Messi, Suárez, Ronaldo? Who was 2016's top scorer?
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Article summary
Borussia Dortmund's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ended 2016 top of the 2016/17 ESM Golden Shoe rankings, but who was the best marksman of the calendar year?
Article top media content
Article body
With 16 goals in the Bundesliga for Dortmund – each of them carrying a 2.0 weighting – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will end 2016 top of the ESM Golden Shoe rankings, but the Gabonese international is way off the pace when it comes to the top strikers in the calendar year.
Factoring in all competitive club games in 2016, Lionel Messi is the most dangerous marksman on the continent, with Barcelona team-mate Luis Suárez his closest rival.
Top scoring players in Europe's top ten member associations in 2016 (all competitive club games)
50: Lionel Messi (Barcelona) – in 49 games
47: Luis Suárez (Barcelona) – in 48 games
47: Zlatan Ibrahimović (Paris-Saint-Germain/Manchester United) – in 50 games
39: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern München) – in 48 games
38: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) – in 42 games
36: Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint-Germain) – in 48 games
35: Sergio Agüero (Manchester City) – in 44 games
33: Gonzalo Higuaín (Napoli/Juventus) – in 43 games
32: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund) – in 43 games
29: Fedor Smolov (Krasnodar) – in 33 games
29: Alexandre Lacazette (Lyon) – in 39 games
Who makes your Team of the Year?
2016/17 ESM Golden Shoe rankings
32.0: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Dortmund, GER – 16 goals x 2.0)
28.5: Christian Gytkjær (Rosenborg, NOR – 19 goals x 1.5)
28.0: Diego Costa (Chelsea, ENG – 14 goals x 2.0)
28.0: Mauro Icardi (Internazionale Milano, ITA – 14 goals x 2-0)
27.0: Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA – 18 goals x 1.5)
26.0: Andrea Belotti (Torino, ITA– 13 goals x 2.0)
26.0: Edin Džeko (Roma, ITA – 13 goals x 2.0)
26.0: Anthony Modeste (Köln, GER– 13 goals x 2.0)
2015/16 ESM Golden Shoe final rankings
80.0: Luis Suárez (Barcelona, ESP – 40 goals x 2.0)
72.0: Gonzalo Higuaín (Napoli, ITA – 36 goals x 2.0)
70.0: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid, ESP – 35 goals x 2.0)
64.0: Jonas (Benfica, POR – 32 goals x 2.0)
60.0: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern München, GER – 30 goals x 2.0)
Countries indicated are the club's league, multiplication factor dependent on ranking in the UEFA member associations coefficient list which determines club competition access: top five couintries x 2.0, 6th to 21st x 1.5, 22nd and below x 1.0.
