'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The European Golden Shoe (also called the European Golden Boot) is one of the most coveted individual awards in football, granted to the top goalscorer across every domestic league on the European continent annually and taking into consideration the level of each league while appointing point values in relation to the competitiveness of every division.
Barcelona playmaker, Lionel Messi won the accolade for the second time in a row last season, outscoring every player on the continent with his 34 La Liga goals for Barcelona during the campaign and he has started the current season as the favourite to defend the honour having bagged 7 goals to his name in the Spanish top flight already.
However, Europe is well blessed with a lot of incredible and deadly attackers who have also started the campaign in an electrifying form - scoring goals almost at will and proving that they are capable of finishing as the top scorer on the continent this season.
Therefore, we take a look at 5 incredible superstars that could beat Lionel Messi in the race for the European Golden Shoe during the campaign:
#5. Paco Alcacer
In what has probably been the biggest surprise of the season so far, Dortmund striker Paco Alcacer has been in unbelievable form since the beginning of the campaign. The Spaniard left the Nou Camp to complete a loan move to join German outfit, Borussia Dortmund this summer and he has quickly established himself as one of the deadliest finishers in Europe at the moment.
Alcacer opened his Bundesliga campaign with a decent performance and scored a brilliant goal in his debut match for the BVB as they hammered Eintracht Frankfurt 3-1 in September. Ever since then, the striker has been quite unstoppable in front of goal, recording an impressive 7 goals to his name in the German top flight.
It becomes even more interesting to learn that the Spaniard has bagged such impressive number of goals despite the fact that he has started only one Bundesliga game so far and recording a total of just 126 minutes on the pitch for the German leaders this season.
If he manages to continue with such incredible form, there is no doubt he could claim the European Golden Shoe, come the end of the term.
#4. Krzysztof Piatek
When it comes to listing the most impressive attacking prospects in European football at the moment, Genoa striker, Krzysztoff Piatek is without any doubt, a sure bet to feature on the list - thanks to his explosive performances for the Seria A side since the beginning of the term.
The Polish International was lured to the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in a £4.05 million deal from Cracovia this summer and he has proved that he can become one of Europe's most lethal attacking superstars with his incredible record in front of goal in the Italian top flight so far.
Piatek has already put himself among the contenders for the European Golden Shoe this season, with his incredible 9 goals for Genoa in 8 Seria A appearances so far and although he is still an underdog, he is also among the few attackers that could overtake Lionel Messi in the race for the European Golden Shoe during the campaign.
#3. Eden Hazard
A managerial change was all Belgian ace Eden Hazard needed in order to move his Chelsea career forward, with the ex-Lille winger raising his game to an impressive height following the dismissal of Italian tactician, Antonio Conte and the appointment of former Napoli head coach, Maurizio Sarri this summer.
Following a lot of speculations regarding his future at Stamford Bridge during the summer transfer window, the playmaker decided to stay put and he has quickly transformed his fate from a want-away superstar to one of the deadliest finishers in Europe at the moment - thanks to the influence of Maurizio Sarri in the English capital.
Hazard has been a real force to be reckoned with so far this season and his incredible performances have helped Chelsea to establish themselves as one of the contenders for the Premier League title. The Belgian has recorded an amazing 7 goals to his name in 9 Premier League appearances so far and with such an unbelievable form, he cannot be written off for the European Golden Shoe this season.
#2. Neymar Junior
Former Barcelona superstar Neymar Junior departed the Catalan capital to complete a world-record deal to join French champions Paris Saint Germain during the summer of 2017 and it was believed that the attacker took such a bold step in his career in order to step out of Lionel Messi's shadow.
While he failed to mount a serious challenge to Messi's dominance in front of goal throughout last season amidst injury crisis, this campaign presents itself as a decent opportunity for the Brazilian winger to finally get the better of his Argentine counterpart, especially in the race for the European Golden Shoe.
Neymar has been one of the most impressive attackers across Europe's top 5 leagues so far this season, recording an incredible 8 goals and 4 assists to his name in 8 appearances for Paris Saint Germain in the French top flight and he is well on track to beat Messi to the European Golden Shoe during the course of the season.
#1. Kylian Mbappe
Another Paris Saint Germain superstar on this list, France's World Cup-winning attacker, Kylian Mbappe is also one of the few players that could upset the odds and beat Barcelona maestro Lionel Messi to the European Golden Shoe this season.
Apart from being the most impressive attacking youngster in Europe at the moment, the former Monaco ace is also one of the fiercest finishers on the continent right now - thanks to his electrifying performances for both club and country during the year.
After helping his nation to claim the prestigious FIFA World Cup trophy in Russia recently as well as bagging an amazing 4 goals to his name in the process, the 19-year-old has resumed club football in fantastic form. He has scored a whopping 9 goals and provided 3 assists for the Parisians in 6 Ligue 1 appearances so far and he has also emerged as one of the top contenders to win the European Golden Shoe this season.
