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The European Golden Shoe race is still on, and as we begin the month of March, the race has gotten closer than ever. In the last month, a lot has happened in Europe’s top five leagues in terms of goal-scoring.
While some players managed add to their goal tallies, others endured frustrating mini-droughts. As a result, there have been some changes with regards to the top contenders for the European Golden Shoe award.
As usual, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are still in contention, but there are also a couple of new faces behind the superstar pair. A third force, though, is Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe, who is piling the pressure on the Barcelona and Juventus attackers.
So, let’s take a look at how the race for the 2018/2019 European Golden Shoe award looks like as we begin the month of March:
Also See: Serie A News | La Liga News | La Liga Table
(NB: This ranking is based on goals scored by players in ONLY Europe’s top five leagues and, should players have the same number of goals, their assists will be used to decide who stays on top)
#10 Luis Suarez (16 goals – 32 points)
Barcelona striker Luis Suarez has dropped to the 10th position in the race for this season’s European Golden Shoe award. The Uruguayan forward has not had a great start to the year, but still managed to score a few goals in the month on February.
The former Liverpool man boasts 16 goals this season, putting him on 32 points for the Golden Shoe index. Suarez slightly edges Atalanta’s Duvan Zapata and Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to the 10th position.
Although all three strikers have 16 league goals, Suarez boasts five assists to Zapata and Aubameyang’s four each.
#9 Nicolas Pepe (16 goals – 32 points)
One of the surprise entries in this year’s European Golden Shoe race is Nicolas Pepe. The Lille forward has been in superb form this season, attracting interest from some of Europe’s elite clubs.
Pepe comes in 9th with 16 goals, which also constitutes 32 points. It is a return which puts him third on the scoring charts in the French Ligue 1 – ahead of Neymar and only behind Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe.
The Lille forward also has eight assists to his name, despite often operating from wide areas for his club.
#8 Edinson Cavani – (17 goals – 34 points)
Next in the race for the European Golden Shoe award is Paris Saint-Germain’s Edinson Cavani. The Uruguayan forward has been injured for the last two weeks, but that has not prevented him from appearing in the top 10.
Cavani has so far netted 17 league goals this season, with a further four assists to his name. He might be far off the no.1 spot, but it is obvious that the former Napoli striker will be a strong contender for the Golden Shoe come the end of the season.
There is still a long way to go and, should Cavani remain fit, he should be up there challenging for the award with both Ronaldo and Messi.
#7 Fabio Quagliarella (17 goals – 34 points)
Occupying 7th spot is veteran striker Fabio Quagliarella, who has been very consistent this season. The Sampdoria forward started the last month with just 12 goals, but has managed to add five more through the month of February.
Currently, the former Italy international has 17 goals in the Serie A and looks to be getting better with each passing week.
Age might not be on Quagliarella’s side, but the former Juventus striker has so far proved how lethal he can be in front of goal.
#6 Mohamed Salah (17 goals – 34 points)
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah has been a constant feature in the top 10 of the European Golden Shoe race since the beginning of the season. The Egyptian has not been as explosive as he was last season, but he isn’t doing too badly either.
Salah boasts 17 goals in the Premier League, representing 34 points and also seven assists to his name.
With 10 games until the end of the league, and with Liverpool challenging for the title, Salah is sure to get on the score sheet more times in the coming weeks.
#5 Krzysztof Piatek (18 goals – 36 points)
Europe has a new kid on the block and his name is Krzysztof Piatek. The Polish striker is gradually developing into one of Europe’s most feared forwards due to his potency in front of goal.
He comes 5th on the list of highest scoring players in Europe this season with 18 goals, constituting 36 points on the European Golden Shoe index.
Piatek was scoring for fun while with Genoa and has continued with his scoring run since joining AC Milan during the January transfer window.
#4 Sergio Aguero (18 goals – 36 points)
Also tied on 18 goals and 36 points on the European Golden Shoe index is Sergio Aguero. The Manchester City striker beats Krzysztof Piatek to the position due to his superior number of assists.
The Argentine boasts six assists, while Piatek has none to his name. Aguero’s highlight for the month of February came in his impressive hat-trick during City’s 6-0 drubbing of Chelsea in the Premier League.
The striker was again on the scoresheet over the weekend and he currently leads the Premier League scoring chart.
#3 Cristiano Ronaldo (19 goals – 38 points)
Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo is having a wonderful season in the Italian top flight. The Portuguese has netted 19 goals this season, putting him top of the scoring charts in the Serie A.
However, he is still behind Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi when it comes to the European Golden Shoe index.
With the business end of the season drawing near, it is obvious that Ronaldo will once again be challenging for the prize at the end of the season.
#2 Kylian Mbappe (22 goals – 44 points)
Kylian Mbappe’s dominance on the European scene continues as the young forward leaps into second spot on the European Golden Shoe index. The Paris Saint-Germain star has been the go-to man for the club since Neymar got injured.
Mbappe has impressively netted 22 goals in Ligue 1 this season, with a further six assists to his name.
The World Cup winner is closely gunning for the European Golden Shoe award and could actually win it if he continues with his current hot streak.
#1 Lionel Messi (25 goals – 50 points)
Leading the European Golden Shoe index at the start of March is Lionel Messi. The Barcelona star is Europe’s top scorer for the second month running, as he guns for a sixth Golden Shoe award.
Messi top-scored in Europe last season and is on course to repeat the feat, having already scored 25 LaLiga goals this season.
The Argentine netted a sensational hat-trick against Sevilla last week and currently has 11 assists to his name, too. It, however, remains to be seen if he will still be topping at the end of the season.
