The European Golden Shoe accolade is presented annually to the top goal scorer in league matches across the top divisions of Europe’s national leagues.
Last season saw Erling Haaland take Robert Lewandowski’s crown, as the Norwegian netted 36 goals in 35 matches, playing a pivotal role in Manchester City’s treble triumph.
Hot on Haaland’s heels were Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe, who were both competing at the top of this year’s table.
The Sporting News takes a look at this year’s final standings after the conclusion of the European club season.
TOP SCORERS 2023/24: Premier League | UEFA Champions League
The European Golden Shoe does not only take total goals scored into account. It also makes adjustments based on the difficulty of the leagues in which the players are operating.
The standings are determined by a points system. Players earn points through a simple formula: their total goal tally is multiplied by a factor, which is based on the UEFA coefficient ranking of the league in which they play. For instance, the Bundesliga has a ‘factor’ of two, which means Harry Kane’s points tally is equal to the number of goals he has scored, multiplied by two.
The idea is to create a system where goals scored in the perceived tougher leagues in Europe are given greater weight than goals scored in less competitive, high-quality divisions.
Updated on Monday, June 3, 2024
| Position | Player | Team | Goals | Factor | Points |
| 1. | Harry Kane | Bayern Munich | 36 | 2 | 72 |
| 2. | Serhou Guirassy | VfB Stuttgart | 28 | 2 | 56 |
| 3. | Kylian Mbappe | Paris Saint-Germain | 27 | 2 | 54 |
| 4. | Erling Haaland | Manchester City | 27 | 2 | 54 |
| 5. | Lautaro Martinez | Inter Milan | 24 | 2 | 48 |
| 6. | Lois Openda | RB Leipzig | 24 | 2 | 48 |
| 7. | Artem Dovbyk | Girona | 24 | 2 | 48 |
| 8. | Alexander Sorloth | Villarreal | 23 | 2 | 46 |
| 9. | Cole Palmer | Chelsea | 22 | 2 | 44 |
| 10. | Viktor Gyokeres | Sporting CP | 29 | 1.5 | 43.5 |
| = | Vangelis Pavlidis | AZ | 29 | 1.5 | 43.5 |
| = | Luuk de Jong | PSV | 29 | 1.5 | 43.5 |
Between 1968 and 1991, the Golden Shoe was awarded solely to the highest goalscorer in any European league, regardless of league strength or number of games played. Eusebio, Gerd Muller, Dudu Georgescu, and Fernando Gomes each claimed the honour twice during this period.
A hiatus occurred from 1991 to 1996 due to a protest by the Cyprus FA. Since 1996/97, the award has been determined by a points system, favouring players in tougher leagues.
Goals scored in any of the top five leagues count double, encouraging competition among players in the higher-ranked leagues for the prize. Exceptions include Henrik Larsson (2000/01 Scottish Premier League) and Mario Jardel (1998/99 Primeira Divisao, 2001/02 Primeira Liga).
In 2019/20, tiebreaker rules shifted to minutes played, then assists and penalties.
| Year | Player Name | Team Name | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967/68 | Eusébio | Benfica | 42 |
| 1968/69 | Petar Zhekov | CSKA Sofia | 36 |
| 1969/70 | Gerd Müller | Bayern Munich | 38 |
| 1970/71 | Josip Skoblar | Marseille | 44 |
| 1971/72 | Gerd Müller | Bayern Munich | 40 |
| 1972/73 | Eusébio | Benfica | 40 |
| 1973/74 | Héctor Yazalde | Sporting CP | 46 |
| 1974/75 | Dudu Georgescu | Dinamo București | 33 |
| 1975/76 | Sotiris Kaiafas | Omonia Nicosia | 39 |
| 1976/77 | Dudu Georgescu | Dinamo București | 47 |
| 1977/78 | Hans Krankl | Rapid Wien | 41 |
| 1978/79 | Kees Kist | AZ | 34 |
| 1979/80 | Erwin Vandenbergh | Lierse | 39 |
| 1980/81 | Georgi Slavkov | Botev Plovdiv | 31 |
| 1981/82 | Wim Kieft | Ajax | 32 |
| 1982/83 | Fernando Gomes | Porto | 36 |
| 1983/84 | Ian Rush | Liverpool | 32 |
| 1984/85 | Fernando Gomes | Porto | 39 |
| 1985/86 | Marco van Basten | Ajax | 37 |
| 1986/87 | Toni Polster | Austria Wien | 39 |
| 1987/88 | Tanju Çolak | Galatasaray | 39 |
| 1988/89 | Dorin Mateuț | Dinamo București | 43 |
| 1989/90 | Hristo Stoichkov | CSKA Sofia | 38 |
| 1990/91 | Darko Pančev | Red Star Belgrade | 34 |
| 1991/92 | Ally McCoist | Rangers | 34 |
| 1992/93 | Ally McCoist | Rangers | 34 |
| 1993/94 | David Taylor | Porthmadog | 43 |
| 1994/95 | Arsen Avetisyan | Homenetmen | 39 |
| 1995/96 | Zviad Endeladze | Margveti | 40 |
| 1996/97 | Ronaldo | Barcelona | 34 |
| 1997/98 | Nikos Machlas | Vitesse | 34 |
| 1998/99 | Mário Jardel | Porto | 36 |
| 1999/2000 | Kevin Phillips | Sunderland | 30 |
| 2000/01 | Henrik Larsson | Celtic | 35 |
| 2001/02 | Mário Jardel | Sporting CP | 42 |
| 2002/03 | Roy Makaay | Deportivo La Coruña | 29 |
| 2003/04 | Thierry Henry | Arsenal | 30 |
| 2004/05 | Thierry Henry | Arsenal | 25 |
| 2005/06 | Luca Toni | Fiorentina | 31 |
| 2006/07 | Francesco Totti | Roma | 26 |
| 2007/08 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Manchester United | 31 |
| 2008/09 | Diego Forlán | Atlético Madrid | 32 |
| 2009/10 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 34 |
| 2010/11 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | 40 |
| 2011/12 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 50 |
| 2012/13 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 46 |
| 2013/14 | Luis Suárez | Liverpool | 31 |
| 2014/15 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | 48 |
| 2015/16 | Luis Suárez | Barcelona | 40 |
| 2016/17 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 37 |
| 2017/18 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 34 |
| 2018/19 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 36 |
| 2019/20 | Ciro Immobile | Lazio | 36 |
| 2020/21 | Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | 41 |
| 2021/22 | Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | 35 |
| 2022/23 | Erling Haaland | Manchester City | 36 |
| 2023/24 | Harry Kane | Bayern Munich | 36 |
