By: Kamusime Barnabas
Barcelona star Lionel Messi scooped his sixth European Golden Shoe award last season and the talismanic forward is out to retain the accolade in 2019-20 – though the coronavirus pandemic is a complication.
Messi held off competition from some of the continent’s best goalscorers to pick up the prize for the third year in a row, leaving the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Fabio Quagliarella and Mohamed Salah trailing in his wake.
Cristiano Ronaldo was uncharacteristically off the pace in his first season with Juventus and will no doubt be eager to restore order with an improved haul this term.With the race well and truly under way, Goal tallies up all the top goalscorers from across Europe’s top leagues in 2019-20
#1 Ciro Immobile | Lazio | 35 goals (70)
Italy international Ciro Immobile has been one of the most consistent goalscorers in Serie A in recent years and hit the ground running in 2019-20.
He was the top scorer in Italy in the 2013-14 and 2017-18 seasons, but the European Golden Shoe eluded him on those occasions, something he’ll hope to redress this term.
#2 Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | 34 goals (68)
Robert Lewandowski has been one of the most prolific goalscorers in the world over the past decade and has surpassed his tally of 22 from last season.
The Poland international appears to have stepped his performances up a gear in 2019-20 and, if he can remain injury free, he will be confident of mounting a serious challenge for the Golden Shoe.
#3 Cristiano Ronaldo | Juventus | 31 goals (62)
#4 Timo Werner | RB Leipzig | 28 goals (56)
Timo Werner hit a career high of 21 Bundesliga goals in 2016-17, but failed to emulate that form in the subsequent campaigns. However, he looks to have improved in 2019-20.
#5 Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 25 goals (50)
Six-time Golden Shoe winner and current trophy-holder Lionel Messi is naturally among the contenders for the 2019-20 title.
The Barcelona star finished last season with 36 goals to secure his third consecutive Golden Shoe on the way to domestic glory.
#6 Erling Haaland | Red Bull Salzburg/Borussia Dortmund | 29 goals (50)
Towering teenage striker Erling Haaland has already turned heads across Europe with his impressive showings for RB Salzburg – scoring 16 times in the Austrian Bundesliga – which earned him a move to Dortmund in January.
He got his start in the German Bundesliga in the most memorable of fashions, scoring a hat-trick during his debut as a substitute.
NOTE: Haaland’s goals for Salzburg count for 1.5 points per goal. Goals for Dortmund count for two points per goal.
#7 Romelu Lukaku | Inter | 23 goals (46)
Romelu Lukaku is an accomplished goalscorer entering his prime, but there is a sense that he has to prove himself once again after struggling at Manchester United.
However, he has taken up the challenge commendably and is thriving with the service he is receiving from his team-mates at Inter.
#8 Jamie Vardy | Leicester City | 23 goals (46)
Leicester City have experienced an upturn in fortunes since the arrival of Brendan Rodgers and one of the main beneficiaries appears to be Jamie Vardy.
The England international looks to have revived his former self and is showing the kind of instinct in front of goal that saw him fire the Foxes to Premier League glory in 2015-16.
#9 Shon Weissman | Wolfsberger | 30 goals (45)
#10 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | Arsenal | 22 goals (44)
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang shared the Premier League Golden Boot in 2018-19 after finding the net 22 times and he is out to better that haul this season.
The Gabon international is the Gunners’ go-to man for goals and he was recently rewarded with the captain’s armband.
#11 Danny Ings | Southampton | 22 goals (44)
#12 Jean-Pierre Nsame | Young Boys | 29 goals (43.5)
Jean-Pierre Nsame has been a regular high scorer in the Swiss Super League and is running away with the Golden Boot award in Switzerland after a hugely impressive 2019-20 campaign.
#13 Karim Benzema | Real Madrid | 21 goals (42)
#14 Francesco Caputo | Sassuolo | 21 goals (42)
#15 Raheem Sterling | Manchester City | 20 goals (40)
#16 Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | 19 goals (38)
#17 Kylian Mbappe | PSG | 18 goals (36)
#18 Sadio Mane | Liverpool | 18 goals (36)
#19 Harry Kane | Tottenham | 18 goals (36)
#20 Wissam Ben Yedder | Monaco | 18 goals (36)
#21 Luis Muriel | Atalanta | 18 goals (36)
Former Sevilla attacker Luis Muriel spent the second half of last season on loan at Fiorentina and he made enough of an impact in that spell to convince Atalanta to fork out.
The Colombia international has already repaid the Nerazzurri well and fans will be keeping their fingers crossed that he can carry the form through until the end of the campaign.
#22 Duvan Zapata | Atalanta | 18 goals (36)
#23 Gerard Moreno | Villarreal | 18 goals (36)
#24 Joao Pedro | Cagliari | 18 goals (36)
#25 Alexander Sorloth | Trabzonspor | 24 goals (36)
#26 Patson Daka | Red Bull Salzburg | 24 goals (36)
#27 Christian Gytkjaer | Lech Poznan | 24 goals (36)
Denmark international forward Christian Gytkjaer has been a goalscoring sensation with Lech Poznan ever since joining them in 2017.
The 30-year-old is up to double figures for the third season in a row now and is currently enjoying the best scoring campaign of his entire career.
#28 Marcus Rashford | Manchester United | 17 goals (34)
The departure of Romelu Lukaku to Inter left a gaping hole in the Manchester United attack and Marcus Rashford was expected to step into the role of Red Devils goalscorer.
Rashford has not quite managed to reach the prolific heights of his England compatriot Harry Kane, for example, but he continues to find the net with regularity.
#29 Jadon Sancho | Borussia Dortmund | 17 goals (34)
#30 Anthony Martial | Manchester United | 17 goals (34)
#31 Raul Jimenez | Wolves | 17 goals (34)
#32 Papiss Cisse | Alanyaspor | 22 goals (33)
#33 Luis Suarez | Barcelona | 16 goals (32)
#34 Sergio Aguero | Manchester City | 16 goals (32)
Manchester City’s all-time record goalscorer has shown little sign of slowing down in front of goal and is on course to challenge for the Premier League Golden Boot award.
Despite regularly topping City’s scoring charts, the Argentina international has never managed to clinch the European Golden Shoe. Could 2019-20 be his season?
#35 Edin Dzeko | Roma | 16 goals (32)
#36 Moussa Dembele | Lyon | 16 goals (32)
#37 Andrea Belotti | Torino | 16 goals (32)
#38 Wout Weghorst | Wolfsburg | 16 goals (32)
#39 Erik Sorga | Flora | 31 goals (31)
#40 Tammy Abraham | Chelsea | 15 goals (30)
Tammy Abraham has thrust himself to the top of the pecking order at Chelsea under Frank Lampard and the England international has already reached double figures in the Premier League.
Abraham surpassed the 20-goal mark twice previously in the Championship and will be eager to do it for the first time in the Premier League this season.
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