Scoring goals is considered by many to be the hardest task in football, but several players have made this job easier by achieving exceptional scoring records with their clubs in the top five European leagues in recent years. A number of stars have etched their names in golden letters in the records of the beautiful game in the old continent, thanks to their remarkable goal-scoring abilities that led them to win the award for the best goal scorers in Europe. The legendary duo Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi dominated the Golden Shoe award in various European leagues for several years before their departure from the pitches of the old continent, while other players’ names also shone alongside the Portuguese and Argentine stars.
Here is a list of the top five players who have received the most local Golden Shoe awards in the top five leagues in Europe from 2000 until now.
**Messi**
Argentine star Lionel Messi, former captain of FC Barcelona, has won the Golden Shoe award eight times, all in the Spanish football league. Overall, the current star of Inter Miami in the U.S. has had a remarkable career wearing the "Blaugrana" jersey, scoring 672 goals in 778 matches.
**Lewandowski**
Polish star Robert Lewandowski, current forward for FC Barcelona, has an impressive scoring record in Europe, having won the top scorer award eight times, seven of which were in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, and once in La Liga.
**Mbappé**
Kylian Mbappé, former star of Paris Saint-Germain, has won the Golden Shoe in the French league six times but has not yet won the European Golden Shoe. The new recruit of Real Madrid this summer has managed to secure the title of "Ligue 1" top scorer every season since he first won it in the 2018-2019 season.
**Ronaldo**
Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, now with Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, has won five Golden Shoe awards across three of the top five leagues in Europe. His most notable moments came with Real Madrid, where the veteran star topped the Spanish league’s scoring chart three times, along with one title in the English league with Manchester United and another in the Italian league with Juventus.
**Zlatan**
Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimović has also succeeded in winning the top scorer award five times in the major leagues of the old continent, including three times in the French league during his time at Paris Saint-Germain, as well as twice in the Italian league, first with Inter Milan and then again with AC Milan after his return to Serie A.
