First awarded in 1968, the European Golden Shoe honours the continent’s final goalscorer every season.
Since 1997, the winner of the prize has been calculated utilizing a factors system which locations higher emphasis on Europe’s hardest leagues.
Right here, we take you thru every recipient of the European Golden Shoe between that change and 2024…
Ronaldo – 1997
The ‘authentic’ Ronaldo loved the one most prolific season of his profession in 1996/97, scoring 47 targets in 49 video games for Barcelona – together with 34 in 37 LaLiga outings.
It proved to be R9’s solely marketing campaign with Barca, however the Brazilian icon actually left his mark, firing Bobby Robson’s aspect to victory within the Copa del Rey and Cup Winners’ Cup.
Nikos Machlas – 1998
Greek worldwide Nikos Machlas was completely on hearth in 1997/98, racking up 34 targets in 32 league appearances for Dutch outfit Vitesse Arnhem.
In doing so, Machlas, who went on to play for Ajax, turned Greece’s first European Golden Shoe winner and the primary from the Eredivisie since Marco van Basten 12 years earlier.
Mario Jardel – 1999, 2002
Whereas he by no means discovered his capturing boots for Brazil, Mario Jardel was a fully immense goalscoring pressure for a string of golf equipment, amongst them Porto and Sporting.
He gained his first European Golden Shoe after netting 36 instances in 32 league video games en path to a 3rd straight Portuguese title with the previous, then claimed the award once more with 42 targets in simply 30 league appearances for the latter (okay, 17 had been penalties, however nonetheless).
Kevin Phillips – 2000
The primary English recipient of the European Golden Shoe, Kevin Phillips fired Sunderland to seventh within the Premier League in 1999/2000.
Having struck 52 instances for the Black Cats throughout every of the 2 earlier league campaigns within the second tier, Phillips evidently knew the place the online was – however nobody might have foreseen his 30-goal return in his maiden top-flight season, as he shaped a supremely efficient ‘little and huge’ partnership with Nial Quinn.
Arguably Scottish soccer’s greatest-ever import, Henrik Larsson scored 35 of his 174 league targets for Celtic throughout a memorable 2000/01 season.
The prolific Swede spearheaded the Bhoys’ cost to the title, averaging nearly a purpose a sport, hitting two hat-tricks and discovering the online in three out of 4 Previous Agency derbies.
Roy Makaay – 2003
Roy Makaay’s 29 LaLiga targets in 2002/03 ensured that the Pichichi Trophy, awarded the main scorer within the Spanish high flight, went to a Deportivo La Coruna participant for the second marketing campaign working – having been gained by Makaay’s teammate Diego Tristan the 12 months earlier than.
The scientific Dutchman was on the right track 39 instances in all competitions all through the season, incomes himself a giant transfer to Bayern Munich in the summertime of 2003.
Thierry Henry – 2004, 2005 (shared)
It’s actually no shock that Thierry Henry, Premier League Golden Boot winner 4 instances between 2002 and 2006, acquired his fingers on a pair of European Golden Footwear.
Arsenal’s elegant French frontman claimed the prize outright with 30 league targets through the 2003/04 ‘Invincibles’ marketing campaign, as Arsene Wenger’s Gunners gained the title unbeaten; he then shared it with Diego Forlan after netting 25 instances in 2004/05.
Diego Forlan – 2005 (shared), 2009
Uruguayan legend Diego Forlan picked up the European Golden Shoe whereas enjoying for 2 totally different golf equipment.
The versatile centre-forward shared the honour with Thierry Henry in 2005, having notched 25 targets in his first season at Villarreal, earlier than having all of it to himself by placing 32 instances in 33 LaLiga outings for Atletico Madrid in 2008/09.
Luca Toni – 2006
One of many final nice goal males, Luca Toni was, in his prime, among the many most formidable strikers in Europe.
And 2006 proved to be the standout 12 months of his profession, as he scooped the European Golden Shoe following a 31-goal debut marketing campaign for Fiorentina in Serie A – earlier than profitable the World Cup with Italy.
Francesco Totti – 2007
The award stayed in Italy in 2007, and this time it went to Roma icon Francesco Totti – who, aged 30, posted a career-best return of 26 Serie A targets.
Whereas not historically an out-and-out centre-forward, Il Capitano had transitioned to the function by the 2006/07 season, and his attacking exploits had been essential to Roma ending second within the league beneath Luciano Spalletti.
Cristiano Ronaldo – 2008, 2011, 2014 (shared), 2015
Unquestionably one of the crucial formidable goalscorers the sport has ever seen, Cristiano Ronaldo gained the European Golden Shoe whereas enjoying for Manchester United and Actual Madrid.
The legendary Portugal captain netted a minimum of 31 instances on every of the 4 events that he claimed the award (which he shared with Luis Suarez in 2014), bagging a whopping 48 LaLiga targets within the 2014/15 marketing campaign.
Lionel Messi – 2010, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019
Of course Lionel Messi was the primary participant to win the European Golden Shoe thrice – and he ended up doubling that complete.
The GOAT collected all six of his awards as a Barcelona participant, peaking with a file 50 LaLiga targets in 2011/12 (a season through which Barca didn’t even win the title!) – when he discovered the online 73 instances in all competitions.
Luis Suarez – 2014 (shared), 2016
In his final season at Liverpool, Luis Suarez equalled the file for probably the most targets in a 38-game Premier League marketing campaign, registering 31 instances as he shaped a profitable strike partnership with Daniel Strurridge and sharing the European Golden Shoe with Cristiano Ronaldo.
Two years later, the tenacious Uruguayan was the only real winner, hitting the 40-mark in LaLiga for Barcelona, the place he starred as one prong of the ‘MSN’ entrance three alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar.
Ciro Motionless – 2020
Ciro Motionless amassed 169 Serie A targets throughout an eight-season spell at Lazio, peaking with a usually prolific 36 in 37 appearances within the 2019/20 marketing campaign.
In doing so, the ex-Torino frontman collected his third capocannoniere award as Serie A’s main marksman and have become the third Italian recipient of the European Golden Shoe.
Robert Lewandowski – 2021, 2022
Poland’s finest participant of all time, Robert Lewandowski scored for enjoyable in neighbouring Germany for a few years – most notable for Bayern Munich.
With 41 targets in 29 Bundesliga outings in 2020/21, he turned the primary European Golden Shoe winner from the German high flight since Gerd Muller in 1970 – and he went and retained the honour by bagging 35 in 34 the next season.
Erling Haaland – 2023
As debut seasons go, Erling Haaland’s first in England wasn’t too shabby: he broke Andy Cole’s file for probably the most targets in a Premier League marketing campaign by discovering the online 36 instances in 35 video games for Manchester Metropolis.
The machine-like Norwegian helped himself to 4 hat-tricks as Pep Guardiola’s aspect claimed a 3rd straight title, together with back-to-back ones in solely his fifth and sixth appearances for the membership.
Harry Kane – 2024
Virtually 1 / 4 of a century after Kevin Phillips turned England’s first European Golden Shoe winner, Harry Kane picked up the prize off the again of a stellar first season for Bayern Munich.
The England skipper scored 36 targets in 32 Bundesliga outings, hitting 4 hat-tricks – together with two in succession in thrashings of Darmstadt and Bayern’s arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund.
