Golden Shoe 2021-22: Lewandowski, Salah & Europe's top scorers

The race for the 2021-22 Golden Shoe is heating up, as star strikers from across Europe battle it out to earn the honour of being the continent's top scorer.

Last season's winner was none other than Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski who scored a monumental 41 goals – can he do the same this year?

The Polish striker will have to fend off competition from the likes of Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland, while the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will be keen to have a say too.

GOAL tallies up all the top goalscorers from across Europe's top leagues in 2021-22.

1. Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | 28 goals (56)

Robert Lewandowski seems to go from strength to strength at Bayern Munich and, even at the age of 33, is showing no signs of slowing down. The striker is the defending holder of the European Golden Shoe and could very well win it two years in a row. He hit the ground running during the start of the 2021-22 Bundesliga campaign and has maintained momentum through the season.

2. Dusan Vlahovic | Fiorentina & Juventus | 21 goals (42)

Serbia international Dusan Vlahovic has earned a reputation as a formidable goalscorer in Serie A and continues to shine after making the move to Juventus.

3. Patrik Schick | Bayer Leverkusen | 20 goals (40)

Patrik Schick finished the 2020-21 Bundesliga season having scored nine goals, and is set to far surpass that this year. Schick is Bayer Leverkusen's main man up front, and part of the squad hoping to clinch a Champions League spot this year.

4. Karim Benzema | Real Madrid | 20 goals (40)

This season has been one for the marked resurgence of Karim Benzema, with the Real Madrid veteran still proving an enormous asset to his team. After a productive summer with France during Euro 2020, Benzema has continued his form for Los Blancos, scoring a hat-trick against Celta Vigo.

5. Ciro Immobile | Lazio | 20 goals (40)

Lazio star Ciro Immobile scored a whopping 20 goals in Serie A last season as they finished sixth in the table, and will no doubt try to best his record. Now a European Championship winner with Italy, the striker will be eager to push for a higher finish in Serie A this year.

6. Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | 19 goals (38)

Mohamed Salah will be eyeing the Premier League Golden Boot this year as Liverpool try to clinch their second title in three years. Salah has been impressive already this season, netting against the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea.

7. Erling Haaland | Borussia Dortmund | 16 goals (32)

At just 21 years of age, Erling Haaland is already battling with Robert Lewandowski for the honour of the Bundesliga top scorer. Haaland continues to be absolutely prolific in front of goal, scoring braces against both Bayer Leverkusen and Union Berlin.

8. Giovanni Simeone | Hellas Verona | 15 goals (30)

Cagliari forward Giovanni Simeone is spending the 2021-22 season on loan at Hellas Verona and the Argentina international is thriving. Having previously scored double figures in Serie A with Genoa, Fiorentina and Cagliari, he will be aiming to post his best tally yet.

9. Anthony Modeste | Koln | 15 goals (30)

Having endured a number of difficult years, Anthony Modeste is rolling back the years with Koln, scoring on a regular basis once again.

10. Wissam Ben Yedder | Monaco | 15 goals (30)

Wissam Ben Yedder netted an impressive 20 Ligue 1 goals in his second season playing for Monaco after moving to France from Sevilla, and could very well bypass his tally this campaign.

11. Lautaro Martinez | Inter | 14 goals (28)

12. Christopher Nkunku | RB Leipzig | 14 goals (28)

13. Kylian Mbappe | PSG | 14 goals (28)

14. Martin Terrier | Rennes | 13 goals (26)

15. Enes Unal | Getafe | 13 goals (26)

16. Gaetan Laborde | Rennes & Montpellier | 13 goals (26)

17. Iago Aspas | Celta Vigo | 13 goals (22)

18. Tammy Abraham | Roma | 13 goals (26)

19. Raul de Tomas | Espanyol | 13 goals (26)

20. Vinicius Jr | Real Madrid | 13 goals (24)