Golden Shoe 2016-17: Top Goalscorers in Europe, Latest Standings on May 22
Christopher Simpson@@CJSimpsonBR
Featured ColumnistMay 22, 2017
Lionel Messi effectively sealed the European Golden Shoe on Sunday by scoring twice for Barcelona in their 4-2 win over Eibar.
Serie A is the only major European league yet to conclude, but with top scorer Edin Dzeko needing nine goals to pull level with Messi, there will be no stopping the Argentinian.
Runner-up Bas Dost made a valiant late push for the gong with a hat-trick in a 4-1 win for Sporting CP against GD Chaves, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Harry Kane finished their campaigns as top scorers of the Bundesliga and the Premier League, respectively.
Here is how the standings look on May 22:
| 2016-17 European Golden Shoe Standings: May 22 | |
| Player | Goals x Constant = Points |
| 1. Lionel Messi, Barcelona | 37 x 2.0 = 74.0 |
| 2. Bas Dost, Sporting CP | 34 x 2.0 = 68.0 |
| 3. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Borussia Dortmund | 31 x 2.0 = 62.0 |
| 4. Robert Lewandowski, Bayern Munich | 30 x 2.0 = 60.0 |
| T5. Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur | 29 x 2.0 = 58.0 |
| T5. Luis Suarez, Barcelona | 29 x 2.0 = 58.0 |
| 7. Edin Dzeko, Roma | 28 x 2.0 = 56.0 |
| 8. Dries Mertens, Napoli | 27 x 2.0 = 54.0 |
| 9. Edinson Cavani, Paris Saint-Germain | 35 x 1.5 = 52.5 |
| T10. Anthony Modeste, FC Cologne | 25 x 2.0 = 50.0 |
| Various | |
Rules: UEFA assigns every European league a difficulty grading between one and two, which is then multiplied by a player's goal tally to calculate his points total.
For example, goals in La Liga are worth two points, while in Ligue 1, they are worth just 1.5.
Messi Brace Wins 4th Golden Shoe
Messi would still be top of the standings had he failed to score on Sunday because of his four-goal cushion ahead of Dost, but he signed off his league campaign with another two.
It should have been three, but the 29-year-old had a penalty saved by Yoel Rodriguez. He made no mistake with a second spot-kick, though, via Sky Sports La Liga:
He scored his second in injury time as he jinked his way through the middle before sliding home a right-footed finish.
Squawka Football hailed his incredible campaign:
The award may be of little consolation to the forward, though, as Real Madrid's 2-0 win over Malaga ensured his efforts weren't enough to take La Liga's title.
In the Premier League, Kane enjoyed a phenomenal end to his campaign, as he came from two goals behind Romelu Lukaku to finish four clear of him and win the Golden Boot, scoring seven goals in two matches.
He struck four times in Tottenham Hotspur's 6-1 demolition of Leicester City on Thursday before hitting another hat-trick on Sunday as Spurs ran out 7-1 winners over relegated Hull City.
The 23-year-old was deservedly showered with praise on Match of the Day:
With his back-to-back hat-tricks, Kane has continued to establish himself among the Premier League's top strikers:
Kane became the fifth player to win the Golden Boot in successive seasons.
In Germany, Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski failed to score on the final day, but Aubameyang netted twice as Borussia Dortmund beat Werder Bremen 4-3, ensuring the Gabon international finished ahead of him in the standings and as the Bundesliga's top scorer for the first time.
His first was a delightful volley on the turn after Ousmane Dembele sent a ball over the top, and he sealed the Golden Boot with a late penalty.
DW Sports' Stefan Bienkowski hailed both Aubameyang and Lewandowski, and he suggested their sides could get even more out of them:
In Italy, AS Roma striker Dzeko has the edge heading into the final matchday, having scored his 28th Serie A goal of the season on Saturday, though Dries Mertens sits just one behind, having bagged another two for Napoli in their win over Fiorentina at the weekend.
The Golden Shoe winner may already be all but decided, but the race to become Serie A's capocannoniere will go down to the wire.