The Golden Shoe is presented to Europe’s deadliest striker every year – and the usual candidates are joined by some fresh faces for the 2021-22 season.
Players receive points for each goal they score. Goals in Europe’s toughest leagues are multiplied by a coefficient of two, whereas goals scored in weaker leagues are multiplied by coefficients of either 1.5 or one.
We’ve rounded up the top 10 strikers in the running for the 2021-22 European Golden Shoe.
10. Taiwo Awoniyi
A name that may ring a bell with Liverpool fans, Awoniyi spent six years at Anfield but failed to make a single first-team appearance for the club.
After scoring five goals in 21 Bundesliga appearances on loan at Union Berlin in 2020-21, the striker made the move permanent for £6.5million.
He’s already beaten his tally from last season, scoring seven goals in nine Bundesliga appearances in 2021-22.
10. Jonathan David
Canada are currently in possession of arguably their greatest generation of footballers and look set to reach the 2022 World Cup.
You’ll all be aware of Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies but Lille forward David is another Canadian making waves in European football.
After scoring 13 Ligue 1 goals last season, the 21-year-old has started this year on fire and has seven strikes to his name.
Jonathan David is seriously cooking this year, so two footed, so fast, good on the ball and good off the ball, really happy to see him thriving. Future of Canada looks amazing.
10. Jamie Vardy
Powered by cans of Red Bull and a glass of port, Vardy is still going strong for Leicester City at the age of 34.
The former England international now faces increased competition from Kelechi Iheanacho and Patson Daka but remains a key player for Brendan Rodgers’ side.
While he did score an own goal in their 2-2 draw with Burnley, he’s made up for it with seven goals in nine Premier League games.
10. Edin Dzeko
Eyebrows were raised when Inter Milan sold Romelu Lukaku for £97.5million in the summer and replaced him with a 35-year-old Dzeko.
The former Manchester City striker scored just seven Serie A goals for Roma during 2020-21 and went on a run of 15 league matches without finding the back of the net.
But he has silenced any doubters and helped fill the void left by Lukaku, matching his tally from last season after just nine Serie A appearances for Inter.
Edin Džeko is the quickest to react to the rebound after Hakan Çalhanoğlu's strike smashed against the post!
Schick shot to prominence with five goals for the Czech Republic at Euro 2020, including a stunning long-range strike against Scotland that was voted goal of the tournament.
The striker has maintained that impressive form at the start of 2021-22, scoring eight goals in nine Bundesliga appearances for Bayer Leverkusen.
He didn’t get a transfer off the back of his performances in the summer but Europe’s biggest clubs will surely be monitoring his form throughout the season.
5. Ciro Immobile
A European Golden Shoe winner in 2019-20, Immobile will be hoping to reclaim the crown after Robert Lewandowski stole the show in 2020-21.
Lazio have endured a mixed start to the season under new manager Maurizio Sarri, winning just four of their opening nine Serie A games.
But their club captain and all-time top goalscorer hasn’t let his standards slip, scoring eight Serie A goals in 2021-22.
3. Karim Benzema
After scoring 23 goals in 34 La Liga appearances for Real Madrid in 2020-21, Benzema has taken his game up to another level this season.
The France international is currently the top scorer in La Liga with nine goals in nine appearances, three ahead of Luis Suarez and Mikel Oyarzabal.
He’s also registered seven assists in La Liga and is averaging a direct goal contribution every 49.8 minutes.
3. Erling Haaland
Borussia Dortmund endured a difficult 2020-21 season, only securing Champions League football in the last few games and suffering the inconsistencies associated with fielding lots of young footballers.
Not Haaland though. The Norway striker scored 27 Bundesliga goals, plus 10 in Europe, and has already notched nine this term.
He’s still just 21. Jesus.
Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland
1. Robert Lewandowski
The 2021 winner has carried his form over into this campaign – as we all knew he would.
After recording 41 Bundesliga goals for Bayern Munich last year, beating Gerd Muller’s long-standing club record, Lewandowski has scored 10 goals in nine league appearances to date.
The Poland captain has also got five in the Champions League and few would bet against him retaining this award for another season.
1. Mohamed Salah
Having lost out to Jamie Vardy and Harry Kane in the last two seasons, Salah has a third Premier League Golden Boot firmly in his sights.
The Egypt international has 10 goals in nine league games in 2021-22, including a brilliant hat-trick in Liverpool’s 5-0 win against Manchester United.
He’s also scored in eight of Liverpool’s nine Premier League games so far this season, only failing to find the back of the net in their 2-0 win over Burnley.
