Top 5 contenders for the European Golden boot this season

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As the teams around Europe gear up for the start of the 2018/19 season, attackers from all the major leagues are ready to battle to battle it out for goalscoring supremacy.

A title with the club is always the priority but an individual award has its own special place in the players’ hearts and minds. One of the most sort after individual award is the European Golden Boot which is awarded to the highest goalscorer across the top divisions of Europe.

The award has been dominated by Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in recent years but the last couple of seasons have seen the emergence of many new prospects. Here’s a look at some of the favourites to win the Golden Boot this season:

Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)

Arsenal FC v FC Bayern Muenchen - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: Second Leg

The Polish striker was heavily linked with a move away from the Allianz Arena this season but the move was denied Publicly by chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

Lewandowski has been instrumental in Bayern’s recent domination of the Bundesliga, having won the championship six years on the bounce. Despite having notched up 29 league goals last season, it wasn’t his best ever season in a Bayern shirt.

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

Salah scored an incredible 44 goals in all competitions last season, with 32 of them coming in the Premier League- a record for a 38-game season. The only reason he doesn’t make the top 5 is due to the consistency of the other competitors.

Finishing second, only behind Lionel Messi last season, the Egyptian winger will have a huge task on his hands if he has to replicate last season’s exploits, with the defenders probably getting tighter to him this season.

Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)

After his sensational move to Juventus and the Serie A this summer, Cristiano Ronaldo would be looking forward to terrorizing the Italian defences this season.

A poor start to last year’s league campaign and Zidane’s rotational policy saw Ronaldo bag just 26 goals (in 27 league games), a disappointing return by his lofty standards.

Harry Kane (Tottenham)

Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur - Premier League

The Englishman has notched up a staggering 84 league goals in the past three campaigns, which is a testament to his consistency in front of goal. He has also been the Premier League’s top goalscorer in two of the last three seasons despite his infamous knack of not finding the back of the net in the month of August.

Despite scoring 30 league goals last season, he lost out on a third consecutive golden boot award to the red-hot Mo Salah. The Englishman’s goals played a very important role in propelling Spurs to an impressive third-place finish in the Premier League.

Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

FC Barcelona v Boca Juniors - Joan Gamper Trophy

A record 5-time winner of the award, it will be interesting to see if the arrival of new signings such as Malcolm and the attacking presence of Coutinho will have an impact on his goalscoring record.

The little magician has got lots to prove this season after a disappointing World Cup with Argentina. This year he will have the additional responsibility of captaining a Barcelona side that has lost another senior player in Andres Iniesta.

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