Kylian Mbappé Receives European Golden Shoe as Race for 2025-26 Begins

Last week, Kylian Mbappé was officially bestowed with the prestigious European Golden Shoe award, an accolade he earned months earlier by finishing as the continent’s top goal scorer in the 2024-25 season.

Although he claimed the award in May, the France striker received his trophy prior to Real Madrid’s LaLiga match against Valencia last weekend. Mbappé netted 31 league goals in the previous campaign, solidifying his place among an illustrious list of past Golden Shoe recipients. He became only the third Real Madrid player to achieve this honor, following club legends Hugo Sánchez and Cristiano Ronaldo—who won the award three times during his tenure at Madrid, in addition to once with Manchester United.

Numerous elite goal scorers have received the Golden Shoe since its inception in the 1967-68 season, with the first prize awarded to Eusébio. Other footballing luminaries such as Gerd Müller, Marco van Basten, Hristo Stoichkov, Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Robert Lewandowski, and Harry Kane, who won the award in 2023-24, have also made their mark.

Interestingly, as the race for the 2025-26 European Golden Shoe commences, the current frontrunner is not Erling Haaland or Mbappé, but a relatively obscure striker named Darko Lemajic, who plays for Rigas Futbola Skola (RFS) in Latvia. The 32-year-old is leading the pursuit with 28 goals, a tally achieved over 36 league matches, given that the Latvian Virsliga operates primarily as a summer league from March to November.

It’s important to note that the European Golden Shoe leaderboard is calculated using a weighted points system established in 1997. This system accounts for the perceived competitiveness of different leagues by assigning various multipliers. Goals scored in one of Europe’s ‘top five’ leagues receive a multiplier of two, while goals in leagues ranked 6-22 are multiplied by 1.5, and those in leagues ranked 22 and below receive a factor of one.

As a result, Lemajic’s 28 goals are counted as 28 points in the standings, while Haaland and Mbappé’s 13 goals each equate to 26 points, despite the latter two scoring fewer goals. This scoring system explains the presence of several Scandinavian players within the top 10, as many of their seasons conclude before the onset of winter.

With Lemajic’s league season now concluded, his competitors will have opportunities to catch up in the coming months. As it stands, Harry Kane continues his impressive form from last season with 12 league goals in just nine Bundesliga matches, positioning him to ascend the Golden Shoe leaderboard further.

In Sweden, Hammarby sits second in the Allsvenskan, and player Besara is tied at the top of the league’s scoring charts with two others. The 34-year-old’s goals, however, haven’t been sufficient to keep Hammarby from trailing behind the surprising champions, Mjällby AIF.

In the same Allsvenskan race, Diabate has contributed 17 goals for GAIS, securing a third-place finish and a spot in the UEFA Conference League qualifying rounds. Another notable player, Priske, also scored 17 goals for Djurgården, showcasing the competitive nature of the league.

The Norwegian Eliteserien, which operates from May to November, has seen Høgh and Karlsbakk vying for the Golden Boot, both currently on 17 goals.

Though the 2025 Faroe Islands Premier League might not be widely known, Runavik finished third, with their star striker Olsen leading the scoring charts, outpacing KI Klaksvik’s Pall Klettskard.

Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappé is preparing for a strong defense of his Golden Shoe title, having scored six goals in his last eight consecutive league outings for Real Madrid this season. He currently leads the LaLiga scoring chart for 2025-26.

Erling Haaland, ever formidable, has also been a prolific scorer, netting 11 goals in 13 Premier League matches for Manchester City. He is on track to potentially become the fastest player to reach 100 Premier League goals, needing just two more goals to break Alan Shearer’s long-standing record.

Standing at 6-foot-6, Lemajic is a formidable presence in the Latvian top flight. After spending some time in Belgium with KAA Gent, he returned to Rigas Futbola Skola, where he had an outstanding season, scoring twice as many goals as the next best player in the league.