Why Viktor Gyökeres Is Second In The European Golden Shoe Despite Most Goals

‎Viktor Gyokeres, the Sporting CP striker, scored more league goals than any other player in Europe this season.

‎However, he finished as the runner-up to Kylian Mbappe for the 2024/25 European Golden Shoe.

‎Gyokeres scored 39 goals in Liga Portugal over the course of Sporting’s title-winning campaign, eight more than Mbappe managed in his debut La Liga season at Real Madrid.

‎However, the weighted points system used to determine the winner worked in the Frenchman’s favor.

‎Goals scored in Europe’s top five leagues, Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1, are worth two points each. In leagues ranked sixth to 22nd in UEFA’s coefficient, goals earn 1.5 points per goal.

‎With 39 goals in the Portuguese top flight, which is ranked seventh by UEFA, the 26-year-old accumulated 58.5 points.

‎This placed him behind Mbappe’s 62 points and just ahead of Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, who finished third by half a point.

‎A goal in yesterday’s Taca de Portugal Final, as Sporting beat Lisbon neighbors Benfica to complete a domestic double, took Gyokeres to 53 goals in 51 games in all competitions this season.

‎However, only league goals count towards the Golden Shoe.

‎Henrik Larsson remains the only Swedish winner of the award, after his 35 goals for Celtic in the 2000/01 season.

‎Gyokeres, who continues to be a key target for many clubs in the top five leagues, will now join the Sweden squad for upcoming friendlies against Hungary and Algeria in June.