Top 10 leaders in the European Golden Shoe race

As the 2021/22 season begins to take shape, it is time to check out the 10 current leaders in the European Golden Shoe race.

The 2021/22 European Golden Shoe race is beginning to take shape as clubs approach the halfway stage.

Last season’s winner Robert Lewandowski is back on top again across Europe’s biggest leagues, having scored a brilliant 26 goals in only 22 Bundesliga games. The Pole is gunning for back-to-back titles, but he has some pretty stiff competition.

The European Sports Media determines the outcome based on a player’s goal numbers and the strength of his league (e.g. goals scored league strength=total points).

Where is Ronaldo ranked?

Cristiano Ronaldo is currently ranked in a joint 39th-place alongside stars like Jamie Vardy (Leicester City), Andre Silva (RB Leipzig), and Heung-Min Son (Tottenham) on 18 points.

The Manchester United star moved 10 points outside the top-10 after his strike against Brighton on Tuesday.

So, without further ado, Ronaldo.com checks out the 10 current leaders for this season’s Golden Shoe using only players from a top-five European league.

10. Raul de Tomas (Espanyol) – 26 points

The former Real Madrid striker is a man reborn at Espanyol.

After a season smashing in the goals in Spain’s second division, Raul de Tomas has carried over his prolific form into the top-tier. He has an impressive 13 goals to his name already. Add his three assists to the mix, the Spaniard has contributed 55% of Espanyol’s 29 goals this season.

9. Wissam Ben Yedder (AS Monaco) – 28 points

The Monaco captain has scored eight goals in his last 10 league appearances to climb up the European Golden Shoe rankings.

Wissam Ben Yedder’s prolific performances have helped Monaco become top-four challengers in Ligue 1 this season in a tight race that includes Strasbourg, Rennes, Montpellier, Lens, Nantes, Lille, and Lyon.

8. Anthony Modeste (FC Koln) – 28 points

After a difficult couple of years, Anthony Modeste has rediscovered his best form this season.

The French striker returned to FC Koln in the summer from a loan spell at Saint-Etienne and has since put away the goals consistently in the Bundesliga.

7. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – 32 points

While many fans have questioned his seventh-place finish in the Ballon d’Or, Mohamed Salah has done his talking on the pitch instead.

The Egyptian forward leads the Premier League goal charts this season and is right up in the mix for the most assists as well. But as Salah has been away to AFCON this month, he has naturally lost a bit of ground in the European Golden Shoe race.

6. Erling Haaland (B. Dortmund) – 32 points

Had it not been for a hip flexor injury between October and November, Erling Haaland would be higher up on the European Golden Shoe rankings.

Nevertheless, the 21-year-old continues to hammer in the goals at an alarming rate for Borussia Dortmund. If Haaland keeps this form up, he will surely become a serious threat for this award.

5. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) – 34 points

The Frenchman has been the full package for Real Madrid by sitting amongst the leaders in La Liga’s goal and assist charts.

Karim Benzema’s impact is impossible to ignore. Real Madrid lead the way at the top of La Liga already, and a big part of that has been down to his efforts. A quick look at his stats says it all.

His 17 goals and 7 assists make up 50% of the club’s 48 league goals alone.

4. Dusan Vlahovic (Fiorentina) – 36 points

The 22-year-old is probably the most-talked-about striker at the moment in terms of transfer gossip and his many goals.

A peek at his stats explains why so many top European clubs are said to be interested. In only 21 games, Dusan Vlahovic has already scored 17 goals and chipped in two assists. The Serbian’s efforts have helped Fiorentina become top-six challengers in the Serie A standings, and now he is strutting his stuff at Juventus after a €70 million transfer in January.

3. Ciro Immobile (Lazio) – 38 points

After a somewhat below-par campaign by his high standards last term, Ciro Immobile is banging in the goals at an insane rate for Lazio again.

The Italian has already scored 19 goals in only 21 appearances this season. With Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo out of the picture for now, on top of Serie A having four more games than the Bundesliga, he has a decent chance of winning a second European Golden Shoe in three years.

2. Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen) – 38 points

The Czech Republic international has carried over his brilliant Euro 2020 form to the Bundesliga this term.

Patrik Schick has already bettered last season’s tally of nine goals by finding the back of the net 19 times in as many appearances to help Bayer Leverkusen climb into the top four in the league table.

1. Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) – 52 points

The reigning European Golden Shoe titleholder is on course for a second award in as many seasons at the moment.

Despite a change in the Bayern Munich dugout, Robert Lewandowski remains as formidable as ever. The Pole has scored a brilliant 26 goals in only 22 Bundesliga games.