5 favourites for the Golden Boot | UEFA Champions League 2019/2020
After a four-month break, the UEFA Champions League is upon us, and for the next nine months, 32 of the best clubs on the continent will battle it out for honour and glory.
The Champions League is the premier club competition in Europe, and as such, playing in the tournament is a must for the top players of the world, while its high financial rewards mean that participation in the tournament is crucial to clubs achieving their fiscal targets.
On the collective level, winning the trophy itself is the aim for a select few clubs, but on an individual basis, there are a number of personal accolades to fight for, with the Golden Boot ranking as the most prestigious.
Winning the Champions League Golden Boot grants a pride of place for footballers, as it indicates that the winner outscored everyone else in the competition, and the award has been won by some of the most illustrious names in football history, including Raul Gonzalez, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Kaka, Andriy Shevchenko and the eternal duo of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
With the 29th iteration of Europe's premier club competition set to kick off, we shall be having a rundown of five players who are most likely to battle it out for the Champions League Golden Boot this season.
#5 Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
With 170 Premier League goals, Sergio Aguero is the highest scoring active player in the Premier League, and that total is enough to place him sixth on the list of all-time Premier League goalscorers; and he could very well break into the top three before the end of this season.
His career total of 401 goals for club and country is also hugely impressive, while with 237 goals in all competitions, he is by far the most potent goalscorer in Manchester City's history.
However, for all of his successes elsewhere, the Argentine international has not had much cause for joy in the Champions League and has just one semifinal appearance till date.
He has scored just 27 goals in the Champions League, although admittedly, these have come in only 37 games.
Pep Guardiola has not lifted the Champions League since doing so with Barcelona in 2012, and this is a major blot he would seek to wipe off with Manchester City this season.
Though he might state otherwise in public, the Catalan knows that his time at the Etihad would not be classified as a wholesome success if he fails to land the Big Ears, and if the Cityzens are to go all the way, Aguero would have a huge say in that.