by
We’re approaching the halfway point of the season and the race for the European Golden Shoe has taken shape, with many of the usual suspects already in the top 10 goalscorers in Europe’s big five leagues.
It’s still taking time to get used to not seeing Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s names here. Messi has turned into more of a provider at PSG, topping the assists charts, while Ronaldo scored just one Premier League goal before departing for Saudi Arabia.
But fear not – there are still plenty of familiar names, alongside a few surprise packages, in the top goalscorers from the Premier League, La Liga, Ligue 1, Serie A and the Bundesliga.
Note: where two players are tied on goals, we’ve put them in order of their best minutes-per-goal ratio. Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic, Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette and PSG’s Neymar have also scored 11 but miss out on cracking our top 10.
10. Wissam Ben Yedder – 11
Somewhat unfortunate to miss out on a place in France’s World Cup squad, Ben Yedder has done brilliantly with relatively limited minutes for Monaco in Ligue 1.
The 32-year-old has 11 goals from just 16 appearances (13 starts), averaging a goal every 87 minutes – a ratio only bettered by the man that tops this list.
Five of those goals have come in three appearances since the World Cup break. A strong message sent out to Didier Deschamps.
First-half hat-trick alert! 🎩 🚨
Monaco talisman Wissam Ben Yedder scores three in the space of fourteen minutes as Monaco are blowing Ajaccio away! pic.twitter.com/nn89NvijOA
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 15, 2023
9. Jonathan David – 12
The rising star failed to score as Canada exited the World Cup in the group stages, but he doesn’t have any trouble finding the back of the net for Lille.
David has proven himself among European football’s most consistent and reliable forwards over the past couple of years. There’s every chance he moves on from the Ligue 1 club in the summer.
8. Terem Moffi – 12
Probably the least well-known name that features in the top 10, 23-year-old Nigerian centre-forward Moffi is certainly one worth keeping an eye on.
He’s scored 12 goals in 19 appearances for Ligue 1’s surprise package Lorient so far this season. Only Kylian Mbappe has scored more goals in the French top flight.
7. Christopher Nkunku – 12
The Frenchman was in the form of his life before the World Cup break and proved a massive miss for Les Bleus at Qatar 2022.
The Bundesliga’s top scorer has 12 goals in 15 appearances for RB Leipzig and looks set to make Chelsea even more ludicrously stacked when it comes to their attacking options.
6. Victor Osimhen – 12
Osimhen has had his struggles with injury this season, missing a few games, but he’s been absolutely lethal when fit and available, scoring 12 goals from 14 Serie A appearances.
The Nigeria international is proving a vital part of the remarkable Napoli story this season.
READ: Napoli’s stunning victory over Juventus was an ode to the ‘aesthetic legacy’ of Maradona
5. Ivan Toney – 13
A Brentford player up there with the European elite. What a time to be alive.
Thomas Frank’s Bees will certainly miss Toney if (or when?) he serves a ban for alleged breaches of FA betting rules. He’s scored 13 goals this season, nine from open play and four penalties – and you just know he’s not going to miss when he steps up from 12 yards.
4. Kylian Mbappe – 13
One of the best forwards in the world, Mbappe looks set to dominate these goalscoring lists for years to come.
He looked particularly lethal in a 7-1 victory over Lille, opening the scoring after just eight seconds and going on to complete a hat-trick in the mauling.
WHAT A START! 😱
It’s taken Kylian Mbappé just 8 SECONDS to open the scoring for PSG against Lille 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/ziibIszhWL
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) August 21, 2022
3. Robert Lewandowski – 13
Gunning to become the only other player not named Lionel Messi to win a third successive European Golden Shoe, it looks like Lewandowski has stiff competition this year.
Playing in La Liga, with four more games than the Bundesliga, will help. The 34-year-old striker drew a blank on his competitive debut for Barcelona, an underwhelming 0-0 draw with Rayo Vallecano, but has silenced any doubts he’ll need time to adapt to a new league.
Lewandowski averages a goal every 89 minutes in La Liga this season.
2. Harry Kane – 15
“Antonio’s been fantastic. He has probably taken fitness levels to another level for me,” Kane said in the summer.
“Mentality, being with him every day, seeing the way he prepares, the way he brings his passion and brings the best out of the lads, I’ve learnt from that.”
A famously slow starter, being given the runaround in an Antonio Conte pre-season appears to have done the trick. The England captain was straight out of the blocks with four goals in his first four appearances in August and hasn’t let up since.
Tottenham have been faltering this season but their talisman looks as good as he ever has. He might even best his career-best tally of 30 Premier League goals, set back in 2017-18.
Harry Kane is on 🔥
🎬 @MonsterEnergy pic.twitter.com/etZMFUP5I3
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) September 5, 2022
1. Erling Haaland – 21
The Norwegian is already the fastest player to reach 50 goals in a major European league from his time at Borussia Dortmund, but he’s well on course to obliterate his own record.
Twenty-one goals in his first 17 Premier League appearances. One every 66 minutes. The boy’s an absolute monster.
READ: The 6 players to score back-to-back Premier League hat-tricks: Rooney, Kane, Haaland…
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every winner of the European Golden Shoe since 2000?
