European Golden Shoe (Golden Boot) Winners & Rankings – Complete List
The European Golden Shoe (also known as the European Golden Boot) is the prestigious award presented each season to the top goalscorer in men’s domestic football leagues across Europe.
First introduced as the Soleil d’Or (French for “Golden Boot”) during the 1967-68 season, the original award simply recognized the player with the most goals in any European domestic league.
Following the 1990-91 season, the European Golden Shoe was discontinued due to growing controversy about fairness.
Critics argued that players in weaker leagues could score more goals against less competitive opposition, creating an unbalanced playing field.
The award returned with a revised format in the 1996-97 season, introducing a sophisticated points system that accounts for league strength through UEFA coefficients.
How the Golden Shoe Points System Works
The current European Golden Shoe ranking uses a weighted points system to ensure fairness across different leagues:
- Top-tier leagues (Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1): 2 points per goal
- Mid-tier leagues (Portuguese Primeira Liga, Eredivisie): 1.5 points per goal
- Lower-tier leagues: 1 point per goal
European Golden Boot Winners List (1968–2025)
| Year | Player | Club | Goals | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | |||||||
| 2025 | Kylian Mbappe | Real MAdrid | 31 | ||||
| 2024 | Harry Kane | Bayern Munich | 36 | ||||
| 2023 | Erling Haaland | Manchester City | 36 | ||||
| 2022 | Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | 35 | ||||
| 2021 | Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | 41 | ||||
| 2020 | Ciro Immobile | Lazio | 36 | ||||
| 2019 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 36 | ||||
| 2018 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 34 | ||||
| 2017 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 37 | ||||
| 2016 | Luis Suárez | Barcelona | 40 | ||||
| 2015 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | 48 | ||||
| 2014 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | 31 | ||||
| Luis Suárez | Liverpool | 31 | |||||
| 2013 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 46 | ||||
| 2012 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 50 | ||||
| 2011 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | 40 | ||||
| 2010 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 34 | ||||
| 2009 | Diego Forlán | Atlético Madrid | 32 | ||||
| 2008 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Manchester United | 31 | ||||
| 2007 | Francesco Totti | Roma | 26 | ||||
| 2006 | Luca Toni | Fiorentina | 31 | ||||
| 2005 | Thierry Henry | Arsenal | 25 | ||||
| Diego Forlán | Villarrea | 25 | |||||
| 2004 | Thierry Henry | Arsenal | 30 | ||||
| 2003 | Roy Makaay | Deportivo La Coruña | 29 | ||||
| 2002 | Mário Jardel | Sporting CP | 42 | ||||
| 2001 | Henrik Larsson | Celtic | 35 | ||||
| 2000 | Henrik Larsson | Sunderland | 30 | ||||
| 1999 | Mário Jardel | Porto | 36 | ||||
| 1998 | Nikos Machlas | Vitesse | 34 | ||||
| 1997 | Ronaldo | Barcelona | 34 | ||||
| 1996 | Zviad Endeladze | Margveti | 40 | ||||
| 1995 | Arsen Avetisyan | Homenetmen | 39 | ||||
| 1994 | David Taylor | Porthmadog | 43 | ||||
| 1993 | Ally McCoist | Rangers | 34 | ||||
| 1992 | Ally McCoist | Rangers | 34 | ||||
| 1991 | Darko Pančev | Red Star Belgrade | 34 | ||||
| 1990 | Hristo Stoichkov | CSKA Sofia | 38 | ||||
| Hugo Sánchez | Real Madrid | 38 | |||||
| 1989 | Dorin Mateuț | Dinamo București | 43 | ||||
| 1988 | Tanju Çolak | Galatasaray | 39 | ||||
| 1987 | Toni Polster | Austria Wien | 39 | ||||
| 1986 | Marco van Basten | Ajax | 37 | ||||
| 1985 | Fernando Gomes | Porto | 39 | ||||
| 1984 | Ian Rush | Liverpool | 32 | ||||
| 1983 | Fernando Gomes | Porto | 36 | ||||
| 1982 | Wim Kieft | Ajax | 32 | ||||
| 1981 | Georgi Slavkov | Botev Plovdiv | 31 | ||||
| 1980 | Erwin Vandenbergh | Lierse | 39 | ||||
| 1979 | Kees Kist | AZ | 34 | ||||
| 1978 | Hans Krankl | Rapid Wien | 41 | ||||
| 1977 | Dudu Georgescu | Dinamo București | 47 | ||||
| 1976 | Sotiris Kaiafas | Omonia Nicosia | 39 | ||||
| 1977 | Dudu Georgescu | Dinamo București | 33 | 1974 | Héctor Yazalde | Sporting CP | 46 |
| 1973 | Eusébio | Benfica | 40 | ||||
| 1972 | Gerd Müller | Bayern Munich | 40 | ||||
| 1971 | Josip Skoblar | Marseille | 44 | ||||
| 1970 | Gerd Müller | Bayern Munich | 38 | ||||
| 1969 | Petar Zhekov | CSKA Sofia | 36 | ||||
| 1968 | Eusébio | Benfica | 42 |
Is the European Golden Shoe the same as the European Golden Boot?
Yes. Both terms refer to the same award. “Golden Shoe” is the official name, while “Golden Boot” is commonly used by fans and media.
Who has won the most European Golden Shoes?
Lionel Messi holds the record with 6 European Golden Shoes, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo with 4.
When is the European Golden Shoe awarded?
The award is presented at the end of each season, once all major European domestic leagues have concluded.
Who is leading the European Golden Shoe race this season?
The early leaders in the race for the 2025/2026 European Golden Boot are Erling Haaland and Harry Kane, each with 5 goals.