Ranking the top 5 contenders for the European Golden Boot at the moment (March 2022)
Winning the European Golden Boot, an award that is presented to the player with the highest points across the continent, is every striker’s dream. To win it, not only does a player need to score a bucketload of goals, but they must also do it in a favorable league.
Unless they play in a top-five European league, their goals are multiplied by either 1.5 or 1. Whereas in a top-five league, their goals are multiplied by two.
Last year, Bayern Munich ace Robert Lewandowski bagged the prestigious individual accolade with a staggering 41 goals or 82 points.
Will he be able to keep his crown or will we have another victor this time around? Here are the top five goalscorers who are vying for the Golden Boot right now:
Special note: We are only considering goalscorers from the top five European Leagues for this list. Hence, Red Star’s Ohi Omoijuanfo (30 goals), and Lillestrom’s Thomas Lehne Olsen (26 goals) have been excluded from the list.
#5 Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) – 38 points
With 38 points, Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema is currently the fifth-leading goalscorer across the top-five European leagues. The Frenchman has been in imperious form for Los Blancos, scoring 19 goals and providing nine assists in 23 La Liga fixtures this season.
The Real Madrid skipper has not only popped up with crucial goals, but he has also contributed heavily to their build-up play. His understanding with Vinicius Junior has helped Los Merengues greatly in attaining top spot in La Liga.
Benzema and Vini link up for the clutch goal 🤩 https://t.co/glUGyVM8vm
Clever movement, intelligent passing, and lethal finishing have allowed Benzema to emerge as the leading scorer in La Liga.
If he keeps this up, we won’t be surprised to see him bag his first Pichichi at the end of the season.
#4 Ciro Immobile (Lazio) – 38 points
Ciro Immobile scored only twice in Italy’s Euro-winning campaign last summer. Yet, he was integral to Azzurri’s success, courtesy of his understanding of the space and contribution to their build-up play.
At Lazio, he takes a more direct approach and manages to be just as effective in that role, if not more.
🦅 Lazio's record goalscorer, Ciro Immobile 
🔵🦅 Lazio's record goalscorer, Ciro Immobile ⚽️
👕2⃣4⃣9⃣
⚽️1⃣7⃣4⃣
#UEL https://t.co/GEJSUGdTmD
Immobile has been leading Lazio’s line fearlessly since his transfer from Sevilla in 2016. He has scored 174 goals in 250 appearances for the Italian outfit, which is nothing short of jaw-dropping.
This season, he has scored 19 goals (38 points) in 22 Serie A, making him the second-leading scorer in the division and fourth-best across the top-five leagues.