Top 5 players in the race for the European Golden Shoe
The European Golden Shoe or the European Golden Boot is awarded to the player who scores the most number of goals in any of the European top division leagues. Ciro Immobile won the award in 2020 while Lionel Messi won three Golden Shoes on the trot before that.
This time around, one of the candidates has a clear lead over the rest of the competition. The award is granted based on points earned for goals scored over the course of a season. The weightage of points per goal is in favour of Europe's top five leagues.
While a player in Europe's top-five leagues (as per UEFA's rankings) gets two points per goal, players in leagues ranked between 6 and 22 get 1.5 points per goal. Those plying their trade in any league below the 22nd ranked one, get 1 point per goal.
Let's take a look at the top five players in the race for the Golden Boot for the 2020-21 season without further ado.
#5 Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain) - 26 goals
Widely regarded as the heir apparent to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe has been living up to that tag and then some. The Paris Saint-Germain forward continues to be prolific in front of goal and is the leading goalscorer in Ligue 1.
Mbappe has scored 26 goals for Paris Saint-Germain in 30 appearances in the Ligue 1 this term. He averages a goal every 88 minutes in Ligue 1 and has been PSG's best player this season. Mbappe's current contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires next summer and he is yet to sign an extension.
There are rumours linking him with an exit but with Neymar putting pen to paper on a new deal, PSG are expected to prioritize extending Mbappe's contract as well.
#4 Andre Silva (Eintracht Frankfurt) - 27 goals
Andre Silva has been the surprise package of the 2020-21 Bundesliga season. After failing to impress at Sevilla and AC Milan, Silva showed a lot of promise during his loan spell at Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2019-20 season, scoring 12 goals and providing three assists from 25 appearances in the Bunde.
Eintracht Franckurt gave him a permanent deal at the start of the 2020-21 season and Andre Silva has been banging in goals for fun. The Portuguese striker, who is now being courted by several European giants, including Manchester City, has scored 27 goals in 31 appearances in the Bundesliga this term.
The 25-year-old averages a goal every 99 minutes and is in stellar form ahead of the Euros.