The battle for the European Golden Shoe is intensifying as the current season passes its halfway mark.
With a new winner in each of the previous three campaigns, the prize remains wide open. Premier League star Erling Haaland was the last Premier League-based player to secure the award back in 2022-23.
The prolific Norwegian striker is once again in the mix this term, but encounters stiff competition from Bayern Munich forward Harry Kane and Spanish La Liga phenomenon Kylian Mbappe. With plenty of games left to play, other players still have an opportunity to enter the contest.
What is the Golden Shoe?
The Golden Boot award was first launched in the 1967-68 by the France-based publication L'Equipe to celebrate the highest goalscorer in league matches from a European top division league.
Since the 1997-98, the award has been overseen by European Sports Media, which introduced a points-based points system. Under this format, a player's goals are multiplied by a designated coefficient based on the strength ranking of their league.
Goals scored in the continent's five major leagues—the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, German Bundesliga, Serie A, and Ligue 1—are valued at two points each.
For leagues ranked sixth to 22nd in UEFA's list, such as the Portuguese Primeira Liga, goals are worth one and a half points. Goals in all other European leagues are worth one point.
While the award has been shared on multiple occasions in the past, a rule change from the 2019-20 season states that in the case of a tie, the award goes to the player with the least minutes played.
If the tie remains, the subsequent deciding factor is the total of league assists, followed by the fewest goals from the penalty spot. Only after these criteria are used would the award be split.
Identifying the Primary Challengers?
Currently, a three-way battle is underway for the 2025-26 Golden Shoe, with the three most recent winners split by just a solitary goal.
- Harry Kane (England captain) leads with 19 goals (38 points) from 15 Bundesliga fixtures.
- Erling Haaland also has 19 goals (38 points) from 17 Premier League appearances.
- Kylian Mbappe sits just behind on 18 goals (36 points) in 18 La Liga matches.
In fourth is RFS striker Darko Lemajic of Latvian side RFS, who has scored 28 goals (28 points) across the club's 36 league games in 2025.
Feyenoord forward Ayase Ueda is tied for fifth with 18 goals (27 points) from 17 Eredivisie fixtures this term.
The remainder of the current top ten is comprised of players from leagues that operate on a calendar year schedule.
A Look at Past Recipients
Throughout its 59-year existence, the Golden Shoe has been claimed by some of football's most iconic legends.
Portuguese icon Eusébio claimed the inaugural trophy in 1968, scoring 42 goals for SL Benfica. He then secured the award for a second time in the 1972-73 season.
Argentine maestro Lionel Messi has secured the most Golden Shoes, collecting the honor on six occasions during his long spell at FC Barcelona.
Messi established the benchmark for highest tally in a single season with 50 in 2011-12 (100 points). He also became the first and only player to ever to win it in three successive seasons from 2016 to 2019.
Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo first won award in the 2007-08 season with Manchester United before going on to win it on three further occasions with Real Madrid.
The inaugural player to win the award while at an English club was Ian Rush in 1983-84, when he netted 32 goals for Liverpool.
The award has seen a new winner in every one of the last three seasons.
Erling Haaland scooped the prize for the first time in 2022-23, scoring a Premier League record-equaling thirty-six goals (72 points). Harry Kane earned his maiden Golden Shoe with the identical goal tally for Bayern Munich the next season.
Kylian Mbappe is the current holder of the award after scoring 31 goals (62 points) for Real Madrid in 2024-25.
Now, the same three players are vying at the summit of the leaderboard once more this campaign, with Kane presently leading the way.
