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It's quite early, but the UEFA Champions League 2018/19 season is already raining goals and the race to become the Champions League top scorer is already looking interesting. The last time a player other than Messi or Ronaldo ended with the most goals was in the 2006/07 season when Kaka scored 10 goals for AC Milan.
Interestingly, in the 2014/15 season, Neymar was the joint top scorer along with Messi and Ronaldo.
Last season, Cristiano Ronaldo scored 15 goals for Real Madrid and finished as the top scorer, for the third time in a row. However, the Portuguese has endured a mixed start to the tournament this season and has not found the back of the net in the Champions League since joining Juventus in the summer.
On the other hand, there are quite a few exciting names who have made the top scorer race quite interesting so far. Today, we take a look at the top 5 contenders for the Champions League Golden Boot this season and rank them according to their goal-scoring prowess so far:
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#5 Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Goals Scored: 2
The French teenager has been on fire this season, notching up 11 goals already, from just 9 games so far. In the Champions League, the French striker has scored 2 goals in 3 games at the moment.
He scored his first goal in the thrilling 3-2 loss at Anfield against Liverpool in the first game of the group stages. He then scored 1 and picked up an assist in the 6-1 demolition of Red Star at home. This Wednesday, Mbappe was unable to find the net in the home tie against SS Napoli, which ended 2-2.
After bagging the 2018 FIFA World Cup Best Young Player Award in the summer, where he helped France lift the World Cup, Mbappe finished in 4th place at The Best FIFA Men's Player of the Year Award.
He has made the shortlisted 30 for the Ballon d'Or 2018 and the Frenchman is currently 5th in the race to the Champions League Golden Boot for the 2018/19 season
#4 Neymar (PSG)
Goals Scored: 3
Last season, Neymar was unfortunate with injuries, with a Metatarsal Fracture ruling him out from the end of February. He still finished with an impressive 28 goals from 30 games in all competitions.
This season, the Brazilian has started strong again and has already picked up 11 goals and 5 assists from 12 games. In the Champions League, Neymar has scored 3 goals from 3 games so far.
He failed to find the net in the 3-2 defeat at the hands of Liverpool at Anfield, but the Brazilian made up for it by firing PSG to a 6-1 win at home against Red Star, where he completed a hattrick. However, he failed to score against Napoli at home on Wednesday, as PSG were held to a surprising 2-2 draw.
Neymar will be finally hoping to take the Champions League by storm this season and mark himself as one of the greats of the tournament by becoming the top scorer. As of now, he is 4th in this list.
#3 Paulo Dybala (Juventus)
Goals Scored: 4
The Argentinean was expected to play second fiddle to a certain Portuguese this season, but Paulo Dybala has simply continued his stunning form from last season. Granted, he has been a little slow in the Serie A, but Dybala has made up for it in the Champions League.
Dybala has already scored 5 goals from 10 games in all competitions so far and in the Champions League, he has now scored 4 goals in 2 games to help Juventus maintain their perfect start.
The Argentinean started the first group game of the season on the bench and did not play any part, but against Young Boys at home in the second match, Dybala showed his class, scoring a fantastic hattrick as Juventus won 3-0.
This Tuesday, against Manchester United at Old Trafford, Dybala scored the only goal of the game and won Juventus the match and 3 vital points.
Only time will tell if the talented Argentinean can continue his fantastic start to the season, but as of now, Paulo Dybala is third among the contenders for the Champions League Golden Boot.
#2 Edin Dzeko (AS Roma)
Goals Scored: 5
Edin Dzeko is quietly proving the doubters wrong at AS Roma. Last season, Dzeko recorded 8 goals in 12 games in the Champions League. This season Dzeko has already scored 7 goals from 11 games for AS Roma in all competitions.
In the Champions League, the Bosnia-Herzegovina International has scored 5 goals from 3 games.
Dzeko started the Champions League season with a humiliating 3-0 loss at the hands of Real Madrid in the first game of the group stages. He played the full 90 minutes, got booked, but could not find the back of the net.
However, in the next game against Viktoria Plzen, Dzeko scored a hattrick, as Roma won 5-0. This week, Dzeko powered Roma to a 3-0 win over CSKA Moscow, scoring a brace and picking up an assist.
As of now, Dzeko is second in the race to the Champions League Golden Boot, however, he has scored the same number of goals as the man who tops this list.
#1 Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Goals Scored: 5
Lionel Messi has openly admitted that Barcelona desperately needs to win the Champions League and the newly appointed Barcelona skipper seems to have taken the responsibility himself. The brilliant Argentinean has already scored 12 goals from 12 games in all competitions so far, and in the Champions League, Messi has scored 5 goals from 2 games.
The Argentinean started the new Champions League season with a fantastic hattrick against PSV Eindhoven at home, as Barcelona won their opening game 4-0. He then travelled to Wembley to face Tottenham Hotspur and mesmerized the world, scoring a brace as Barcelona won the hard-fought game 4-2.
However, last weekend, Messi was hurt in the home game against Sevilla FC, where he had to be replaced in the 29th minute. This meant that he had to watch from the stands as Barcelona got the better of Inter at home this week.
The little magician will be hoping to return to action soon and will be raring to resume his goal scoring. A better goal per game average sees him as the Top Contender for the Champions League Golden Boot for the month of October 2018, and he will be hoping that he remains there when we update the list at the end of next month.
