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Hello and welcome back to our latest assessment of the top scorers of the UEFA Champions League. There have been a few changes to the rankings since our last evaluation at the end of October and the race has become quite interesting right now.
Also Read: Top Contenders for the Champions League Golden Boot: October 2018
The month of November has seen a few fabulous games and quite a few clubs have already secured progression into the knockout stages of the tournament. However, what has come as a surprise is that the race to become the Champions League top scorer is missing quite a few big names this season. The biggest player missing right now is Cristiano Ronaldo, last season's top scorer, who has managed just 1 goal from 4 appearances in the group stages so far. Another big name missing is Mohamed Salah, who finished last season with 10 goals from 13 games. The Egyptian has been enduring a tough time so far, managing only 2 goals from 5 games. However, it is too early to rule out these two from the race.
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Not all of the players from the top 5 from last month make into the list this time. Kylian Mbappe is the first one to miss out, having failed to score in the Champions League in November, where as Neymar misses out too, even though he did score one goal this week. Read on to find out who replaces them in the list and also know the top 5 contenders for the Champions League Golden Boot at the end of November, 2018.
#5 Paolo Dybala (Juventus)
Goals Scored - 4
The Argentinean has slipped two places into 5th position at the end of November, and now has 4 goals from 4 games in the Champions League this season. Dybala started the tournament on the bench against Valencia in the first match, but then scored 4 goals in the next two games, including a hat-trick against Young Boys at home. However, the month of November has not been kind to him.
Dybala started against United at home and even though he played well, could not find the back of the net, as Juventus succumbed to a United's pressure late in the game and lost 1-2 at home. This week, he started against Valencia at home, but even though he came close on a couple of occasions, Dybala failed to score again. He was eventually substituted with Doglas Costa in the 79th minute.
The Argentinean was expected to take the back seat upon the arrival of Ronaldo, however, Dybala has ensured that Juventus do not suffer as their star man still gathers his footings. Paolo Dybala is ranked 5th among the top contenders for the Champions League Golden Boot at the end of November.
#4 Antoine Griezmann (Athletico Madrid)
Goals Scored - 4
After a slow start to the tournament, the Frenchman has caught up speed and is in fine form in the Champions League right now. He was clinical in the two games in November, which has seen him claw back among the contenders at the end of the month.
Griezmann got off the mark with a brace against Club Brugge in the second game of the season, but failed to score in the away defeat to Borussia Dortmund at the end of October. But he made up for that when the Bundesliga side came to visit the Wanda Metropolitano at the start of November, scoring a goal in a 2-0 win. The French Striker then added a goal against Monaco in the next game, while also picking up an assist.
Griezmann has registered 12 shots this season in the Champions League, 8 of which have been on target and he has found the back of the net 4 times in 5 games. He is currently 4th in the race to the Champions League Golden Boot at the end of November
#3 Edin Dzeko (AS Roma)
Goals Scored - 5
The Bosnian had 5 goals after three games in the Champions League at the end of October. Since then though, Edin Dzeko has been enduring a tough run of games in both the Serie A as well as the Champions League.
In the league, Dzeko has scored just 2 goals in 12 games, as Roma has slipped to 7th in the Serie A. In the Champions League, the Roma Striker failed to find the back of the net in the away game against CSKA Moscow at the start of November. Following his lack of form in front of goal, the Bosnian was not selected in the squad that lost to Real Madrid at home this week.
Dzeko's lack of form has seen him drop down from second last month to third this time in this list. He has recorded 15 shots so far in the Champions League, 12 of which have been on target. He currently has 5 goals from 4 games so far, still a fabulous return and is third among the contenders for the Golden Boot at the end of November
#2 Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Goals Scored - 6
The Polish Striker was a long way behind at the end of October in the race, but a fantastic return to grace in the month of November has seen him rise to the second position in this list. Lewandowski already has 17 goals from 18 games in all competition this season right now, yet his form in the Champions League has been far better than in the Bundesliga.
The Bayern Striker ended October with 2 goals in 3 group league games. At the start of November though, Lewandowski had turned on the propellers to full speed. First, he scored both goals in the home game against AEK Athens. He followed that up with another brace against Benfica at home, finishing the month with 4 goals from 2 games!
Lewandowski has registered 14 shots in the tournament so far, with 11 of them on target. He now has 6 goals from 5 games and in the race to the Champions League Golden Boot, is second only in terms of goals per game. However, the man at the top will take some catching....
#1 Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Goals Scored - 6
... because he is Lionel Messi! The Barcelona magician has registered 18 shots in the Champions League so far, the most in the tournament, with 12 of them on target. He continues to be at the top of the pack in the race, and even injuries have failed to slow him down.
Right from the start of the season, Messi has been in scintillating form in the Champions League. He had already scored 5 goals in the first two game, when a forearm fracture saw him ruled out for two games. After missing out both the home and the away games against Inter Milan, Messi returned to the Champions League this week, seeing off PSV Eindhoven in style, scoring a goal and setting up Gerard Pique to clinch the winner. As of now, Messi has scored 6 goals from 3 games in the tournament, which means that he is averaging a goal every 45 minutes!
The Argentinean has already surpassed long time rival Ronaldo this week, by registering the most goals for a single club in the Champions League. Lionel Messi continues to sizzle in the tournament and is the No. 1 Contender for the Champions League Golden Boot at the end of November.
Which of these men will end the season as the Champions League Top Scorer? Let us know your predictions in the comments!
