Although the UEFA Euro came late into recognition, it made its name in a very short period of time. The European countries battle once every four years for the silverware. However, the top scorer has a different award to his name, generally known as the golden boot. In this article, we take a look at the list of golden boot winners in the previous 10 editions of the Euros.

Also Read: Top 10 Highest scorers in the history of the UEFA Euros (Updated)

List of Golden Boot Winners from the past 10 editions (1984-2020):

Michel Platini (1984)

In 1984, Platini captained France to success in the European Championship on home soil. However, his individual impact on the tournament was huge with nine of France's 14 goals in just five games. He was also the top goal scorer in Euro 1984. Platini also won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1983, 1984 and 1985.

Also Read: Highest International Goalscorers in football history

Marco van Basten (1988)

West Germany hosted the 1988 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament from 10 to 25 June 1988. The Netherlands were the European champions for the first time in history. Marco van Basten was the top scorer of the tournament and won the golden boot after scoring 5 goals in the tournament.

Henrik Larsen (1992)

Sweden hosted the 1992 UEFA European Football Championship between 10 and 26 June 1992. Denmark won the 1992 championship having qualified only after Yugoslavia was disqualified as a result of the breakup of the country. Henrik Larsen was the top scorer with 3 goals. However, Dennis Bergkamp, Tomas Brolin and Karl-Heinz Riedle were also level with him on 3 goals.

Also Read: 9 longest unbeaten streaks in football: Italy Football Team's 32 beaten run

Alan Shearer (1996)

The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 96, was the 10th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by European nations and organised by UEFA. It took place in England from 8 to 30 June 1996. It was the first European Championship to feature 16 finalists, following UEFA's decision to expand the tournament from eight teams. Although Alan Shearer was the top scorer of the tournament with 5 goals, his team England lost against the eventual champions Germany in the semi-finals.

Savo Milosevic (2000)

Belgium and Netherlands jointly hosted the Euro 2000. It was also the first time the tournament had been held in more than one nation. Savo Milošević was the top scorer with 5 goals along with Patrick Kluivert. However, France won the tournament and Zinedine Zidane was the player of the tournament.

Also read: Players With the Most Assists In Football History

Milan Baroš (2004)

The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2004, was the 12th edition of the UEFA European Championship. Milan Baroš was the top scorer of the tournament with 5 goals in the tournament. The tournament was rich in surprises and upsets: Germany, Spain, and Italy were eliminated in the group stage while defending champions France were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Greece. Portugal recovered from an opening defeat against Greece to reach the final.

Also Read: Football Facts: Players With Champions League, World Cup and Ballon d'Or

David Villa (2008)

Austria and Switzerland jointly hosted the Euro 2008. David Villa was the top scorer in the tournament with 4 goals to his name. He played a very crucial part in Spain's title-winning run in 2008. David Villa was their main man going forward. The golden period of Spain which started after winning the Euro '08 saw the rise of players who went on to dominate world football.

Also Read: Football facts: Players who won the PL, UCL and World Cup

Fernando Torres (2012)

Poland and Ukraine jointly hosted the European Championship of 2012. Spain was literally unstoppable at that time, they crushed everyone that came in their way. The Spanish side was then the Euro 2008 champions, 2010 Worldcup winners and will further win the Euro '12. Fernando Torres, Mario Gomez and Alan Dzagoevwere all tied up at 3 goals for the golden boot award. However, Torres bagged the award on the number of assists and lesser minutes played. He had 3 goals and 1 assist in 189 minutes however, his counterpart Mario Gomez had 3 goals and 1 assist in 282 minutes. Meanwhile, Alan Dzagoev didn't provide an assist and was out of the golden boot contention.

Antoine Griezmann (2016)

France hosted the 15th edition of the tournament from 10 June to 10 July 2016. The hosts dominated the entire tournament but fell victim to Portugal at the extra time in the finals losing 0-1 against the Reds. Antoine Griezmann was one of the standout performers of the tournament. He won both the golden boot and the best player award for his heroic performances. The French-man had 6 goals and 2 assists in 555 minutes which rightfully earned him the above-mentioned awards.

