European Golden Shoe 2023/24 standings: Final rankings as Harry Kane wins race to be Europe's best goalscorer

Brad Cox

European Golden Shoe 2023/24 standings: Final rankings as Harry Kane wins race to be Europe's best goalscorer image

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 

How does the European Golden Shoe work? Rules for goalscoring standings

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.

European Golden Shoe 2023/24 standings: Updated rankings

Updated on Monday, June 3, 2024

PositionPlayerTeamGoalsFactorPoints
1.Harry KaneBayern Munich36272
2.Serhou GuirassyVfB Stuttgart28256
3. Kylian MbappeParis Saint-Germain27254
4. Erling HaalandManchester City27254
5.Lautaro MartinezInter Milan24248
6.Lois OpendaRB Leipzig24248
7.Artem DovbykGirona24248
8.Alexander SorlothVillarreal23246
9.Cole PalmerChelsea22244
10.Viktor GyokeresSporting CP291.543.5
=Vangelis PavlidisAZ291.543.5
=Luuk de JongPSV291.543.5

European Golden Shoe previous winners

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.

YearPlayer NameTeam NameGoals
1967/68EusébioBenfica42
1968/69Petar ZhekovCSKA Sofia36
1969/70Gerd MüllerBayern Munich38
1970/71Josip SkoblarMarseille44
1971/72Gerd MüllerBayern Munich40
1972/73EusébioBenfica40
1973/74Héctor YazaldeSporting CP46
1974/75Dudu GeorgescuDinamo București33
1975/76Sotiris KaiafasOmonia Nicosia39
1976/77Dudu GeorgescuDinamo București47
1977/78Hans KranklRapid Wien41
1978/79Kees KistAZ34
1979/80Erwin VandenberghLierse39
1980/81Georgi SlavkovBotev Plovdiv31
1981/82Wim KieftAjax32
1982/83Fernando GomesPorto36
1983/84Ian RushLiverpool32
1984/85Fernando GomesPorto39
1985/86Marco van BastenAjax37
1986/87Toni PolsterAustria Wien39
1987/88Tanju ÇolakGalatasaray39
1988/89Dorin MateuțDinamo București43
1989/90Hristo StoichkovCSKA Sofia38
1990/91Darko PančevRed Star Belgrade34
1991/92Ally McCoistRangers34
1992/93Ally McCoistRangers34
1993/94David TaylorPorthmadog43
1994/95Arsen AvetisyanHomenetmen39
1995/96Zviad EndeladzeMargveti40
1996/97RonaldoBarcelona34
1997/98Nikos MachlasVitesse34
1998/99Mário JardelPorto36
1999/2000Kevin PhillipsSunderland30
2000/01Henrik LarssonCeltic35
2001/02Mário JardelSporting CP42
2002/03Roy MakaayDeportivo La Coruña29
2003/04Thierry HenryArsenal30
2004/05Thierry HenryArsenal25
2005/06Luca ToniFiorentina31
2006/07Francesco TottiRoma26
2007/08Cristiano RonaldoManchester United31
2008/09Diego ForlánAtlético Madrid32
2009/10Lionel MessiBarcelona34
2010/11Cristiano RonaldoReal Madrid40
2011/12Lionel MessiBarcelona50
2012/13Lionel MessiBarcelona46
2013/14Luis SuárezLiverpool31
2014/15Cristiano RonaldoReal Madrid48
2015/16Luis SuárezBarcelona40
2016/17Lionel MessiBarcelona37
2017/18Lionel MessiBarcelona34
2018/19Lionel MessiBarcelona36
2019/20Ciro ImmobileLazio36
2020/21Robert LewandowskiBayern Munich41
2021/22Robert LewandowskiBayern Munich35
2022/23Erling HaalandManchester City36
2023/24Harry KaneBayern Munich36

Brad Cox

Brad Cox Photo

Brad is a content producer for The Sporting News and has previously worked for the likes of Squawka and The Athletic. His career highlight to date is reporting from the 2022 UEFA Champions League Final in Paris.