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Napoli hero Cavani climbs ESM Golden Shoe table

SSC Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri said Edinson Cavani was simply "outstanding" after the striker's hat-trick against S.S. Lazio shot him up the ESM Golden Shoe standings.

Edinson Cavani celebrates his late winner on Sunday
Edinson Cavani celebrates his late winner on Sunday ©Getty Images

SSC Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri hailed Edinson Cavani as "an amazing goalscorer" after the Uruguay forward's hat-trick in Sunday's 4-3 home victory over S.S. Lazio catapulted him to joint third in the ESM Golden Shoe standings.

"There's just one adjective that Cavani deserves: outstanding," Mazzarri said after a win that took Napoli above FC Internazionale Milano and into second place in Serie A. "He is a true champion and not only because of the goals he scores, but also for the way he helps the team."

The 24-year-old Cavani took his seasonal tally to 25 goals in 31 league appearances with his 88th-minute winner at the San Paolo. The strike also lifted him to within two points of leaders Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the race for the Golden Shoe. Ronaldo is injured while Messi has not scored in four Liga outings – his longest spell without a goal this term.

Elsewhere, Moussa Sow went level with Dimitar Berbatov in fifth position with a goal in LOSC Lille Métropole's 3-1 home success against SM Caen, while efforts for Marco Di Vaio, Carlos Tévez and Papiss Cissé moved them up to seventh.

ESM Golden Shoe standings: 4 April
1. Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona) 27 x 2 = 54
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid CF) 27 x 2 = 54
3. Antonio Di Natale (Udinese Calcio) 25 x 2 = 50
Edinson Cavani (SSC Napoli) 25 x 2 = 50
5. Dimitar Berbatov (Manchester United FC) 20 x 2 = 40
Moussa Sow (LOSC Lille Métropole) 20 x 2 = 40
7. Samuel Eto'o (FC Internazionale Milano) 19 x 2 = 38
Mario Gomez (FC Bayern München) 19 x 2 = 38
Marco Di Vaio (Bologna FC) 19 x 2 = 38
Carlos Tévez (Manchester City FC) 19 x 2 = 38
Papiss Cissé (SC Freiburg) 19 x 2 = 38

Rules
Only the leading five countries – Spain, Italy, Germany, France and England – in the UEFA rankings have two as their multiplier. This is to emphasise the difference in (international) performance level between clubs from those countries and those of other nations.

A player cannot play first in a summer league (e.g. Norway) and then in a winter league (e.g. Spain) and combine the points total for each season.

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