Lionel Messi Wins Fourth Golden Shoe, Ties Ronaldo For Most All-Time

Barcelona’s Lionel Messi was awarded the European Golden Shoe over the weekend. It is his fourth time winning the prestigious award. With the win, Messi ties Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo for the all-time record.

The award is given to the top goal scorer in European league matches from the top division of each European national league. The award operates under a point system, in which each goal counts as two points. Messi lead the pack with 37 goals and 74 points during the 2016-2017 season.

Messi, 29, first won the award in 2010 when he scored 34 goals for 68 points, the least amount of goals and points scored in a season where he won the award. Ronaldo won the award the next year, his second win, but Messi won again in 2012 and 2013. In 2012, the Argentinean player set the record for the most goals ever scored during a season with 50.

Messi had a commanding lead over this year’s award heading into the season’s final weekend. Sporting Lisbon’s Bas Dost had the second most goals, with 34, three of which were scored in his final match against Chaves. Borussia Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang finished third with 31 goals, enough to earn him the Torjagerkanone, the award given to the top German scorer.

Ronaldo finished tied for tenth in the Golden Shoe race with 25 goals and 50 points. Since his win while playing for Manchester United in 2008, every Golden Shoe winner has come from Spain’s La Liga, with the exception of the Premier League’s Luis Suarez, who tied for first with Ronaldo in 2014.

A full list of the top nine leaders appears below.

1. Messi, Barcelona, 74 points, 37 goals
2. Dost, Sporting Lisbon, 68 points, 34 goals
3. Aubameyang, Borussia Dortmund, 62 points, 31 goals
4. Robert Lewandowski, Bayern Munich, 60 points, 30 goals
5. Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur, Edin Dzeko, AS Roma, 58 points, 29 goals, Luis Suarez, Barcelona, 58 points, 29 goals
6. Dries Mertens, Napoli, 56 points, 28 goals
7. Edinson Cavani, Paris Saint-Germain, 52.5 points, 26 goals
8. Andrea Belotti, Torino, 52 points, 26 goals
9. Romelu Lukaku, Everton, Anthony Modeste, Cologne, Ronaldo, Real Madrid, 50 points, 25 goals

Article by Jacob Kaye