Who is leading the race to win the European Golden Shoe?

Dominated largely by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo through the last 20 years, the European Golden Shoe is awarded to the most commanding goalscorer across the continent that season.

How does the European Golden Shoe points system work?

First, we have some admin to get out of the way.

The European Golden Shoe isn't as straightforward as just awarding Europe's top goalscorer with the trophy.

Each goal is awarded a points multiplier dictated by what league the goal is scored in.

This is decided by where the league ranks amongst the European coefficient.

- Leagues ranked between 1-5 get a multiplier of 2.

- Leagues ranked between 6th and 22nd get a multiplier of 1.5.

- Leagues ranked 23rd or lower get a multiplier of just 1.

For example, goals scored in the Premier League count for more than goals scored in the Portuguese Primeira Liga.

The player with the most points come the end of the season is crowned winner of the European Golden Shoe.

There are five divisions that carry a points multiplier of 2.

• Premier League
• La Liga
• Serie A
• Bundesliga
• Ligue 1

Past European Golden Shoe winners

It may come as no surprise to hear that either Lionel Messi (6) or Cristiano Ronaldo (4) won the award in 10 of the last 20 seasons.

Messi made history when he accumulated 100 points to win the trophy in the 2011/12 season.

His total of 50 La Liga goals has never been matched before or since.

Since Messi and Ronaldo's influence on the continent faded, the award has become more competitive with four different winners in the last five years.

Last nine European Golden Shoe winners

Player	Season	Points Achieved
Harry Kane	2023/24	72
Erling Haaland	2022/23	72
Robert Lewandowski	2021/22	72
Robert Lewandowski	2020/21	82
Ciro Immobile	2019/20	72
Lionel Messi	2018/19	72
Lionel Messi	2017/18	68
Lionel Messi	2016/17	74
Luis Suarez	2015/16	80

Who is in the running for the 2024/25 European Golden Shoe?

Leading the way is Viktor Gyokeres on 57 points.

The Sporting CP forward is enjoying a stellar season - netting 38 goals in the Primeira Liga.

Next up is French superstar Kylian Mbappe.

His 28 La Liga strikes have helped him break the record for the most goals in a debut season by a Real Madrid player.

2024/25 European Golden Shoe standings

Rank	Player	Goals	Points
1.	Viktor Gyökeres	38	57
2.	Kylian Mbappe	28	56
2.	Mohamed Salah	28	56
4.	Harry Kane	25	50
4.	Robert Lewandowski	25	50
6.	Mateo Retegui	24	48
7.	Alexander Isak	23	46
8.	Mika Biereth	24	42.5
10.	Ousmane Dembele	21	42
10.	Erling Haaland	21	42