Also read: Most Champions League titles won by Football Clubs

Cristiano Ronaldo (2020)

The Euro 2020 was postponed till 2021 because of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. Although the tournament took place from 11 June to 11 July 2021 it will be known as Euro 2020. However, this version of Euro had no fixed hosts, the tournament revolved around 11 cities of Europe. Cristiano Ronaldo was named the top scorer of the tournament and won the golden boot despite a last-16 exit against Belgium. He managed to score 5 goals and provide 1 assist in the group of death. However, Patrik Schick of the Czech Republic had 5 goals to his name, Ronaldo clinched his award on the number of assists.

Also read: Football Gossip: Laporta's dream, Messi and Ronaldo at Barcelona

The European Golden Boot or European Golden Shoe is awarded annually to the leading goal scorer in league matches in the top divisions of European football. First awarded in 1968, this prestigious honour is judged on a points-based system.

Also Read: Players with the most champions league titles

Golden Boot: Rules

The winner is not simply the player with the most goals in the season. There is a weighting system where the goals scored in the top-ranked leagues are worth more. Players from the five highest ranked leagues according to UEFA (based on results of each league's clubs in European competition over the previous five seasons) get 2 points per scored goal, leagues ranked 6-22 get 1.5 points per goal and the remaining leagues get 1 point per goal.

The top five ranked leagues in 2022 were Germany, Spain, England, Italy, and France. The winners usually come from the top-ranked leagues.

Historical Overview

Between 1968 and 1991, the award was given by L'Équipe to the highest goalscorer in any European league. Between 1991 and 1996 there were no official awards given to the top goal scorers, but the leading goalscorer for those years have since been recognized.

Since the 1996–97 season, the award, given by European Sports Media, has used a weighted points system.

Most Golden Boots win

Lionel Messi has won the European Golden Boot a record six times (2009-10, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19). The next closest is Cristiano Ronaldo with four (2007-08, 2010-11, 2013-14, 2014-15).

Let's take a look at the most Golden Boots win in football history.

Also Read: Manchester United Trophy Cabinet

Most Golden Boots win in football history (All Time)

1. Lionel Messi | 6 Times

2. Cristiano Ronaldo | 4 Times

3. Luis Suárez | 2 Times

4. Thierry Henry | 2 Times

5. Robert Lewandowski | 2 Times

The European leagues are up and running and we have already witnessed some great encounters between the top European teams. The hunt to win the European Golden Boot is also taking shape for the 2024-25 season.

Some big names from the Top five European leagues are already in full swing and they are scoring loads of goals to clinch the coveted annual award for the highest goalscorer in Europe. However, some young and talented players have enlisted themselves in the charts as well; even from outside of the top five European leagues.

According to the coefficient rankings updated by UEFA on 7 November 2024, the top five European Leagues are the English Premier League, Serie A (Italy), LaLiga (Spain), Bundesliga (Germany), and French Ligue 1 respectively. 

Sportzpoint brings you all the details about the leading goalscorers in the top five European leagues, details of the UEFA League ranking, and the leading goalscorers competing for the 2024-25 European Golden Boot.

The European Golden Boot Race

The Golden Boot is awarded by European Sports Media (ESM) which is a unified association of Football Magazine publications such as Marca, Kicker, La Gazzetta dello Sport, Frankfurter AZ, etc. They took over since 1996-97 season and started a new ranking system based on the position of the league for the respective players. 

The UEFA coefficient ranking is considered a measure for weighting points, with the principle being to acknowledge players who score in leagues of higher quality according to rankings, which makes it tougher to find the back of the net.

The number of goals scored in the top five leagues of Europe are counted with a multiplier of two, while those from leagues ranked six to 21 receive a 1.5 multiplier, and goals from all other leagues are counted as one.

This is how the points system works. 

⚽️🏆 Players with the Most European Golden Boot Wins:

🇦🇷 Lionel Messi: 6
🇵🇹 Cristiano Ronaldo: 4
🇺🇾 Luis Suarez: 2
🇫🇷 Thierry Henry: 2
🇵🇱 Robert Lewandowski: 2

😳😳😳🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/AObaXoSpah

— Sholy Nation Sports (@Sholynationsp) July 26, 2024

Before looking at the players' list, here is the official UEFA ranking of league coefficients:

UEFA Ranking: League coefficients

Rank 1-5

Goal scorers from these five leagues receive a multiplier of 2. 

