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Lionel Messi And Cristiano Ronaldo Are Outside The Two Top In 2018/19 European Golden Shoe Rankings

Lionel Messi And Cristiano Ronaldo Are Outside The Two Top In 2018/19 European Golden Shoe Rankings

Will it all change once the season is up?

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo scored a combined total of 100 goals in 2018, while they've bagged 31 between them in the current campaign at the halfway mark.

But you might be surprised to learn that neither of the absurdly talented pair are in the top two when it comes to the race for the European Golden Shoe.

Liliu, who plays for Nomme Kalju in the Estonian league, leads the way after scoring 31 goals and therefore collecting the same amount of points.

Behind him is Senegalese frontman Mbaye Diagne, who has netted 20 goals for Kasimpasa in the Turkish top tier and has 30 points to his name.

Messi is in third thanks to his 15 league goals, while Ronaldo finds himself in seventh place despite scoring just one goal less than his fellow five-time Ballon d'Or winner.

Image: PA
Image: PA

Players playing in the big five leagues: England, Spain, Italy, France and Germany, are awarded double points compared to those competing in the smaller divisions - meaning Messi and Ronaldo are on 30 and 20 points respectively.

With some of the leagues already finished, and the leading European leagues still having five months to play, don't be surprised to see a very different set of rankings when everything is done and dusted.

Here are the rankings at the moment, as per Sport:

  1. Liliu (Nomme Kalju), 31 goals, 31 points
  2. Mbaye Diagne (Kasimpasa), 20 goals, 30 points
  3. Lionel Messi (Barcelona), 15 goals, 30 points
  4. Zakaria Beglarishvili (Flora Tallinn), 30 goals, 30 points
  5. Paulinho (BK Hacken), 20 goals, 30 points
  6. Patrick Hoban (FC Dundalk), 29 goals, 29 points
  7. Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), 14 goals, 28 points
  8. Nikolay Komlichenko (FK Mladá Boleslav), 18 goals, 27 points
  9. Robert Skov (Copenhague), 18 goals, 27 points
  10. Roman Debelko (FCI Levadia), 27 goals, 27 points
  11. Linus Hallenius (GIF Sundsvall), 18 goals, 27 points
  12. Kylian Mbappé (PSG), 13 goals, 26 points
  13. Aubameyang (Arsenal), 13 goals, 26 points
  14. Piatek (Genoa), 13 goals, 26 points
  15. Kane (Tottenham), 13 goals, 26 points
  16. Salah (Liverpool), 13 goals, 26 points
  17. Paco Alcácer (Borussia Dortmund), 12 goals, 24 points
  18. Luka Jovic (Eintracht), 12 goals, 24 points
  19. Emiliano Sala (Nantes), 12 goals, 24 points
  20. Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), 12 goals, 24 points

Messi recently collected a record fifth Golden Shoe thanks to his 34 goals (68 points) in 2017/18, retaining the prize after winning it the previous season.

Image: PA
Image: PA

Ronaldo has won it on four occasions, while the likes of Luis Suarez, Diego Forlan, Francesco Totti, Thierry Henry, Henrik Larsson and Kevin Phillips are just some of the past winners.

Featured Image Credit:

Topics: Football News, FC Barcelona, Football, Serie A, Lionel Messi, Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo, La Liga

Josh is a writer who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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