Premier League Teams Have Ever Won the Title
Despite the relative diversity of the Premier League table, there are only seven teams that have won the title in history. In alphabetical order, they are Arsenal, Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, Leicester City, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Manchester United.
So far, there have been 30 seasons of the Premier League, and Manchester City has emerged victorious in 13 of those 30 seasons, so it’s pretty obvious who rules the roost when it comes to the Premier League.
The Premier League Is the 4th-Richest League in the World
As it stands right now, the English Premier League is the fourth richest league in the world, bringing in a staggering €7.7 billion euros in revenue.
The only three leagues that are richer than the Premier League are the NBA, MLB, and NFL, and since they’re all American, it’s a pretty impressive achievement that the Premier League has managed to keep up with them.
It just goes to demonstrate how important football is to people around the world!