Rank 6-21

Goal scorers from these leagues ranked from 6 to 21 receive a multiplier of 1.5. 

Top goalscorers of the 2024-25 season in the top 5 European Leagues (as of 24th May 2025):

Premier League | England

1. Mohamed Salah | 28 Goals

• Club: Liverpool FC
• Nationality: Egypt
• Appearances: 37
• Goals: 28

2. Alexander Isak | 23 goals

• Club: Newcastle United
• Nationality: Sweden
• Appearances: 33
• Goals: 23

3. Erling Haaland | 21 goals

• Club: Manchester City
• Nationality: Norway
• Appearances: 30
• Goals: 21

4. Chris Wood | 20 goals

• Club: Nottingham Forrest
• Nationality: New Zealand
• Appearances: 35
• Goals: 20

5. Bryan Mbeumo | 19 goals

• Club: Brentford
• Nationality: Cameroon
• Appearances: 37
• Goals: 19

Serie A | Italy

1. Mario Retegui | 25 goals 

• Club: Atalanta BC
• Nationality: Italy
• Appearances: 35
• Goals: 25

2. Moise Kean | 18 goals

• Club: AFC Fiorentina
• Nationality: Italy
• Appearances: 10
• Goals: 5

3. Ademola Lookman | 15 goals

• Club: Atalanta BC
• Nationality: Nigeria
• Appearances: 30
• Goals: 15

4. Romelo Lukaku | 14 goals

• Club: Napoli
• Nationality: Belgium
• Appearances: 36
• Goals: 14

5. Marcus Thuram | 14 goals 

• Club: Inter Milan
• Nationality: France
• Appearances: 32
• Goals: 14

LaLiga | Spain

1. Kylian Mbappe | 30 goals

• Club: Real Madrid
• Nationality: France
• Appearances: 34
• Goals: 30

2. Robert Lewandowski | 25 goals 

• Club: FC Barcelona
• Nationality: Poland
• Appearances: 33
• Goals: 25

3. Ante Budimir | 21 goals 

• Club: CA Osasuna
• Nationality: Croatia
• Appearances: 37
• Goals: 21

4. Ayoze Perez | 19 goals 

• Club: Villarreal
• Nationality: Spain
• Appearances: 30
• Goals: 19

5. Raphinha | 18 goals

• Club: FC Barcelona
• Nationality: Brazil
• Appearances: 35
• Goals: 18

Bundesliga | Germany 

1. Harry Kane | 26 goals 

• Club: Bayern Munich
• Nationality: England
• Appearances: 31
• Goals: 26

2. Serhou Guirassy | 21 goals

• Club: Borussia Dortmund
• Nationality: Guinea
• Appearances: 30
• Goals: 21

3. Patrik Schick | 21 goals

• Club: Bayer Leverkusen 
• Nationality: Czech Republic
• Appearances: 31
• Goals: 21

4. Jonathan Burkardt | 18 goals

• Club: 1.FSV Mainz 05
• Nationality: Belgium
• Appearances: 29
• Goals: 18

5. Tim Kleindienst | 16 goals 

• Club: Borussia Mönchengladbach
• Nationality: Germany
• Appearances: 31
• Goals: 16

Ligue 1 | France

1. Ousmane Dembele | 21 goals 

• Club: Paris Saint-Germain
• Nationality: France
• Appearances: 29
• Goals: 21

2. Mason Greenwood | 21 goals 

• Club: Olympique de Marseille
• Nationality: England
• Appearances: 34
• Goals: 21

