The Analyst: Turkey shoot or Christmas turkeys? Festive scoring records of Salah, Ronaldo, Kane...
- Planet Sport writer
- 31 December 2021
The action comes thick and fast over the Christmas period but does it mean the goals will flow too? Planet Sport looks at the recent festive records of six of the Premier League's leading strikers.
There is something magical about the Premier League's festive period.
Over the years we've had Thierry Henry and his iconic long-sleeved shirt and gloves, Carlton Cole throwing snowballs and an eight-goal Christmas miracle between Chelsea and Aston Villa featuring three red cards.
The schedule is hectic and so is much of the action on the pitch. But when it comes to performing over the festive period, which current Premier League stars are Christmas crackers and which are Christmas puddings? Planet Sport finds out.
Mohamed Salah
Christmas 2021/22: 1 game (Leicester), 0 goals, 0 assists
2020/21: 3 games (West Brom, Newcastle, Southampton), 0 goals, 0 assists
2019/20: 3 games (Leicester, Wolves, Sheffield United), 1 goal, 0 assists
2018/19: 3 games (Newcastle, Arsenal, Manchester City), 2 goals, 2 assists
2017/18: 2 games (Swansea, Leicester), 2 goals, 2 assists
2016/17: Did not play due to the AFCON
Mohamed Salah has racked up close to 150 goals for Liverpool since joining in 2017 and was ranked the seventh-best player in the world in 2021.
But Salah isn't at his most prolific around Christmas. Last season, the forward failed to achieve a single goal or assist between December 27 and January 4, despite games against West Bromwich Albion, Newcastle and Southampton.
The previous season he only managed a single goal - against Sheffield United - during the Christmas and New Year period.
Salah did enjoy a rich vein of form in both 2017/18 and 2018/19, however, bagging two goals and two assists in both seasons.
Two of those goals came against Leicester in the final game of 2017, sparking hopes he might continue his prolific season against the Foxes in Liverpool's final fixture of 2021.
However, his failure to convert a penalty and an equally abject miss from the follow-up header was not the way the striker planned on seeing out the year.
Jamie Vardy
Christmas 2021/22: 1 game (Liverpool), 0 goals, 0 assists
2020/21: 3 games (Manchester United, Crystal Palace, Newcastle), 0 goals, 1 assist
2019/20: 1 game (Liverpool), 0 goals, 0 assists
2018/19: 3 games (Manchester City, Cardiff, Everton), 1 goal, 1 assist
2017/18: 3 games (Manchester United, Watford, Liverpool), 2 goals, 0 assists
2016/17: Suspended due to a red card
For a striker who has been almost undroppable for Leicester (until this year), Jamie Vardy has a fairly sparse festive record, having only played 11 games over the past five-and-a-half seasons.
In the 2016/17 campaign he spent the entirety of Christmas at home after picking up a red card against Stoke City, with the striker having a Vardy party all the way into the New Year.
However, when the Englishman does play over the festive period, he tends to contribute, especially against the Manchester clubs.
Two of his five festive goal contributions have come against United and City.
Leicester travelled to the Etihad on Boxing Day but despite eight goals from 15 Premier games against Pep Guardiola's side, Vardy was forced to watched from the sidelines.
He returned for the stunning win over Liverpool, running himself into the ground for the cause. But, with the striker now 34, Saturday's visit of Norwich may come too soon for his ageing legs.
Sadio Mane
Christmas 2021/22: 1 game (Leicester), 0 goals, 0 assists
2020/21: 3 games (West Brom, Newcastle, Southampton), 1 goal, 0 assists
2019/20: 3 games (Leicester, Wolves, Sheffield United), 2 goals, 1 assist
2018/19: 1 game (Arsenal), 1 goal, 0 assists
2017/18: 2 games (Leicester, Burnley), 1 goal, 1 assist
2016/17: 3 games (Stoke, Manchester City, Sunderland), 1 goal, 0 assists
Sadio Mane has a rather impressive festive record, scoring at least once in the period over the last five seasons.
Not only does Mane bag goals but he has also grabbed an assist in every other season, both of those coming against Leicester City.
