Top 10 contenders for the Champions League Golden Boot

#4 Robert Lewandowski

Robert Lewandowski

The Poland captain had been the subject of numerous transfer speculations in recent transfer windows, after coming under heavy fire from the Bayern board for criticizing the club's ambition due to it's inactivity in the transfer market.

Lewandowski was constantly linked with a move away from the Allianz Arena, with Real Madrid and Manchester United touted as possible destinations. However, all indications suggest that is largely an issue of the past, and Lewa is now fully focused on the task at hand.

Bayern Munich are one of the traditional heavyweights of European football, having triumphed in the continent's biggest club prize a total of five times, but they are currently on a bit of a barren run, failing to make the final since 2013.

The club is an undeniable juggernaut domestically, having won each of the last six Bundesliga league titles, so the Bavarians would be desperate to stamp their authority on Europe, and Lewandowski himself would be keen to lead their charge, as he is yet to taste UCL glory, painfully being a losing finalist to Bayern in 2013 with former club Borussia Dortmund.

#3 Neymar

Neymar in action for Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League

The 26-year-old Brazilian has long been touted as the heir apparent to Ronaldo and Messi's throne, and it was believed to be only a matter of time before the Brazilian won a Ballon d'Or, as his performances were considered to be only behind the extra-ordinary pair.

Staying at Barcelona meant he would always be in the shadow of Lionel Messi, as no matter what he did, the Argentine would take the glory, with an example being in the aftermath of Barcelona's dramatic comeback victory over PSG where Messi grabbed all the headlines, despite Neymar being the chief architect of the victory.

However, things have not gone to plan since Neymar's world record transfer to the French capital. He put in a subpar performance in the first leg of PSG's biggest test of the season against Real Madrid, while a broken metatarsal before the second leg meant his first season ended prematurely without having the sort of impact PSG owners craved when he was signed.

Things further capitulated at the World Cup in Russia, as Brazil underperformed with Neymar the subject of media criticisms, as he failed to live up to expectations, spending more time on the field rolling with theatrics than making an impact on the field.

There are even suggestions that teenage sensation Kylian Mbappe is the new star of the Parisiens, a notion which Neymar would be eager to dispel, and a major way to achieve that would be by winning the UCL Golden Boot (like he did in 2015).

Despite his shenanigans, on his day, Neymar is still one of the best players in the world, make no mistake about that, and with PSG desperate to make a mark on the Champions League after the billions invested in personnel, Neymar would be the player tasked with leading their march.