3. Arnaud Kalimuendo | 17 goals

• Club: Stade Rennais FC
  
• Nationality: France
• Appearances: 33
• Goals: 17

4. Jonathan David | 16 goals

• Club: Lille OSC
• Nationality: Canada
• Appearances: 32
• Goals: 16

5. Alexandre Lacazette | 15 goals

• Club: Lyon
• Nationality: France
• Appearances: 30
• Goals: 15

Read Also | Most goals in Europe's Top Five Leagues in 2023/24 Season

The Ultimate European Golden Boot Race (Among the top 10 European Leagues according to UEFA coefficient rankings)

Considering the players from the top 10 European leagues in this list, this is what the current race of chasing the 2024-25 European Golden Boot looks like:

When we hear the football word, the first thing that comes to our mind is "Goal". The word Goal is attached with another word Striker. A Striker's first priority is scoring goals. In the modern era of football, we have witnessed some exceptional strikers throughout the world. Premier League is considered the best football league in the world. If a striker needs to prove his goal-scoring ability, there is hardly any other stage to prove it. Premier League 2023-24 season is witnessing the performances of some phenomenal strikers.

From the start, the Premier League was the place to see goal scorers. The way the league has evolved over time has brought a huge variety in the styles of strikers. Premier League had some strikers who made their goal-scoring ability a piece of art. The English league has witnessed the Greatness of "Alan Shearer", "Thierry Henry", "Wayne Rooney", "Dennis Bergkamp", "Andrew Cole", "Didier Drogba", "Eric Cantona" & many more Legends of Football. In recent times, Premier League is observing even more who are going to share the place with the legends in the upcoming years. Let's go through the 2023-24 top 5 goal scorers list of the Premier League.

Also Read: Premier League 2023-24: Phil Foden's brace charge City's title race with a 3-1 win in Manchester Derby

Premier League 2023-24 Stats: Top Goal Scorers

Erling Braut Haaland is a sensation. He joined Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund in the 2022 summer transfer window for a record fee. Haaland was scoring goals in the Bundesliga for fun. The football pundits commented on his injury record and the value of the Bundesliga League.

They didn't consider the German League as a top-tier league because of the dominance of only a single club. Premier League is a place where one can prove himself right because of the attraction it has gained over the last time period.

Erling Haaland started his journey with a storm like a man on a mission and he did end up with Golden Boot Award, scoring 36 goals in 35 matches. He also started this season in hurry and have already scored 18 goals in 22 appearances for Manchester City. The season have gone past its halfway and he is in touching distance to winning Golden Boot. If the Norwegian continues his goal scoring prowess, then he can break his own record too.

Ollie Watkins was only providing assists during the early stages of the season, but now proving an all-round threat. Aston Villa is sitting in the top 4 right now and lots of its credit goes to Watkins. Watkins has already scored 16 goals in the Premier League 2023-24 season. He also owns 10 assists.

The English International is the first player to reach 25-plus goals involvement (26) in the Premier League 2023-24 season. Playing his 136th Premier League match, Watkins has raced to a total of 56 Premier League goals. He also owns 23 assists.

Mohamed Salah owns the third spot for now with 15 goals to his name. The Egyptian winger hasn't disappointed Klopp so far since making his debut in 2017. He is once again producing a brilliant season, helping Liverpool charge for the title. Salah has also contributed with 9 assists so far this season. This is going to be Klopp's last season in Liverpool and Salah would very much like to bid him goodbye with plenty of goals and trophies.

Jarrod Bowen scored his first English Premier League hat trick for West Ham when they beat Brentford 4-2 recently. Bowen is a huge threat for any opposition team as he is both a goal scorer and a creator. He can threaten the opposition defence constantly with his pace and skill. The English International has already contributed with 14 goals and 3 assists. Gareth Southgate now has so many options to choose upon for the Euros and before that, Bowen would like to continue his brilliant goal scoring form.

Dominic Solanke registered a brilliant 13 goal contributions in the top flight last season and he is continuing that this season too. Solanke is scoring goals for fun and he is leading Bournemouth from the front. Solanke has also contributed with 14 goals and 3 assists. Another English International who is in fine form this season.

The legendary Portuguese coach, Jose Mourinho has won more than he's lost, having lifted countless pieces of silverware. But when things don't quite work out as planned, he's brilliant value – an absolute quote goldmine for any back page editor worth their salt.

