Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez have dominated the last decade, but can anyone else challenge them this season?
#1 Edinson Cavani | PSG | 18 goals (36 pts)
Uruguay international Edinson Cavani has been one of Paris Saint-Germain's key players in the past few seasons and he has wholeheartedly accepted the responsibility of being the team's chief goalscorer following the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Cavani hit a career-high tally last term and he has hit the ground running in 2017-18.
#2 Mauro Icardi | Inter | 17 goals (34 pts)
Inter's star forward Mauro Icardi has been one of Serie A's best marksmen over the course of the last four years and he was even crowned the division's top scorer in 2015. The Argentina international is th Nerazzurri captain and he is certainly leading by example on the field as he continues to hit the back of the net.
#3 Ciro Immobile | Lazio | 15 goals (30 pts)
Italy international Ciro Immobile enjoyed one of his best ever seasons last term and has carried on where he left off in 2017-18. The former Borussia Dortmund attacker is now a key component in a Lazio side that is keen to break into the top four in Serie A and he is holding his own among Europe's best strikers.
#4 Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | 15 goals (30 pts)
Widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the world, Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski hit the 30-goal mark in the last two Bundesliga campaigns. The Poland international has continued to feast in front of the opposition goal this season and will, no doubt, be hoping to establish a formidable run of form ahead of the World Cup.
#5 Igor Angulo | Gornik Zabrze | 19 goals (28.5 pts)
Spanish forward Igor Angulo has been a key man for Polish Ekstraklasa side Gornik Zabrze this season and is already closing in on 20 goals. The 33-year-old, who counts Athletic Bilbao, Numancia and Apollon Smyrni among his former clubs, is a surprise frontrunner at the mid-way point in the season, but he will be hoping to carry his form through the rest of the campaign.
#6 Radamel Falcao | Monaco | 14 goals (28 pts)
Monaco may have lost a spate of star players during the summer, but they managed to hold on to their captain and chief goalscorer Radamel Falcao. El Tigre put an ill-fated stint in the Premier League behind him by helping Monaco win Ligue 1, scoring 21 goals. Despite losing much of his supporting cast, the former Atletico Madrid man is well on his way to matching that sum this season.
#7 Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 14 goals (28 pts)
Lionel Messi scooped his fourth Golden Shoe accolade last season, bringing him level with long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo. The Argentina international has once again been to the fore for Barcelona this term, even if he has not been as prolific as he has been previously. Nevertheless, Messi is not far off the pace and is certainly one of the favourites to collect the award.
#8 Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | 14 goals (28 pts)
New Liverpool signing Mohamed Salah has surged to the top of the Premier League scoring charts and the Egypt international is showing no signs of slowing down. Salah forms part of a formidable attacking trident at Anfield and is replicating the goalscoring exploits he indulged in during his time in Serie A with Roma.
#9 Rauno Sappinen | Flora | 27 goals (27 pts)
FC Flora were runaway champions in Estonia's Meistriliiga in 2017 and Rauno Sappinen was their top scorer, hitting 27 goals in 35 appearances. Capable of playing both as an attacking midfielder and a striker, Sappinen is an Estonia international and currently finds himself ahead of big-hitters such as Harry Kane and Ronaldo.
#10 Albert Prosa | FCI Talinn | 27 goals (27 pts)
He has since moved no the Maltese side Valletta, but Albert Prosa was a key man for FCI Tallinn during the 2017 season. The Estonia international finished the campaign as the Meistriliiga's join-top scorer with 27 goals in 35 appearances.
#11 Mikhail Gordeychuk | BATE | 18 goals (27 pts)
Belarusian champions BATE Borisov were made to work hard for their 14th title triumph and they had the exploits of Mikhail Gordeychuk to thank as the forward bagged nearly a third of their goals.
#12 Jonas | Benfica | 18 goals (27 pts)
Veteran Brazil international Jonas has been in sensational form for Benfica this season and he currently boasts a strike-rate of over a goal a game for Rui Vitoria's side in the Primeira Liga. With the likes of Pizzi, Eduardo Salvio and Franco Cervi in support, former Valencia man Jonas will be determined to keep his performaces up to a high standard.
#13 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | Borussia Dortmund | 13 goals (26 pts)
Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was one of Europe's top strikers last season, pipping Robert Lewandowski as the top marksman in the Bundesliga. The Gabon international is slightly behind his Bayern Munich counterpart this season, but he will no doubt be up there come the end of the season.
#14 Mariano Diaz | Lyon | 13 goals (26 pts)
Former Real Madrid youngster Mariano Diaz arrived at Lyon as a replacement for Alexandre Lacazette and he has already shown that he is capable of replacing the France international. Diaz is just outside the top 10 in the race for the Golden Shoe, but he is likely to break into it as the season progresses. Having spent the majority of his career with Madrid's Castilla, the 24-year-old will be relishing the prospect of a full season of top-level football.
#15 Emiliano Marcondes | Nordsjaelland | 17 goals (25.5 pts)
He is set to join English Championship side Brentford in January 2018, but Nordsjaelland forward Emiliano Marcondes is currently sitting just outside the top 10 in the race for the Golden Shoe. The 22-year-old Denmark youth international has 17 goals in 19 games this season and will be hoping to carry that form with him when he moves to England in the new year.
#16 Nabil Fekir | Lyon | 12 goals (24 pts)
Lyon lost their main marksman Alexandre Lacazette during the summer, but a number of other players have stepped up to assume the goalscoring burden at the club. While Mariano Diaz is banging them in, Nabil Fekir isn't far behind and the passionate captain has been leading his team by example.
#17 Jakub Swierczok | Zaglebie Lubin | 16 goals (24 pts)
Poland international Jakub Swierczok is second in the Ekstraklasa scoring charts behind Igor Angulo and he will be aiming to break the 20-goal mark this season. The 24-year-old has matured somewhat during the past two campaigns and is finding his feet in Poland's top flight after struggling to make a breakthrough at Kaiserslauten.
#18 Paulo Dybala | Juventus | 12 goals (24 pts)
Juventus star Paulo Dybala has already surpassed his Serie A goal tally from last season and the Argentina international appears to be relishing the idea of taking the burden off Gonzalo Higuain in the Bianconeri front-line. Juve have left themselves with a bit of a mountain to climb in the chase for league glory, but Dybala is certainly to the fore in the fight.
#19 Harry Kane | Tottenham | 12 goals (24 pts)
Harry Kane has been the leading scorer in the Premier League in the past two seasons and he is well in the race to make it three-in-a-row. However, on a European stage, he has found himself some way behind the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Cristiano Ronaldo. Having recovered from a slow start, Kane has been scoring plenty for Spurs and he is likely to be among the top sharpshooters this season.