Top 5 European Golden Shoe contenders

#2 Lionel Messi

Last season, the Barcelona maestro ended up running away with the Golden Shoe, scoring 37 goals in La Liga and accumulating six points more than second placed Bas Dost, whose challenge this season will be crippled by his goals now being worth only 1.5 points due to the Portuguese league’s fall in the UEFA Coefficient.

It may have been a tricky season for Barca, who saw Real Madrid win La Liga, yet the Argentine still produced more than a goal per game.

Having turned 30, can the Argentine maintain his incredible pace without Neymar alongside him? It is a question that every Barcelona fan will expect the superstar to answer in the affirmative.

There is little doubt that this is a complicated moment for the Blaugrana, who need Messi at his best more than ever.