UEFA Europa League boasts Europe's top scorers

With 18 goals in their respective domestic leagues, two UEFA Europa League contenders – Borussia Dortmund's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Napoli's Gonzalo Higuaín – currently top the ESM Golden Shoe rankings.

Higuaín scored twice in a 5-1 win for Serie A leaders Napoli on Sunday to draw level on 18 goals with recently-crowned CAF African Player of the Year Aubameyang. The ESM Golden Shoe ranks Europe's leagues in terms of strength, meaning that Higuaín and Aubameyang's 18 goals are converted into 36 points, whereas the 22 scored by Shakhtar's Alex Teixeira count for 33 points.

Aumbameyang has been similarly efficient in front of goal in this season's UEFA Europa League, scoring four in as many group stage games, but Higuaín (with two goals) has been slightly overshadowed by his Napoli team-mates Dries Mertens and José Callejón, who are among the top scorers in the competition this season with five goals each. Augsburg's Raúl Bobadilla and Athletic Club's Aritz Aduriz are this season's UEFA Europa League top scorers with six each.

ESM Golden Shoe ranking, 10 January 2016
1= Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund) 18 x 2 = 36
1= Gonzalo Higuaín (SSC Napoli) 18 x 2 = 36
3= Nemanja Nikolic (Legia Warszawa) 22 x 1.5 = 33
3= Alex Teixeira (Shakhtar Donetsk) 22 x 1.5 = 33
5= Jonas (Benfica) 15 x 2 = 30
5= Robert Lewandowski (Bayern München) 15 x 2 = 30
5= Romelu Lukaku (Everton) 15 x 2 = 30
5= Neymar (Barcelona) 15 x 2 = 30
5= Luis Suárez (Barcelona) 15 x 2 = 30
5= Jamie Vardy (Leicester City) 15 x 2 = 30
5= Eran Zahavi (Maccabi Tel-Aviv) 20 x 1.5 = 30

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after scoring a Dortmund goal©Getty Images