Top Contenders for the Serie A Golden Boot - January 2019
Hello and Welcome back to our assessment of the race to the Serie A Golden Boot at the start of the new year. There have been quite a few changes in the ranking since our last assessment, in fact, three of the men from the last list have been replaced by new players this time. As such, the race to "Capocannoniere" has well and truly warmed up now.
Also Read: Top Contenders for the Serie A Golden Boot - December 2018
All eyes have been on Cristiano Ronaldo, who has taken the Serie A by storm since making the switch in the summer and the Portuguese continue to be an integral part of the race. But what has come as a surprise is that Mauro Icardi and Immobile, the Golden Boot winners from last season, have dropped down the rankings due to a substandard return in front of goal in the month of December. Both players could score one goal in the entire month. The Italian, by the way, misses out from the top five only by virtue of inferior minutes per goal ratio.
However, it is at the top of the table where the competition is fierce, as both men are trying their best to outdo each other. Only time will tell which of them will win that battle, but as of now, let us take a look at the top five contenders for the Serie A Golden Boot, at the start of January 2019.
#5 Duvan Zapata (Columbia, Atalanta BC)
Goals Scored - 10
The Columbian is a new name in the list but is coming into the new year in exceptional form. Zapata has been the standout performer in December and has been terrific for Atalanta in Serie A.
At the end of November, he had just one goal from 13 appearances in the season, but all that was about to change in the last month of the year. Zapata started December with Atalanta's only goal in the 1-2 loss against Napoli at home.
He scored a hattrick in the very next game as Atalanta blew away Udinese 3-1. The Columbian followed that up with the only goal of the game in a narrow 1-0 win against Lazio next. Zapata went on to score four more goals in the next three games, including a brace against Juventus and ended December with 9 goals from 6 games!
Zapata has registered 37 shots so far in Serie A, 18 of which have been on target. He is averaging a goal every 132 minutes played, slightly better than Immobile's average of a goal every 158 minutes played. As such, the Columbian edges the Italian to take the 5th spot in the race to the Serie A Golden Boot, at the start of the new year. If he continues his goalscoring antics, he could cause the men at the top a few worries.