The European Golden Shoe, or European Golden Boot is awarded each season to the player scoring the most club league goals in topflight European football. The inaugural Golden Show was won by Benfica’s Eusébio in 1968, who scored 42 goals in the Portuguese Primeira Liga in the 1967/68 season.
There was no official Golden Shoe awarded between 1991/92 and 1995/96 due to disputes over the winner. The award returned in the 1996/97 season when a points system was introduced which is weighted towards the top leagues in Europe. This weighting is based on the UEFA coefficients which also decide allocations for the Champions League and Europa League.
The top five leagues are the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A and French Ligue 1. These divisions have a coefficient of 2, meaning players here gain two points for each goal scored. The next 17 teams have a coefficient of 1.5 with every league after that gaining a single point per goal scored.
List of European Golden Shoe Winners: 1967/68 – 2020/21
| Season | Player | Goals | Club | League |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | Robert Lewandowski | 41 | Bayern Munich | Bundesliga |
| 2019/20 | Ciro Immobile | 36 | S.S. Lazio | Serie A |
| 2018/19 | Lionel Messi | 36 | Barcelona | La Liga |
| 2017/18 | Lionel Messi | 34 | Barcelona | La Liga |
| 2016/17 | Lionel Messi | 37 | Barcelona | La Liga |
| 2015/16 | Luis Suárez | 40 | Barcelona | La Liga |
| 2014/15 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 48 | Real Madrid | La Liga |
| 2013/14 | Cristiano Ronaldo (DH) | 31 | Real Madrid | La Liga |
| Luis Suárez (DH) | Liverpool | Premier League | ||
| 2012/13 | Lionel Messi | 46 | Barcelona | La Liga |
| 2011/12 | Lionel Messi | 50 | Barcelona | La Liga |
| 2010/11 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 40 | Real Madrid | La Liga |
| 2009/10 | Lionel Messi | 34 | Barcelona | La Liga |
| 2008/09 | Diego Forlán | 32 | Atlético Madrid | La Liga |
| 2007/08 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 31 | Manchester United | Premier League |
| 2006/07 | Francesco Totti | 26 | A.S. Roma | Serie A |
| 2005/06 | Luca Toni | 31 | Fiorentina | Serie A |
| 2004/05 | Diego Forlán (DH) | 25 | Villarreal | La Liga |
| Thierry Henry (DH) | Arsenal | Premier League | ||
| 2003/04 | Thierry Henry | 30 | Arsenal | Premier League |
| 2002/03 | Roy Makaay | 29 | Deportivo La Coruña | La Liga |
| 2001/02 | Mário Jardel | 42 | Sporting CP | Primeira Liga |
| 2000/01 | Henrik Larsson | 35 | Celtic | Scottish Premier League |
| 1999/00 | Kevin Phillips | 30 | Sunderland | Premier League |
| 1998/99 | Mário Jardel | 36 | FC Porto | Primeira Liga |
| 1997/98 | Nikos Machlas | 34 | Vitesse Arhem | Eredivisie |
| 1996/97 | Ronaldo | 34 | Barcelona | La Liga |
| 1995/96 | Zviad Endeladze | 40 | Margveti | Umaglesi Liga |
| 1994/95 | Arsen Avetisyan | 39 | Homenetmen Yerevan | Armenian Premier League |
| 1993/94 | David Taylor | 43 | Porthmadog | League of Wales |
| 1992/93 | Ally McCoist | 34 | Rangers | Scottish Premier Division |
| 1991/92 | Ally McCoist | 34 | Rangers | Scottish Premier Division |
| 1990/91 | Darko Pančev | 34 | Red Star Belgrade | Yugoslav First League |
| 1989/90 | Hristo Stoichkov (DH) | 38 | CSKA Sofia | A PFG |
| Hugo Sánchez (DH) | Real Madrid | La Liga | ||
| 1988/89 | Dorin Mateuț | 43 | Dinamo București | Liga I |
| 1987/88 | Tanju Çolak | 39 | Galatasaray | Süper Lig |
| 1986/87 | Toni Polster | 39 | Austria Wien | Austrian Bundesliga |
| 1985/86 | Marco van Basten | 37 | Ajax | Eredivisie |
| 1984/85 | Fernando Gomes | 39 | FC Porto | Primeira Liga |
| 1983/84 | Ian Rush | 32 | Liverpool | First Division |
| 1982/83 | Fernando Gomes | 36 | FC Porto | Primeira Liga |
| 1981/82 | Wim Kieft | 32 | Ajax | Eredivisie |
| 1980/81 | Georgi Slavkov | 31 | Botev Plovdiv | Parva Liga |
| 1979/80 | Erwin Vandenbergh | 39 | Lierse | Belgian First Division |
| 1978/79 | Kees Kist | 34 | AZ Alkmaar | Eredivisie |
| 1977/78 | Hans Krankl | 41 | Rapid Wien | Austrian Bundesliga |
| 1976/77 | Dudu Georgescu | 47 | Dinamo București | Liga I |
| 1975/76 | Sotiris Kaiafas | 39 | Omonia Nicosia | Cypriot First Division |
| 1974/75 | Dudu Georgescu | 33 | Dinamo București | Liga I |
| 1973/74 | Héctor Yazalde | 46 | Sporting CP | Primeira Liga |
| 1972/73 | Eusébio | 40 | S.L. Benfica | Primeira Liga |
| 1971/72 | Gerd Müller | 40 | Bayern Munich | Bundesliga |
| 1970/71 | Josip Skoblar | 44 | Marseille | Ligue 1 |
| 1969/70 | Gerd Müller | 38 | Bayern Munich | Bundesliga |
| 1968/69 | Petar Zhekov | 36 | CSKA Sofia | Parva Liga |
| 1967/68 | Eusébio | 42 | S.L. Benfica | Primeira Liga |