In the 32 years of English Premier League history, certain seasons stand out not just because of fantastic title races or nail-biting relegation battles, but for the emergence of individual talents who announced themselves on the biggest of stage.
These breakout seasons often serve as turning points in young players’ careers, hosting the transformation from a player of raw potential into one of undeniable brilliance.
With the breakthrough of Cole Palmer as one of the league’s top performers this season, we’re taking a look at some of the best breakout seasons in Premier League history.
Cole Palmer – Chelsea (2023/24)
After moving from Manchester City to Chelsea for a reported fee of £42.5 million, many people were highly concerned about whether a young player with limited experience was worth such a large figure.
Palmer quickly put any doubts to bed, embarking on one of the best breakout seasons the league has ever seen.
Despite playing for a struggling Chelsea side who are currently ninth in the league, Palmer has produced a phenomenal output so far. 23 goals and 13 assists in his 38 games for his new side leave him as both their top scorer and top assister, while 29 of these coming in the Premier League leave him having contributed to 47% of Chelsea’s league goals.
After scoring back-to-back Stamford Bridge hattricks, Palmer is now joint-top scorer in the league and just one behind the top assister, leaving him well on course to produce arguably the best-ever breakout season in the league’s history.
Cristiano Ronaldo – Manchester United (2006/07)
Arguably the greatest player to have ever stepped foot in the Premier League, Cristiano Ronaldo came to life in the 2006/07 season, marking the beginning of his breathtaking career.
Having joined Manchester United in the summer of 2003, Ronaldo had shown himself to be an extremely raw talent in his first three seasons at the club, more of a tricky winger than the goalscorer he was set to become. This all changed in the 2006/07 season when he came back after the summer looking like a totally different person.
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Gary Neville recalled Ronaldo physically changing from a boy to a man over the summer, saying “he left as a featherweight and returned as a light-heavyweight” while Rooney said he looked as if “he’d been on the weights all summer.”
Whatever Ronaldo had done certainly worked, scoring 17 goals in the league as he picked up the Premier League trophy, PFA Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year, the Football Writers’ Player of the Year and Fans’ Player of the Year.
This was just the beginning for Ronaldo, who had finally transformed into the consistent, goalscoring freak that would run rampant across Europe for years to come.
Harry Kane – Tottenham Hotspur (2014/15)
Harry Kane’s breakthrough season came in 2014/15 when he established himself as one of the best strikers in the Premier League.
Before this season Kane had struggled for both game time and goals, scoring just 21 goals in seven seasons. Out of nowhere, the striker exploded into life during the 2014/15 season, scoring 31 goals in 51 matches across all competitions and 21 in 34 Premier League games, earning himself the PFA Young Player of the Year award and a place in the PFA Team of the Year.
Many remained critical of Kane during the following summer, dubbing the striker as a “one-season wonder”. Kane has certainly proved himself as anything but that now, scoring at least 24 goals in every single season since his breakthrough campaign while also becoming England’s top scorer in the meantime.
Gareth Bale – Tottenham Hotspur (2010/11)
Gareth Bale’s breakout season at Tottenham was similar to Kane’s in that no one saw it coming.
Up until this point Bale had mainly played as a left-back for Southampton and Tottenham, failing to truly solidify his status as a starting player for Spurs.
His transformation in 2010/11 then came out of nowhere, playing 41 times as he moved further up the bitch and became one of the most exciting wide talents in the world. Bale scored 11 goals this season, seven in the league, and assisted a further five for his side as he finally made good on the promise he had shown during his early days at Southampton.
The moment he truly announced himself to the world came in October when Tottenham faced Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League. Bale humiliated legendary fullback Maicon, scoring a hat-trick in the first leg at the San Siro in a game Tottenham went on to lose 4-3. The Welshman repeated his man-of-the-match performance in the second leg as Spurs won 3-1.
This move further up the pitch was extremely fruitful for Bale, going on to become one of the most successful British players ever as he became a star player in a Real Madrid side that would go on to win three La Liga titles and five Champions League titles.
Which player had the best breakout season? Comment below!
