Find out who is leading Golden Boot races in England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France, with superstar forwards continuing to star across Europe
From Mohamed Salah to Robert Lewandowski via Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappe and Ciro Immobile, European football is loaded with goal scoring talent chasing down Golden Boots in the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, Ligue 1 and Serie A.
Proven performers that have mastered the most difficult skill in football – hitting the back of the net – are worth their weight in gold and can be expected to contribute significantly to pursuits of major silverware and qualification for continental competition.
Who tops the goal charts at present in the major divisions across Europe, with some of the biggest names on the planet competing with one another for the right to be considered the most clinical finisher around? GOAL takes a look.
Premier League top goal scorers 2021-22
Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United in the summer of 2021 saw another prolific presence added to the Premier League ranks, with the Portuguese tending to break records wherever he goes.
The Portuguese was, however, always going to face fierce competition for top scorer honours from perennial Golden Boot contenders such as Tottenham striker Harry Kane and Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah.
La Liga top goal scorers 2021-22
Lionel Messi bid farewell to Barcelona on the back of five successive Pichichi Trophy wins – with Luis Suarez the only man not named Messi or Ronaldo to claim that award in the last 11 years.
A window of opportunity has swung open for somebody else to step up and become the goal king of Spain, with France international Karim Benzema leading that charge as he becomes a Galactico in his own right at Real Madrid.
Serie A top goal scorers 2021-22
Ronaldo claimed the Capocannoniere award in his final season at Juventus, but Lazio frontman Immobile has been the most consistent marksman in Italian football over recent years – netting 29 times in 2017-18 and on 36 occasions in 2019-20.
He does face competition in the present from an exciting new generation of forwards, with the likes of Dusan Vlahovic and Lautaro Martinez leading the way while England star Tammy Abraham impresses at Roma.
Bundesliga top goal scorers 2021-22
It comes as no surprise to find that Bayern Munich superstar Lewandowski has walked away with the Torjagerkanone prize in each of the last four campaigns, and six of the last eight.
The Polish striker remains a model of remarkable consistency, with the 40-goal barrier across all competitions broken in seven consecutive seasons.
Ligue 1 top goal scorers 2021-22
Messi would have been expected to take record-setting exploits with him from Spain to France, but the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has found the going a little tougher in Ligue 1 than it was in La Liga.
He is, however, surrounded by a star-studded cast at Paris Saint-Germain – including potential Golden Ball winners of the future – while the likes of Wissam Ben Yedder and Moussa Dembele boast the kind of pedigree to suggest that they can never be ruled out of a race for the Golden Boot.
All tables correct at time of writing on 06/05/2022