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The European Golden Shoe, also known as the European Golden Boot, is awarded to the leading scorer in league matches from the top division of European leagues. Every year, the best forwards across the top European leagues vie for the prestigious award, scoring as many as possible in their respective domestic leagues. Last year, Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski took the European Golden Boot home with a total score of 82, scoring 41 goals in the Bundesliga.
The top five European leagues - the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1 - are generally considered a notch tougher than other leagues on the continent. Since the difficulty is higher, players in Europe’s top five leagues enjoy the highest coefficient of 2.0. Thanks to the highest multiplier, the European Golden Boot almost always tends to go to a player from Europe’s top-five leagues. So, to make things easier, we have only included scorers from the top-five European leagues.
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With that in mind, here is how the Golden Boot power ranking looks in the month of November.
Special mention: Vinicius Jr., Taiwo Awoniyi, Andy Delort, Gaëtan Laborde, Wahbi Khazri, and Edin Dzeko have also scored seven league goals this season.
#10 Jamie Vardy - Leicester City
Some say age is just a number, and Leicester City forward Jamie Vardy seems to have made the statement his life’s mantra.
The 34-year-old sharpshooter has been firing on all cylinders this season and has already scored seven goals in the English Premier League.
Vardy has been the brightest spark amid Leicester City’s gloomy, mediocre campaign, and the Foxes will need him to continue in a similar fashion.
Apart from seven goals, Vardy has also pitched in with an assist in 10 Premier League matches.
#9 Jonathan David - LOSC Lille
21-year-old Canadian international Jonathan David signed for LOSC Lille from Belgian outfit Gent in the summer of 2020. He pitched in with 13 goals last season, helping Lille beat PSG to the Ligue 1 title.
David seems to be in even better form this season, having already scored eight goals in 12 Ligue 1 appearances.
David is a versatile center forward who can also play as a winger, a second-striker, or even an attacking midfielder.
Lille boss Jocelyn Gourvennec has experimented with his positioning this season, deploying David as a centre-forward and as a second striker. Unsurprisingly, David has excelled in both positions.
#8 Dusan Vlahovic - Fiorentina
Fiorentina may have been struggling to break into Serie A's top four, but their sharpshooter Dusan Vlahovic is already up there, vying with the very best.
Vlahovic has been in imperious form in the Italian league this season, netting eight goals in 11 appearances. Alongside the plethora of goals he has scored, Vlahovic has also provided an assist in the Italian top-flight.
Vlahovic’s best performance of the season came on matchday 11 against Spezia. He scored an impressive hat-trick to lead his side to a comfortable 3-0 win at the Artemio Franchi Stadium.
#7 Giovanni Simeone - Hellas Verona
On loan from bottom-placed Cagliari, Giovanni Simeone is proving himself to be a messiah for Hellas Verona in Serie A.
The 26-year-old Argentina international has netted eight goals and provided three assists in nine games for Verona, emerging as the team’s standout performer.
Most importantly, most of Simeone’s goals have come against the most highly-rated teams in Serie A. On matchday nine, he scored four goals against Napoli to guide Verona to an emphatic 4-1 win.
Then, on matchday 11, he scored a match-winning brace against Juventus, which saw Verona leapfrog the Bianconeri in the Serie A standings.
#6 Patrik Schick - Bayer Leverkusen
Euro 2020 sensation Patrik Schick has managed to carry over his international form to Germany’s premier league competition, the Bundesliga.
The Czech international has been in red-hot form for Bayer Leverkusen in the German top-flight, scoring important goals in all but two Bundesliga matches this season.
In nine Bundesliga games, Schick has scored eight goals and provided two assists.
Schick is currently nursing his torn ankle ligament and has already missed two games. With his return still unconfirmed, we suspect the injury could cost him his place in the European Golden Boot standings.
#5 Ciro Immobile - Lazio
Euro 2020 winner Ciro Immobile was not at his devastating best for Italy at the European showpiece event. However, in Lazio’s famous Indigo, Immobile is back to scoring for fun.
Not only has he scored nine goals in 10 appearances, but he has also been instrumental to Lazio’s build-up play.
Immobile has often fetched the ball from deep and even fell back to defend from time to time. His two assists in Serie A also shed light on his more generous side.
#4 Karim Benzema - Real Madrid
Karim Benzema has been Real Madrid’s best performer this season, regularly popping up with decisive goals and assists.
The Frenchman is one of the very few players in the world who can be equally impressive as a finisher or a provider.
The 33-year-old has forged a fruitful alliance with Vinicius Jr., regularly linking up with the Brazilian to keep the scoreboard ticking for Los Blancos.
Benzema, who was at the top of our Power Rankings in October, has drawn a couple of blanks in La Liga. However, given the overall contribution he makes, Real Madrid are more than happy to let it slide.
In 11 La Liga matches, the league’s leading scorer has scored nine goals and provided seven assists.
#3 Erling Haaland - Borussia Dortmund
With Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo nearing the end of their respective careers, there is a vacuum in European football. The power struggle is becoming more and more evident with every passing day, and it’s not only the tried-and-tested scorers who are going for it.
21-year-old Erling Haaland is changing the rules of the game, scoring emphatically in almost every game he has featured in. The Norwegian forward is good with both feet, can head the ball in and has a knack for being in the right place.
In only six Bundesliga appearances, Haaland has scored nine goals, averaging 1.5 goals per game.
If that is not enough, he has also been pretty generous in the final third. The four assists he provided are a testament to his creative side. Unfortunately, Haaland is having problems with his hip flexors and might not be in action until 2022.
The untimely injury could badly hurt his chances of winning the European Golden Boot. But given his scoring rate, we still cannot rule him out.
#2 Mohamed Salah - Liverpool
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah is being hailed as the best player in the world right now and the evidence is there for us to see. The Egypt international has turned everything he has touched into gold.
He has been an integral cog of Jurgen Klopp’s well-oiled machine, scoring outrageous goals in every other match.
Salah, who is the leading Premier League scorer in the 2021-22 season, has scored 10 goals and provided six assists in ten league matches. His goal contribution can only be matched by Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema, who has also had 16 direct goal involvements.
Salah’s best performance of the season came on matchday nine against Manchester United. The 29-year-old’s hat-trick led Liverpool to a 5-0 win at Old Trafford - their biggest ever win at the stadium.
#1 Robert Lewandowski - Bayern Munich
Last year’s European Golden Boot winner Robert Lewandowski is on his way to bagging his second win on the trot. The Bayern Munich talisman has already scored 12 goals in 10 Bundesliga matches and looks hungry for more.
Bayern Munich have been in spectacular form for the majority of the season, with Lewandowski ascending as their key contributor. The Polish forward is also an expert at holding up the ball for his teammates and setting them up when an opportunity presents itself.
So far, Lewandowski has only had one assist in the Bundesliga, but we are certain to see more as the months roll by.