Here are six occasions in which Jose Mourinho was a monumentally sore loser after suffering defeat.

Chelsea vs Liverpool, 2005

Luis Garcia's ghost goal lives in European footballing infamy. It ultimately proved the difference as Rafael Benitez's Liverpool qualified for the Champions League final at Chelsea's expense in 2005 – and Mourinho responded in a characteristically measured fashion. Ahem.

"Bring out the linesman and ask him why he awarded the goal," Mourinho responded.

"It must be 100% in and he must be 100% sure it is.

"My players say it's not a goal. Other people say nobody can confirm it was a goal. Only one person decided the future of a team and of players who have never played in a Champions League final.

"Players make mistakes and he made a mistake. But I must accept that. Football is sometimes cruel. It sometimes goes your way and sometimes it goes against you.

"They scored if you can say that. You can say the linesman's scored. It was a goal coming from the moon or from the Anfield Road stands."

Also Read: https://sportzpoint.com/football/an-amazing-xl-of-players-jose-mourinho-has-sold-during-his-career/

Chelsea vs Barcelona, 2006

Mourinho had previously served as an assistant to Bobby Robson at the Camp Nou but his past in Catalonia didn't stop him giving it both barrels to Barcelona's golden boy after Chelsea full-back Asier del Horno was sent off for fouling Lionel Messi.

"Can we suspend Messi for what you call in Barcelona play-acting?" Mourinho asked afterwards. "Barcelona is a very cultured city. It's a place where they understand all about the theatre.

"I think it's of course not a red card. The kid is not just a very good player; he's more than that. He jumps and provokes contact with Del Horno and because of that the referee gives him the red card.

"It's not a red card. Of course not, and for the second time we have to play 55-60 minutes without a man and that is completely different."

Mourinho interviewed for the vacancy at Barcelona a couple of years later but the club hired Guardiola instead. Some believe that his comments and tactics were a key reason for him not landing the job.

Real Madrid vs Barcelona,  2011

Barcelona and Real Madrid's epic rivalry reached white-hot new heights when the two clubs faced off four times in the space of three weeks in April 2011.

Pep Guardiola and Mourinho already had a war of words after Madrid beat Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final and Mourinho didn't back down after losing the first leg of the Champions League semi-final.

The Los Blancos coach was incensed by the decision to send off Pepe and went on to go full tinfoil hat about it.

"If I tell UEFA what I really think and feel, my career would end now," Mourinho said.

"Instead I will just ask a question to which I hope one day to get a response: Why? Why? Why Ovrebo? Why Busacca? Why De Bleeckere? Why Stark? Why?

"Because every semi-final the same things happen. We are talking about an absolutely fantastic football team, so why do they need that? Why? Why does a team as good as they are need something that is so obvious that everyone sees it?"

Mourinho's comments earned him a five-match touchline ban and a €50,000 fine.

Chelsea vs Southampton, 2015

Mourinho didn't mince his words with a mammoth seven-minute interview after a 3-1 home defeat to Southampton left Chelsea sitting 16th in the Premier League table in October 2015.

"I think it's time to be a little bit honest and to say, clearly, the referees are afraid to give decisions for Chelsea," he said in a Sky Sports interview.

" the result 1-1, it's a huge penalty, and once more we don't get .

"I repeat, if the FA wants to punish me they can punish me. They don't punish other managers, they punish me, it's not a problem for me.

"I want to say it again – referees are afraid to give decisions for Chelsea. Why? Because when they give there is always a question mark from you, there is always a question, there is always a critic, so we are always punished."

Man Utd vs Sevilla, 2018

Mourinho was keen to offer a healthy dose of perspective with a history lesson after Manchester United's Champions League elimination at the hands of Sevilla in 2018.

"I say to the fans that the fans are the fans and have the right to their opinions and reactions but there is something that I used to call football heritage," he said after the final whistle.

"And what a manager inherits is something like the last time Manchester United won the Champions League which didn't happen a lot of times, was in 2008.

"So in seven years with four different managers, once not qualify for Europe, twice out in the group phase and the best was the quarter-final, this is football heritage and if you want to go to the Premier League, the last victory was 2012-13 and in the four consecutive seasons United finish fourth fifth, sixth and seventh."

