'%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)
As most of you already know, The Golden Shoe is awarded to the top-scorer across all of Europe's leagues (only league goals are considered for this award) and with so many top goal-scorers playing across so many different. competitive leagues, it's always fascinating to keep track of who ranks where at any given point of time.
Without much further ado then, here are the candidates for the title of Europe's Top Goalscorer in 2017/18.
We start with 13, 'cos look at those names... that's footballing royalty
#13 (tied) Luis Suarez
Club: FC Barcelona
League: La Liga
Goals Scored: 15
Factor: 2
Total Points: 30
The Uruguayan's return to form has seen him surge through the Golden Shoe rankings and start knocking on the door to get into the top 10. Scoring at a rate of 0.88 goals a match, the kind of form he is in could see him shoot up the rankings.
#13 (tied) Neymar
Club: Paris Saint-Germain
League: Ligue 1
Goals Scored: 15
Factor: 2
Total Points: 30
The Brazilian had been focusing on providing assists for the vast majority of the early season (he already has 11 assists in Ligue 1), but with the business end of things coming up, he's got his goalscoring boots back on.
#9 (tied) Fabio Quagliarella
Club: Sampdoria
League: Serie A
Goals Scored: 16
Factor: 2
Total Points: 32
Ah, Fabio. The grand old Italian, 34, has been playing football for nigh on 18 years now and this has been his most prolific season till date! And we're just halfway through it.
Mixing up his usual repertoire of spectacular goals with more routine, poacher-y, goals at a healthy rate of 0.76 a game, the Sampdoria forward is powering I Blucerchiati up the Serie A table.
#9 (tied) Nabil Fekir
Club: Lyon
League: Ligue 1
Goals Scored: 16
Factor: 2
Total Points: 32
The deepest lying footballer on this list, Lyon's attacking midfielder Nabil Fekir has been absolutely sensational as the focal point of one of Europe's most exciting attacks this season - and a goalscoring rate of 0.84 goals/match is brilliant for someone playing the position he is.
Putting his injury-plagued, and frustratingly inconsistent, past behind him, Fekir seems to be close to touching the heights that he had seemingly looked destined to when he first broke through onto the big stage.
Just check this goal out -
#9 (tied) Sergio Aguero
Club: Manchester City
League: English Premier League
Goals Scored: 16
Factor: 2
Total Points: 32
Manchester City's record goalscorer is smashing in goals for fun as the sharp, pointy, tip of Pep Guardiola's awe-inspiring attacking machine. Banging them in at a rate of 0.84 a game, the Argentine is playing some of the best football of his career.
With Gabriel Jesus still sidelined due to injury, an extended run in City's team is only going to boost his chances of racing up the rankings.
#9 (tied) Radamel Falcao
Club: AS Monaco
League: Ligue 1
Goals Scored: 16
Factor: 2
Total Points: 32
They said he was done after that disastrous spell in England with Manchester United and Chelsea, they even said that last season had been a fluke, more a function of the brilliance of Kylian Mbappe, Bernando Silva, and co. than that of Radamel Falcao, himself... and boy were they wrong.
The peerless Colombian poacher has carried on from where he left off last season and has banged them in at 0.89 goals a match - don't count him out just yet.
#8 Robert Lewandowski
Club: Bayern Munich
League: 1.Bundesliga
Goals Scored: 17
Factor: 2
Total Points: 34
The Pole may have dyed his hair a ridiculously garish blonde for a while this season, but that did not affect his goal-getting abilities one bit. Scoring at a massive 0.94 goals a game, Lewandowski seems set on making sure that beautiful Torjägerkanone trophy will be his this season, after missing it out by a goal to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang last time around
With Jupp Heyneckes having restored that aura of invincibility around Bayern, it's highly unlikely that Lewandowski's goal-scoring run will dry up anytime soon.
#7 Jonas
Club: Benfica
League: Liga NOS
Goals Scored: 23
Factor: 1.5
Total Points: 34.5
No one on this list has scored as many goals (23) as the Brazilian veteran Jonas has for Benfica this season... and no one has scored with the prolific rate he has either, with the 33-year-old bagging them at 1.21 goals a match!
Portugal's Liga NOS, though, is not considered as tough a league to score in as Europe's big 5, hence a multiplication factor of 1.5 means he has to score bucket-loads more to stun the much bigger names on this list.
#6 (tied) Mohamed Salah
Club: Liverpool FC
League: English Premier League
Goals Scored: 18
Factor: 2
Total Points: 36
When AS Roma sold Mohammed Salah for €42 million during the summer of 2017, not even they could have known just how prolific he was going to be for Jurgen Klopp's heavy-metal Liverpool side.
Playing down the right wing, the Egyptian has raced to 18 goals this season at 0.78 goals a game, and he continues to impress as the season wears down. Liverpool score by the bucketloads when they are in the mood, and if they can find a modicum of consistency in the next few months, expect to see Salah much higher up these rankings.
#6 (tied) Mauro Icardi
Club: Inter Milan
League: Serie A
Goals Scored: 18
Factor: 2
Total Points: 36
The talismanic Inter Milan skipper has been in sensational goalscoring form this season - and has looked on track to dismantle his previous personal goalscoring record. Luciano Spalletti's Nerazzurri have never been more dependent on him for the goals that are keeping them high up in the Serie A table.
The Argentine will look to continue this form as Jorge Sampaoli decides who to take with him to Russia.
#4 Lionel Messi
Club: Barcelona
League: La Liga
Goals Scored: 19
Factor: 2
Total Points: 38
Bloody hell, Leo.
The Argentine magician has played some of the best football of his career - and that in itself is saying something - as he's helped propel Barcelona to a virtually unassailable lead atop La Liga - scoring 19 goals at a stunning 0.95 goals a game and has 9 assists to his name as well.
If you like keeping our money, don't bet against this man retaining his Golden Shoe trophy, come the end of the season.
#2 (tied) Edinson Cavani
Club: Paris Saint-Germain
League: Ligue 1
Goals Scored: 20
Factor: 2
Total Points: 40
Edi Cavani may have lost penalty taking rights to the newly-anointed King of Paris, but that doesn't mean the man who will become Paris Saint-Germain's all-time leading goalscorer sooner rather than later has stopped scoring.
At a brilliant 0.95 goals a game, the Uruguayan hitman has been smashing them in for fun, and with the kind of service, he is getting from Neymar, Angel di Maria, Kylian Mbappe, and co. he's going to make a pretty damn good claim for the trophy, come the end of the season.
#2 (tied) Ciro Immobile
Club: Lazio
League: Serie A
Goals Scored: 20
Factor: 2
Total Points: 40
Ciro Immobile may not the most complete forward on this list - but inside the penalty box, there are few deadlier. Simone Inzaghi has understood his main man's limitations and has built an old-fashioned counter-attacking machine on Immobile's obvious strengths.
Having banged in 20 goals at a breathtaking rate of 1.05 per game, Immobile's goals have propelled Lazio to heights they haven't touched for a long time.
#1 Harry Kane
Club: Tottenham Hotspur
League: English Premier League
Goals Scored: 21
Factor: 2
Total Points: 42
How good is Harry Kane, eh? Derided as a one-season wonder when he first broke through, the Englishman has just gotten better and better and is smashing goals in for fun - 21 goals at a rate of 0.91 goals a match - this season.
And remember, he didn't score a single one of those in August.
Kane and Spurs are improving as the season progresses - a frightening thought for defenders everywhere - and he'll take some dislodging from this number 1 spot.
