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The new season is just around the corner and all the teams are in a hurry to buy new players before the transfer deadline. There is a lot of unfinished transfer business left and we could see quite a few players leaving their clubs now.
Some marquee transfers have already taken place as Cristiano Ronaldo has transferred to Juventus and Gonzalo Higuain has transferred out of the same club to AC Milan. The real action is about to begin as well, with the Premier League set to start this Friday and the other top 4 leagues beginning a week later.
With the beginning of every new season come new awards to be won, and this year is no different. Every league has its own set of awards and there is always tight competition for them.
The European Golden Shoe is awarded to the leading goal scorer from the top division of each European national league. Lionel Messi won this award the last time around as he scored 34 goals in La Liga, and that was the highest tally of goals in all the European leagues.
However, it wasn't a landslide victory as the likes of Mo Salah (32 goals) and Harry Kane (30 goals) provided him with stiff competition. And this year, the competition will increase even further as Gareth Bale can play more of a lead role in Ronaldo's absence and Ronaldo could find it easier in Serie A.
There are other world class forwards like Robert Lewandowski, Neymar, Luis Suarez and Kylian Mbappe who are in contention too.
Here is a look at five players who would likely lead the race to win the Golden Shoe this year.
#5 Sergio Aguero
The Argentine forward is a constant threat for any opposition. Known for his incredible goal scoring abilities, he has established himself as one of the best forwards in the world. He is also the top goal scorer in Manchester City history, with 201 goals.
Aguero scored two goals in the Community Shield match last week. Add to that the two goals he scored at the World Cup and you know that he is in good form.
In his 39 appearances last season, he scored 30 goals (21 goals in 26 Premier League games) and assisted seven times. He is one of the strongest contenders for the European Golden Shoe and is eminently capable of winning it.
All stats via Transfermarkt
#4 Neymar
The Brazilian is the world's most expensive player as was transferred out of Barcelona for €222 million. The PSG forward was in sensational form for them until an injury ended his season; before the injury, he scored 28 goals (19 goals in 20 Ligue 1 games) and assisted 16 times in just 30 matches.
Those stats show his true potential, which would be scary for all the opposition teams. Had he played for the entire duration of the season, he could have easily scored 40+ goals.
If Neymar can remain injury free this time around, he could challenge the likes of Messi and Ronaldo for the award.
#3 Lionel Messi
The Argentine forward had a below average World Cup by his standards. However, that could be attributed to the lack of support from his team-mates.
In the 54 games he played last season, he scored 45 goals (34 goals in 36 La Liga games) and assisted 18 more. Those stats are amazing, and there is every chance that Messi could repeat them and win the award again.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo
Most readers would be surprised that Ronaldo is ahead of Messi, or that Messi is not the automatic No. 1 in this list. But let me explain my reasoning.
Messi will be playing in La Liga and he will have to face defenders like Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane and Diego Godin. But Ronaldo won't have to be up such tough opposition, as there are very few defenders of that pedigree in Serie A.
Also, Ronaldo plays the role of a center-forward whereas Messi plays the role of a second striker most of the times. So Ronaldo's chances of scoring goals seem to be better than Messi's at the moment.
CR7 was in scintillating form last season as he scored 44 goals (26 goals in 27 La Liga games) and assisted eight times in 44 games. He is one of the best to have graced the game along with Messi, and he is definitely a top contender for this award.
#1 Robert Lewandowski
The Polish striker has made it to the top of my list, overtaking the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly. He has made a name for himself as one of the very best in world. But the main reason the Bayern Munich star has made it to the top is the quality of defenders in Bundesliga.
The defenders in La Liga and Serie A are far better than the ones in Bundesliga. To add to that, Lewandowski's pure goalscoring ability is nearly the same as the duopoly's, so he probably has the best chance to win the award.
In the 48 appearances last season, he scored 41 goals (29 goals in 30 Bundesliga games) and assisted a further five. He is one of the strongest contenders to win the award, although only time can tell who will actually win it.
Honorable mentions: Luis Suarez, Harry Kane, Mo Salah, Edinson Cavani and Antoine Griezmann
Who do you think will win the European Golden Shoe for the 2018-19 season? Sound off in the comments section below.
