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We are heading into the concluding phase of the season. Over 21 games have already been played across Europe's top-five leagues. Once again, the battle for the European Golden Shoe has hit its peak as top attackers from all the major leagues across the continent lock horns for the chance to be named the best finisher come the end of the term.
Barcelona superstar, Lionel Messi went home with the accolade last season following his record-breaking outing in which he bagged 36 La Liga goals in 34 appearances. However, he is having a slow outing this term with just 14 goals in 18 games in the Spanish top-flight. That puts a big doubt on whether he could go all the way and win the award once again.
Meanwhile, there are many attackers who are putting up sensational performances and scoring goals almost at will right now. With their exploits in front of goal, they've put themselves in decent positions in the race for the Golden Shoe. Without further ado, below are 5 sharpshooters who are well-placed to beat Messi to the accolade this year.
#5 Erling Haaland
When the season kicked-off, no one would've thought that a 19-year-old striker from RB Salzburg would give European elite attackers a run for their money with his unbelievable goalscoring exploits. The Norwegian's incredible performances earned him a move to Borussia Dortmund and he is only getting better.
Haaland bagged a stunning 23-minute hat-trick in his debut appearance for the BVB in the 5-3 victory over Augsburg last month. He also scored twice in the 5-1 defeat of FC Cologne at the Signal Iduna Park to continue marching in the right direction.
As it stands, the former Salzburg sharpshooter has already recorded 23 league goals to his name, combining his efforts in both the Austrian and German Bundesliga divisions. He remains one of the few players to keep an eye on in the battle for the European Golden Shoe this season.
Note: All statistics as of February 13, 2020
#4 Timo Werner
RB Leipzig striker, Timo Werner has drawn himself among the elite finishers in Europe right now with his amazing exploits in front of goal within the past few years. Following a prolific outing that saw him record 19 goals in 37 appearances across all competitions last season, the attacker has taken up from where he left off.
With a whopping 20 goals from 21 Bundesliga appearances so far this season, he finds himself sitting fourth in the rankings for the European Golden Shoe. Only Robert Lewandowski and Ciro Immobile have scored more goals than he's done across Europe's top-five leagues as it stands.
Having the same number of goals with the iconic Cristiano Ronaldo and moving clear from last year's champion, Lionel Messi is a fantastic feat for the German finisher. With the way he is going, Werner is expected to a score few more goals before the end of the campaign. Who knows? He could go all the way and make the Golden Shoe his own.
#3 Cristiano Ronaldo
When we talk about the players who could get one over Lionel Messi in the battle for major individual accolades, Cristiano Ronaldo surely has to be the first name that comes to our mind. The Portuguese needs no introduction: he's been up there with his Argentine rival for over a decade now and he isn't showing any signs of slowing down.
After Messi claimed both the Golden Shoe and Ballon d'Or award last year, Ronaldo has responded in a fantastic fashion, scoring almost at will this season and pulling further away from his eternal rival. The winger is currently on an amazing run that has seen him find the back of the net in 10 straight Serie A games.
At present, Ronaldo leads Messi with six goals, having recorded 20 efforts to his name from 20 appearances in the Serie A. Having peaked at the right moment and scoring goals for fun, no one can predict how many more he could add to his tally before the season concludes. He surely has a great chance to pull one over his arch rival.
#2 Robert Lewandowski
Bayern Munich sharpshooter, Robert Lewandowski has been one of the hottest finishers in Europe for the past few years. Unfortunately, he's never laid his hands on the prestigious Golden Shoe but he has a decent chance to do so this season, following his prolific start to the campaign.
The Polish international currently tops the goalscoring chart in the German Bundesliga with 22 goals from 21 appearances. He is already eight goals ahead of Lionel Messi in the race for the accolade. Across Europe's top 5 leagues at the moment, only Ciro Immobile has more goals than the Bayern Munich striker.
With the Bavarians having bounced back following a recent dip in form and the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Thiago Alcantara pulling the strings from behind him, Lewandowski is expected to add more goals to his tally before the conclusion of the term. He remains one of the few superstars who should be taken seriously in the battle for the European Golden Shoe this season.
#1 Ciro Immobile
The name leading the race for the European Golden Shoe at the moment is partially a surprising one. Italian sharpshooter, Ciro Immobile has outpced other prolific goalscorers from all the top European leagues to climb to the top of the rankings.
It's been another prolific outing for the SS Lazio striker. Alongside Mauro Icardi, he won the Serie A Golden Shoe for the 2017/2018 campaign when he bagged 29 goals from 33 appearances. He lost the accolade to Fabio Quagliarella last term but could end up grabbing a bigger prize this season with his position in the running for the European Golden Shoe at the moment.
The striker has recorded 25 goals from 23 Serie A appearances this season, three ahead of second-placed Robert Lewandowski. He is firing on all cylinders right now, with amazing performances every week. It remains to be seen if he could hold on to the first spot till the end of the term but there's absolutely no doubt he could get the job done.
Also read: Top 10 contenders for the European Golden Shoe
