With domestic seasons across Europe reaching their climax, and for some, the race for the title hotting up, what better time to take stock of the campaign and see who’s in the running to win the Golden Boot?
In this article, we will take a look at Europe’s five biggest leagues: the Premier League, La Liga, German Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1 – and some of these picks may well influence your football betting choices.
England: Premier League
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – 20 goals, 11 assists
While he’s not quite been at the same level of form since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, and off-the-pitch, there are controversies surrounding his contract negotiations, Mohamed Salah leads the way with 20 goals this season – three ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-Min.
The Egyptian has scored four goals in nine league appearances since that final defeat on penalties to Senegal – although he landed a brace in a 6-0 demolition over Leeds United. With Liverpool still only point behind Manchester City in the race for the title, the Anfield faithful probably won’t mind where the goals come from, as long as they continue their red-hot form in the run-in.
Spain: La Liga
Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) – 24 goals, 11 assists
With Lionel Messi’s name no longer dominating the Spanish top-flight’s goal scoring charts, there’s set to be a new name on La Liga’s Golden Boot. And it’s not even close – with Karim Benzema netting 24 goals so far this campaign, some 10 strikes ahead of his nearest challengers (including teammate Vinícius Júnior).
With Real Madrid looking like the shoo-in to win the title at this stage, the 34-year-old Frenchman has missed several fixtures through injury – including the 4-0 El Clásico defeat last month. However, he’s not just contributed in La Liga, but lit up the Champions League stage – with hat-tricks over Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea in the last two rounds.
Germany: Bundesliga
Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) – 32 goals, 1 assist
There are no surprises in Germany, as Robert Lewandowski looks to level Gerd Müller’s record of seven Kicker-Torjägerkanones. It will be the fifth successive season that the Polish striker has ended the campaign as the top scorer, and his tally of 32 goals so far is not too shy of the record number he landed last year (41). For context, nearest rival, Patrik Schick of Bayer Leverkusen has notched 20 goals.
While Lewandowski has lit up the Bundesliga for more than a decade, and Bayern look set to secure a tenth successive title, the striker has reportedly expressed a desire to move away from Bavaria – and join Barcelona. Should he depart, he’d leave a gaping hole up front.
Italy: Serie A
Ciro Immobile (Lazio) – 24 goals, 2 assists
While Lazio are looking to cement their place in European competition next season, and currently sit sixth in the Serie A table, the goals of Ciro Immobile have been a particular highlight – with the Italian scoring 24 out of their 64 goals this term. Immobile is Lazio’s all-time top goalscorer, with 179 goals in 225 appearances.
The 32-year-old recently netted a hat-trick in a 4-1 win over Genoa, and he’s two goals ahead of Dušan Vlahović, who joined Juventus from Fiorentina at the start of the year. Immobile, sadly, has not been able to replicate his domestic form for his country – and Italy were knocked out of World Cup qualification by minnows, North Macedonia.
France: Ligue 1
Kylian Mbappé (Paris Saint-Germain) – 20 goals, 14 assists
While the Ligue 1 title is all but assured, with Paris Saint-Germain 12 points clear of Marseille at the summit, the matter of the Golden Boot is not yet decided. Leading the way is PSG’s Kylian Mbappé, who is looking to land his fourth individual accolade. However, hot on his heels is Monaco’s Wissam Ben Yedder, who was the joint-top scorer with Mbappé in 2019-20.The attacking trio of Mbappé, Neymar and Lionel Messi are finally proving deadly for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, and Mbappé and Messi both netted a hat-trick in their last match – a 6-1 demolition over Clermont Foot. The Frenchman is out of contract at the end of the season, and Spanish giants Real Madrid – who knocked PSG out of the Champions League – look like front-runners to land his signature.
