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Ronaldo's record-breaking transfer to Juventus last summer ended the nine-year personal battle he and Lionel Messi had fought for nine seasons in La Liga. However, despite being separated by geographic boundaries, the global nature of the game means both men are still very much in contention with one another, particularly in the race to be crowned Europe’s most lethal marksman.
With five European Golden Shoes to his name, Lionel Messi currently leads the way for most Golden Boots won in history, while Ronaldo is not too far behind with four.
The 33-year-old has continued from where he left off at Real Madrid, bringing his scoring boots with him to Italy and is currently the top scorer in the Italian Serie A with 14 goals. However, the Portuguese still trails some way behind not just his eternal Argentine rival but also some other superstars across Europe. In this piece, we would be taking a look at four players who currently lead Ronaldo in the race for the European Golden Boot.
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All stats correct as of January 20, 2019
Also see : Gold Cup Standings, Copa America Standings, Womens World Cup Bracket
#4 Luis Suarez
A prime goalscorer of the highest proportions, Luis Suarez has established himself as a supreme finisher and has arguably been the standout centre-forward in Europe over the last decade. Suarez has always shown a knack for banging in goals with reckless abandon from Ajax to Liverpool to Barcelona and with the Uruguayan national team.
The 31-year-old is the only player in history to have won the Golden Boot in the Dutch Eredivisie, English Premier League and La Liga and is a two-time winner of the European Golden Shoe.
Despite facing criticism in recent years for his increase in weight and loss of pace, the all-time record goalscorer for Uruguay continues to silence his critics in the only way he knows how - by scoring goals.
Suarez is currently on 15 goals for the current season (behind only Lionel Messi in La Liga) and on evidence of his performance earlier on in the season, Barcelona know they can count on him in the absence of his Argentine teammate.
#3 Mohamed Salah
Following his record-breaking debut season for Liverpool which saw the Egyptian net 44 goals across all competitions and being named PFA, PWA and CAF Player of the Year as well as make it to the podium for each of the major global individual awards, many were sceptical if the 25-year-old could match those heights again.
His indifferent start to the campaign laid credence to those claims, as he began the season rather slowly, but his coach Jurgen Klopp never doubted him and his faith has been repaid, with Salah once more proving to be a difference maker.
The Egyptian Prince has bailed Liverpool out on multiple occasions this season, scoring the only goal of their crucial winner takes all clash with Napoli in the UCL as well as his brace to settle the nerve-wracking 4-3 victory over Crystal Palace at the weekend.
Salah currently has 16 goals in the Premier League this season to lead the chasing pack in his bid to retain the Golden Boot he won last season. Just two goals short of Messi for the European Golden Shoe last term, Salah could be out to get his hand on that prestigious prize.
#2 Kylian Mbappe
Undoubtedly the standout star of the next generation, Kylian Mbappe is a Ballon d’Or winner in waiting and is widely tipped to inherit the crown of best player in the world once Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo depart the scene.
Scratch that, the Frenchman is already playing at a world-class level, and already boasts some enviable achievements that only a few throughout history can match, yet, he has only just turned 20.
The World Cup winner is the second costliest player of all time but plays with such ease and composure that belies his age.
Having made it into the FIFPRO XI and set a plethora of records last year following his spectacular displays at the World Cup, Mbappe seems intent on taking his stock a bit higher and is very firmly in the running to be the European Golden Shoe winner of 2019.
With 17 goals, he leads the goal scorers' chart in the French Ligue 1 and if he maintains this level of consistency, then he could well become only the second player after Luis Suarez to win the award ahead of Messi and Ronaldo in the last decade.
#1 Lionel Messi
The Argentine has long since established himself as not just a bonafide legend of the beautiful game, but indeed as one of the all-time greatest.
Messi’s displays over the last 15 years have been nothing short of extraordinary, setting records at a premium that repeating them here would be an exercise in futility.
His rivalry with Ronaldo has been the stuff of myths and legends, while his personal trophy haul matches his greatness.
Having endured a miserable 2018 which saw him fail to stop Barcelona’s recent miserable run in the UCL as well as being captain of the shambolic Argentine side at the World Cup, Messi saw himself shamefully left off the podium places of individual awards for the first time in a decade.
Following his snub, the 31-year-old has started the campaign on fire, as he attempts to right the wrongs from last year. He currently has 10 assists (league high) as well as goals to sit top of the scorer's chart in La Liga in a bid to extend his record-breaking European Golden Shoe wins to six.