The COVID-enforced postponement of the Boxing Day clash with Leeds has limited the chances of adding to his tally this festive period. However, he will never get a better opportunity than the one that came his way against Leicester on December 28. But, as befits a man who came into the game on a run of six games without scoring, he blasted the chance over the bar with Kasper Schmeichel helpless.
Harry Kane
Christmas 2021/22: 2 games (Crystal Palace, Southampton), 2 goals, 0 assists
2020/21: 3 games (Leicester, Wolves, Leeds), 1 goal, 1 assist
2019/20: 3 games (Brighton, Norwich, Southampton), 2 goals, 0 assists
2018/19: 4 games (Everton, Bournemouth, Wolves, Cardiff), 5 goals, 1 assist
2017/18: 3 games (Burnley, Southampton, Swansea), 6 goals, 0 assists
2016/17: 3 games (Southampton, Watford, Chelsea), 3 goals, 1 assist
Harry Kane isn't enjoying the greatest of Premier League seasons. However, his prolific Christmas form can always be relied on.
Over the last five-and-a-half seasons the striker has bagged an incredible 19 goals in 18 games - making him by far the most prolific player on this list.
Two of those campaigns stand out in particular. Back-to-back hat-tricks against Burnley and Southampton in 2017 delivered Spurs a 100% Christmas record, while he bagged five in four over the 2018/19 festive period.
And, despite goals being in short supply this season, the striker has netted two in two over Christmas, following up his goal against Liverpool on December 19.
It could have been ever better for the England striker had he not had an effort ruled out for the most marginal of offsides in the 1-1 draw with Southampton.
Romelu Lukaku
Christmas 2021/22: 2 games (Aston Villa, Brighton), 2 goals, 0 assists
2020/21: 2 games (Hellas Verona, Crotone), 1 goal, 1 assist
2019/20: 2 games (Genoa, Napoli), 4 goals, 2 assists
2018/19: 2 games (Bournemouth, Newcastle), 2 goals, 0 assists
2017/18: 3 games (Leicester, Burnley, Southampton), 0 goals, 0 assists
2016/17: 3 games (Leicester, Hull City, Southampton), 2 goals, 1 assist
The Belgian international enjoyed a much more relaxed Christmas prior to returning to England, having spent it in Italy with Inter Milan who play fewer games over the period. Nevertheless, he still filled his boots.
He bagged four goals and two assists against Genoa and Napoli in 2019/20, before picking up a goal and assist against Crotone last term.
Lukaku's last taste of the festive season in England saw him score two in two in 2018/19 as Manchester United saw off Bournemouth and Newcastle.
Refreshed after injury and COVID lay-offs, Lukaku made up for lost time this festive period with goals in Chelsea's 3-1 win at Aston Villa on Boxing Day and their 1-1 draw with Brighton on December 29.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Christmas 2021/22: 2 games (Newcastle, Burnley), 1 goal, 1 assist
2020/21: 2 games (Fiorentina, Udinese), 2 goals, 1 assist
2019/20: 2 games (Sampdoria, Cagliari Calcio), 4 goals, 1 assist
2018/19: 2 games (Atlanta, Sampdoria), 3 goals, 0 assists
2017/18: 2 games (Barcelona, Celta Vigo), 0 goals, 0 assists
2016/17: 1 game (Granada), 1 goal, 0 assists
The Portuguese international may hail from Madeira but he is equally at home in the cooler climes of England, or the harsh Italian winters, scoring 10 goals across 10 games.
While at Juventus, he produced impressive back-to-back winter performances. In 2018/19, Ronaldo bagged three goals against Atlanta and Sampdoria as his side extended their 19-game unbeaten run.
A festive highlight came during the 2019/20 season, as he scored four and assisted once against Sampdoria and Cagliari.
With Newcastle, Burnley and Wolves to play over Christmas and the New Year, Ronaldo would have been confident of boasting equally impressive stats as 2021 turns into 2022. It didn't start as well as he'd have liked, with the Portuguese forward turning in an insipid display against the Magpies. However, he had far more luck against the Clarets, registering a slightly fortuitous assist before tapping in from close range after Scott McTominay's strike rebounded off the woodwork.
