Lionel Messi scored a goal as Paris St Germain clinched a record-breaking 11th Ligue 1 title with one game to spare after a mediocre 1-1 draw at Racing Strasbourg on Saturday. The result put PSG on 85 points, four ahead of RC Lens, who secured second place and a place in next season's Champions League first time in 21 years. They defeated AC Ajaccio by 3-0 in a boiling-hot Bollaert-Delelis stadium.

Read Also: Koln vs Bayern: Bayern Munich won a thriller of a match and the Bundesliga title for the 11th consecutive time

"Everything was not perfect, but this title belongs to the players. Being French champions is always something," said coach Christophe Galtier. "From a personal point of view, I appreciate it a lot." When asked about his future at the club after one season in charge, Galtier said: "I've been reading a lot of things here and there but there is a difference between what's being written and what's happening."

What happened in the 37th gameweek of Ligue 1

Olympique de Marseille will finish third after being left with 73 points following a 2-1 home defeat by Stade Brestois. Lille are fourth on 66 points after a couple of Jonathan David penalties. He gave them a 2-1 home win against relegation-threatened Nantes. The fourth-placed team qualified for the Europa League group stage, where they will join French Cup winners Toulouse.

In Strasbourg, Messi opened the scoring with a right-footed effort into the top corner after collecting Mbappe's pass in the area. Strasbourg had their chances but failed to convert as they secured their place in the elite for next season. Troyes, Ajaccio, and Angers were already relegated. They will play in Ligue 2 in place of either AJ Auxerre or Nantes.

Lens booked their ticket for Europe's premium club competition as Lois Openda became the club's top scorer with 20 goals. Openda scored the third goal with a penalty after Machado and Thomasson put the hosts ahead in the first half.

"It puts me right up there with a club legend, I'm so happy," said Belgium striker Openda. "We did it all together, we were so strong at home this season," said Lens defender Kevin Danso.

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:

The Champions League has always been a huge honour for any team. Teams like Real Madrid have won the trophy as many as 15 times while AC Milan, FC Barcelona, Ajax and Bayern Munich have won found success in Europe's biggest club competition. 

As a result, the players from such elite teams as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Ajax, and AC Milan dominate the charts of players with the most Champions League titles.

Also Read: Most Champions League titles won by Football Clubs

Players who have won the most Champions League titles

Iconic Real Madrid left-winger Paco Gento used to hold the record for the most Champions League titles by a player. He has won six trophies in his 18 years at the Santiago Bernabeu.

However, Real Madrid legends Toni Kroos, Dani Carvajal, Luka Modric and Nacho have equalled his record and became the only players to win six Champions League titles in the UCL era. 

Former Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo is tied up at 5 UCL titles with players like Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Costacurta and Larence Seedorf as well as other Real Madrid giants in Hector Rial and Marquitos, Lucas Vázquez, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and a few others.

Also Read: Top 5 Defenders with the Most Champions League Goals

Former Barcelona superstars, Lionel Messi, Xavi and Iniesta, and Gerard Pique won four titles as a player. 

List of Players who have won more than four UCL titles:

Hello and welcome to another exciting evening of UEFA Champions League football. This is Koushik Biswas, who will bring you all the updates of the PSG vs Arsenal UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Semi-final second leg match at the Parc des Princes in Paris. 

Paris St. Germain (PSG) are leading by 1-0 after the first leg as Ousmane Dembele's lone goal in the first half was enough for the Parisians to secure a first-leg win. 

Meanwhile, Arsenal looked good in spells but could not convert their chances to level with PSG at their home. But with only one goal deficit, this game is far from over.

With both teams not tasting European success in their history, they will not want to miss the chance to qualify for the final. 

So, sit back and relax as we bring you every minute update of the match. Enjoy the coverage. 

Paris Saint Germain and Arsenal have met 4 times in the UEFA Champions League. Their first two encounters came in the 2016/17 group stage, with both matches ending in draws.

They met again in the 2024/25 campaign, with Arsenal claiming their first Champions League win over PSG in the league phase.

Most recently, PSG secured their first-ever Champions League victory over Arsenal in the semi-final first leg.

Overall in the Champions League, Arsenal have one win, PSG have one win, and two matches have ended in draws.

Read Also | The Top 10 Players with the Most Hattricks in the UEFA Champions League History

Arsenal 0-1 PSG | 2024-25 Semi-Final 1st leg

In the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg, PSG edged past Arsenal with a narrow 1-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium.

Ousmane Dembele was the lone goal scorer, scoring the decisive goal in the 4th minute to give PSG a crucial advantage heading into the second leg. The match was close, with both teams having chances, but PSG’s strong defense and fast attacks gave them the edge.

Arsenal 2-0 PSG | 2024-25 Group Stage

In the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League group stage, Arsenal earned a confident 2-0 win over PSG at the Emirates Stadium.

It was a strong performance from the Gunners, who showed control and composure throughout the match. Goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka secured the 3 points and marked Arsenal’s first Champions League win of the season.

Read Also | Champions League winners list since 1955/56

PSG 1-1 Arsenal | 2016-17 Group Stage 1st Leg

In the first leg of the 2016–17 Champions League group stage, PSG and Arsenal drew 1-1 at the Parc des Princes.

PSG scored early with a 1 minute goal from Edinson Cavani, but Arsenal equalized in the second half through Alexis Sanchez. Both teams had chances, but couldn’t find a winner.

There match was a bit of late drama, as Olivier Giroud and Marco Verratti were both sent off in stoppage time.

Arsenal 2-2 PSG | 2016-17 Group Stage 2nd Leg

In the second leg of the 2016–17 Champions League group stage, Arsenal and PSG drew 2-2 at the Emirates Stadium.

 Both teams had already qualified for the next round, but were still competing for first place in the group. Cavani scored providing PSG the lead, but Arsenal came back with a penalty from Oliver Giroud and an own goal from Verratti to go ahead. A late own goal from Iwobi leveled the match.

The draw kept both teams unbeaten, with Arsenal finishing top of the group on goal difference.