European Golden Boot race: Top five Contenders for this season

The European Golden Boot, also known as the European Golden Shoe, is awarded to the highest goal scorer in Europe across the top division leagues. The important factor to note here is that the coefficient points awarded for each goal in the top five leagues (Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1) are 2.0 as opposed to the 1.5 points per goal in the rest of the leagues. The European Golden Boot is decided based on a point system.

Lionel Messi has won the European Golden Boot Award the maximum number of times, with six Golden Boots to his name. Cristiano Ronaldo follows him in the second spot with four Golden Boots. Other greats like Luis Suarez, Thierry Henry, and Robert Lewandowski have won this award twice each. Erling Haaland won the Golden Boot last season with 36 goals in the Premier League for Manchester City, fetching him 72.0 coefficient points.

The European Golden Boot Award for this season is heating up again with some familiar faces on the top of the list and a few new players also making it into the top five. With less than three months left of the season, we will take a look at the European Golden Boot Race contenders for this campaign.

Also Read: Who are the Top 5 highest-paid footballers in Europe?

Top five players in the European Golden Boot race this season

5. Lois Openda

The RB Leipzig striker has registered 19 goals in 26 games in the Bundesliga this season. He has 38.0 coefficient ranking points and the 24-year-old is third on the German league’s top scorers chart. He was signed last summer from Lens for a reported fee of €48 million (including add-ons). His individual form has not helped his team, however, as they are currently fifth in the league table. Openda has scored a total of 86 goals in 220 games in his first-division club career.

4. Serhou Guirassy

Serhou Guirassy is a 28-year-old striker who currently plays for VfB Stuttgart. The Guinea forward has registered 22 goals in 20 games in the Bundesliga this season. He ranks fourth in the Golden Boot race in the 2023-24 campaign. Guirassy joined Stuttgart on loan from Rennes in 2022, with the German club making the deal permanent in the summer of 2023. He scored 14 goals in 29 games in his debut season in Germany across competitions and appears to be paying off the faith Stuttgart put in him, when they signed him for a reported fee of £7.7million last summer. He has 44.0 coefficient ranking points in the Golden Boot contest.

3. Lautaro Martinez

The Inter Milan striker has impressed in Europe for quite a few seasons now, with the striker being previously linked with moves to Premier League giants like Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal. Martinez has netted 23 Serie A goals in 26 games this season, ranking him with 46.0 coefficient points and third on the Golden Boot race list. The Inter Milan captain has helped his team take a giant lead in the Italian league table, with the Nerazurri notching up 76 points in 29 games. They are currently 14 points ahead of second-placed AC Milan, with Martinez leading the goalscoring charts in Italy.

Also Read: Top Five Best Players to Watch | UEFA Euro 2024

2. Kylian Mbappe

The French superstar is a familiar name on the list. He came second in the 2021-22 season with 28 goals, finishing behind Robert Lewandowski. Mbappe ranked third in the 2022-23 season with 29 goals, finishing behind Erling Haaland (first) and Harry Kane (second). This season, Mbappe is currently second with 24 goals in 24 games and 48.0 coefficient ranking points. He tops the French Ligue 1 scoring charts and has helped Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to the top of the league standings with 59 points after 26 games.

1. Harry Kane

The Bayern Munich striker has netted 31 goals in 26 Bundesliga games this season and stands first with 62.0 coefficient ranking points. The former Tottenham Hotspur forward joined the Bundesliga giants last summer for a reported fee of €110 million (including add-ons). Kane has been brilliant across Europe as well. He jointly leads the scoring chart in the UEFA Champions League with six goals (alongside Antoine Griezmann, Erling Haaland, and Kylian Mbappe). Kane came second in the Golden Boot rankings last season when he finished with 30 goals for Spurs in the Premier League.