Thierry Henry... Alan Shearer... Michael Owen... Didier Drogba... Robin van Persie... Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink... All legends of the game who left their mark on the Premier League when they won the Golden Boot on more than occasion in the past 24 seasons.
Now, with the 25th season almost done and dusted, we are still not clear on who could walk away with the coveted prize on the final day of the season. Many have shown their potential but faded away in the second half of the season while the usual suspects have maintained order in the goalscoring charts to give themselves a chance of going down in the history books.
Many were fancied to give it a go but didn’t get the required support to even break into the top 10. England strikers Jamie Vardy (12) and Jermain Defoe (15) have had a season of ups and downs and did not live up to expectations while Olivier Giroud (12) has been more of an impact substitute with one of the best minutes per goal ratio in the league.
10) Eden Hazard – Chelsea
Goals: 15; Assists: 5
Minutes Played: 2936; Minutes per Goal: 198
9) Christian Benteke – Crystal Palace
Goals: 15; Assists: 2
Minutes Played: 3048; Minutes per Goal: 203
8) Joshua King – Bournemouth
Goals: 16; Assists: 2
Minutes Played: 2721; Minutes per Goal: 170
7) Zlatan Ibrahimovic – Manchester United
Goals: 17; Assists: 5
Minutes Played: 2437; Minutes per Goal: 143
6) Dele Alli – Tottenham Hotspur
Goals: 17; Assists: 5
Minutes Played: 2882; Minutes per Goal: 170
5) Sergio Aguero – Manchester City
Goals: 18; Assists: 2
Minutes Played: 2336; Minutes per Goal: 130
Every manager who has worked at Manchester City has realised that the team’s attack is never at their best without Sergio Aguero in the lineup. Everybody except for Pep Guardiola.
When the Catalan manager took over at the Etihad, Aguero was one of his casualties and it looked odd to see a £38m striker warming the bench as Guardiola went about restructuring the squad and the playing style. To him, the Argentine striker was not mobile enough and was only lethal in the final third.
He prefers mobile attacking midfielders who work hard off the ball and press opponents high up the pitch. Aguero learned it the hard way and it was only an injury to Gabriel Jesus that saw him thrust back into the lineup to spearhead the attack.
Aguero is no stranger to winning the Golden Boot; he won it in 2014/15. But this season it is out of reach although he might have had a chance had he played more minutes.
4) Diego Costa – Chelsea
Goals: 20; Assists: 6
Minutes Played: 3028; Minutes per Goal: 151
Antonio Conte almost never played Diego Costa this season. The Spanish striker had set his mind on returning to sunny Spain with former club Atletico Madrid. But the move never materialised and when Diego Simeone finally signed Kevin Gameiro, Costa knew he had no choice but to stay put.
It was the same for Conte too who did not exactly have the best of transfer windows. Although the Blues signed Michy Batshuayi, the Italian manager never trusted the 23-year-old to start games – even in Costa’s absence.
However, Costa reproduced his form from his debut season with the Blues and has banged in crucial goals over the course of the season to set up their title challenge. Many of his goals have made the difference between one point and three.
Costa and Conte patched up to save the Blues’ campaign but with offers from abroad (especially China), Costa’s head has been turned and he could be on his way out of Stamford Bridge this summer.
3) Harry Kane – Tottenham Hotspur
Goals: 22; Assists: 6
Minutes Played: 2367; Minutes per Goal: 108
Having won the Golden Boot last year as the Spurs finished third, a lot was expected of Harry Kane in 2016/17. Tottenham’s invincible home form saw them bid farewell to White Hart Lane with 17 wins and two draws in the 19 league matches – and Kane became the last Spurs player to score a goal at the Lane before it was demolished. To make it even sweeter, it was a winner against Manchester United.
The English striker’s rise has been nothing short of meteoric. He’s only 23 years old but he has already scored more than 20 goals a season in three consecutive campaigns. The only other players to accomplish such a feat were Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry and Ruud van Nistelrooy – very elite company.
Kane might have been at the top of the goalscoring charts had he not suffered an ankle injury that kept him out for a month. That did not deter Spurs, though, as Mauricio Pochettino’s side managed to win games without him. And the Spurs manager will hope he can keep him for another season and find a way to take that final step and cross the line first in the title race.
What Kane has going in his favour is that Spurs have two games left to play. Will he catch up?
2) Alexis Sanchez – Arsenal
Goals: 23; Assists: 10
Minutes Played: 3156; Minutes per Goal: 137
Where would Arsenal be without Alexis Sanchez this season? When Giroud was given a few games to rest following a busy Euro 2016 campaign, Alexis took up the role of the central striker and effectively benched the Frenchman with his performances.
The Chilean striker was scoring goals at will – be it with his feet or by winning aerial duels in the box despite his 5’7” frame jostling with six-foot-plus defenders. They have been spectacular and they have been typical poachers’ goals. The 28-year-old refused to let niggles and slight injuries tie him down and played like a man possessed.
“Once he gets the ball on the pitch he becomes the devil and forgets his pain.” – Arsene Wenger
With the ability to play across the line and also drop deep to pick up the ball and bring his teammates into the attack, no player has been involved in more goals (33) this season than Alexis.
Although a contract impasse has loomed over him and the club, it has not affected his on-field performances and he has one more game to overtake the no.1 contender for the Golden Boot who was way ahead of him at one stage. But four goals in his last three games has seen Alexis catch up. And he goes toe-to-toe with his target on the final day of the season.
1) Romelu Lukaku – Everton
Goals: 24; Assists: 6
Minutes Played: 3177; Minutes per Goal: 132
After a tepid start to the season, Romelu Lukaku burst onto the scene in September when he grabbed a hat-trick against Sunderland. He never looked back and continued to score for a club that was starved of goalscorers. The next highest is Ross Barkley with just five goals.
The Belgian striker had rejected a contract extension as he felt the club did not match his ambitions and made some remarks about how the Toffees needed to let go of their past and focus on the future. But instead of criticising him, the Goodison Park faithful got behind their man and cheered him on as he continued to torment opponents. A four-goal haul against Bournemouth in a 6-3 win catapulted him into serious contention for the Golden Boot.
However, he is going through a mini-drought of sorts having not found the back of the net in four games. With Alexis Sanchez breathing down his neck, he has one last chance to write his name on the award.
But he faces an Arsenal side at the Emirates who desperately need a win to have any chance of making the top four while seventh-placed Everton who have nothing left to play for.