Roma vs Sevilla, 2023

Sevilla's football heritage proved stronger than Mourinho's in the ill-tempered and supremely niggly 2023 Europa League final.

A total of 146 minutes – including 26(!) of injury time – were played out in Budapest before Sevilla triumphed on penalties, ending Mourinho's 100% record of winning European finals. No fewer than 13 bookings were dished out – seven for Roma, including Mourinho himself (naturally).

"Next year we won't be playing the Champions League and that's a good thing because we're not made for it," Mourinho told reporters in his post-match press conference.

"And let's hope that Taylor, only officiates games in the Champions League and does the same bullsh*t there that he did tonight, and not in the Europa League.

"It was an intense, vibrant game with a referee who seemed Spanish. It was yellow, yellow, yellow all the time. Today in all the dubious episodes, the yellow cards, the referee blew the whistle in favour of Sevilla."

The 60-year-old proceeded to make sure his dignity remained intact by doing his best Didier Drogba impression and chasing after Antony Taylor in the car park, yelling "It's a f*cking disgrace!".

Sevilla vs AS Roma  ended on high drama 4-1 on penalties on Wednesday to win the Europa League for a record-extending seventh time for Sevilla. Handing Jose Mourinho his first defeat in six European finals.

Sevilla keeper Yassine Bounou saved spot kicks from Gianluca Mancini and Roger Ibanez while Sevilla were flawless in their execution, scoring their first four. The game had finished 1-1 after extra time.

Paulo Dybala gave the Italians the lead from a counter-attack in the 35th minute but Sevilla then took control of the game and found the equaliser thanks to an own-goal by Mancini in the 55th minute.

The win means Sevilla will compete in next season's Champions League despite finishing outside the top four in the LaLiga.

Sevilla vs AS Roma: Match Summary

Gonzalo Montiel's retaken spot kick ensured that Sevilla became Europa League champions for the seventh time in their history as they defeated Jose Mourinho's Roma on penalties at the end of a torturous final in Budapest.

Sevilla dominated the ball for large swathes of the first half, but couldn't break down Mourinho's resolute side and it was the Italian outfit that took the lead just after the half hour mark when Paolo Dybala, an injury doubt coming into the game, fired calmly past Bounou to send the Roma fans into delirium.

Increíble mi Sevilla… ¡¡Ya van siete!!
Enhorabuena por seguir haciendo historia, @SevillaFC ¡Os lo merecéis! 💪🏻 https://t.co/fyOiTALLLd

— Sergio Ramos (@SergioRamos) May 31, 2023

Still Sevilla dominated, with Ivan Rakitic hitting the inside of the post in first-half stoppage time as Jose Mourinho's side held on.

The second half of Sevilla vs AS Roma, however, was a different story. With Sevilla introducing both Luis Ocampos and Suso, the European specialists looked much more of a threat and deservedly levelled the tie 10 minutes into the second half when Gianluca Mancini could only bundle a Jesus Navas cross into his own net.

Twenty minutes later, Sevilla's pressure looked as though it had forced another mistake from Roma, only for VAR to overturn Anthony Taylor's decision to award a penalty for a clumsy-looking challenge from Ibanez.

📸 𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗜, 𝗩𝗜𝗗𝗜, 𝗩𝗜𝗖𝗜 ❤️#UELfinal #NadieLaQuiereComoNosotros pic.twitter.com/GOXGf3HWEL

— Sevilla Fútbol Club (@SevillaFC) May 31, 2023

Extra time beckoned, with neither side threatening, and an extra 30 minutes failed to seperate the sides either in a game that turned into a low quality affair, leaving the two sides only to be seperated by a penalty shoot out.

Roma defenders Gianluca Mancini and Roger Ibanez both saw their efforts saved and hit the woodwork, leaving Gonzalo Montiel to slot home the winner as he did for Argentina in the World Cup six months prior.

He too missed, but was handed a second chance when the referee spotted encroachment, and made no mistake second time round, handing the Spanish giants an unprecedented seventh Europa League title.