Can Mohamed Salah Do It? The Battle Against Lewandowski and Mbappé!
The race for the European Golden Shoe is heating up. Mohamed Salah still leads the pack, but two fierce competitors are rapidly closing in—Robert Lewandowski and Kylian Mbappé. Both strikers netted braces in their last league matches, narrowing the gap with the Liverpool star, especially in a weekend without Premier League action.
The Current Standings
With nine games remaining, Salah has scored 27 goals (54 points), while Lewandowski follows closely with 25 goals (50 points), and Mbappé with 22 goals (44 points). Goals in Europe’s top five leagues (based on UEFA ranking) are valued at two points each, while goals in leagues ranked 6th to 21st, like Portugal’s, earn 1.5 points per goal.
The UEFA League Coefficient Factor
In the European Golden Shoe race, points are awarded based on the level of the league in which the player competes. According to UEFA's ranking, goals scored in the top five leagues (England, Spain, Germany, Italy, France) are worth 2 points each, while goals in leagues ranked between 6th and 21st, such as the Portuguese league, are worth 1.5 points each.
Lewandowski’s Golden Shoe Ambitions
Lewandowski is chasing his third Golden Shoe, having won in 2021 and 2022 with Bayern Munich, scoring 41 and 35 goals respectively. At 36, he could set a new longevity record.
Mbappé & Salah: Seeking Their First Golden Shoe
Mbappé came close in the 2021-22 season with 28 goals, but Lewandowski surpassed him. He finished third in the last two seasons with 29 and 27 goals. Salah, too, was near victory in 2017-18 with 32 goals but lost to Messi’s 34.
Other Contenders
Viktor Gyökeres leads the goal tally with 30 goals but ranks third due to Portugal’s lower coefficient (45 points). He has seven games left to stage an upset.
Harry Kane & Dembélé in the Mix
Harry Kane is also in contention, matching Mbappé's goal count, though the Bundesliga has only seven games left. Similarly, Dembélé, France’s top scorer of 2025, has 21 goals (42 points) but faces the same limitation.
Haaland & Retegui: A Surprise Race
Haaland, with 21 goals (42 points), suffered an FA Cup injury, which may hurt his chances. Meanwhile, Mateo Retegui is having a stellar season, tied at 22 goals (44 points) with Kane and Mbappé.
The Final Showdown
With multiple contenders in the race, Lewandowski and Mbappé seem like Salah’s biggest threats, but Harry Kane remains a dark horse. By late May, we’ll know who takes home the Golden Shoe.
#MohamedSalah #GoldenShoe #Lewandowski #Mbappe #Football #TopScorers #PremierLeague #LaLiga #ChampionsLeague