Ranking the 5 favorites to win the UEFA Champions League Golden Boot (2022)
The UEFA Champions League is Europe's most elite football competition. Only the best teams from across Europe qualify for the tournament. As a result, it possesses the perfect configuration to produce dream matchups.
Champions League knockout stages to feature the most elite strikers in the world
The Champions League features some of the best forwards in the game squaring off against the best defenders around. The most technically proficient midfielders will go toe-to-toe to exert their dominance in the center of the park. For the neutral, the Champions League is an absolute treat.
Footballers dream of even turning out for their clubs in the Champions League. So imagine how ecstatic they'd be to perform well at the grandest stage of them all. Performing well in the competition is as good as leaving a mark on the game.
For strikers, scoring a lot of goals in the Champions League is a huge personal achievement. Becoming the top scorer in Europe's elite competition is simply the stuff of dreams.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the five favorites to win the UEFA Champions League Golden Boot this season.
#5 Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Cristiano Ronaldo was one of the stars of the UEFA Champions League group stages. The Portuguese international produced multiple rescue acts for Manchester United to keep them in the competition. This included late winners against the likes of Villarreal and Atalanta.
He has scored six goals in five appearances in the competition this term. However, the 37-year-old's form has faded of late. He has now gone goalless in his last six matches and that's his longest barren streak in front of goal since his early days at Real Madrid.
Worse yet, Ronaldo's poor form surfaced right when Manchester United finally managed to make some improvements in their attacking game. The Red Devils go up against Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16.
The Champions League is Ronaldo's favorite competition. He has scored the most number of goals in the competition and has won the Golden Boot a record seven times.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been the best player in the Champions League this season. https://t.co/e4absRuImg
#4 Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain)
Lionel Messi may have struggled to settle down in Ligue 1 but the Champions League is way too familiar for him to underperform. The Argentinian international is the second highest scorer in the competition and he has won the Golden Boot in the competition six times.
Messi has scored five goals in five appearances in Europe this season. The 34-year-old also seems to have finally hit his stride at PSG and has 10 goal involvements in his last 10 appearances. Those are good signs for PSG and Messi could really shift gears and go berserk from here on in.
Messi at the Parc des Princes in the Champions League:
8 games
8 goals
1 assist https://t.co/IEGacrxDrB