European Golden Boot
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In football, the European Golden Boot has been awarded to the highest goalscorer in all the top European divisions each season since 1967/68.
Since the 1996/97 season the award has depended on a weighted system of points, with goals scored in leagues with a higher UEFA coefficients being worth more. For example, a 25-goal player from Serie A would have more points and so a higher ranking than a 25-goal player from the League of Wales. Before this, the award was given to Europe's top goalscorer, regardless of which league he participated in.
AS Roma's Francesco Totti is the current holder of the coveted award.
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Between 1968 and 1991, the European Golden Boot was given to the highest goal-scorer in any European league, regardless of the toughness of the league in which the top scorer played and the amount of games in which the player had taken part.
The Golden Boot was made unofficial from 1991 to 1996 following the 1990-91 Pancev affair which led to the suspension of the assegnation of the prize to the Yugoslav striker. It was reinstated in 1996 with different regulations. The "unofficial" Golden Boot winners, according to the pre-1991 rules, would have been:
| Season | Name | Club (Country) | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991-92 | Rangers (Scotland) | 34 | |
| 1992-93 | Rangers (Scotland) | 34 | |
| 1993-94 | Porthmadog (Wales) | 43 | |
| 1994-95 | Homenhem (Armenia) | 39 | |
| 1995-96 | Margveti (Georgia) | 40 |
Since the 1996-97 season, European Sports Magazines have awarded the Golden Boot based on a points system that allows those in tougher leagues to win even if they score fewer goals than someone in a poor league. With the modification that goals are ranked differently between the leagues the awards represent better players in tougher leagues as goals scored in leagues ranked 1st-8th according to the UEFA coefficient list (which determines the number of entries in the UEFA Cup) are multiplied by a factor 2, those in leagues ranked 9th-21st by a factor 1.5.[citation needed]
| Season | Name | Club (League) | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-97 | Barcelona (Spain) | 34 | |
| 1997-98 | Vitesse Arnhem (Netherlands) | 34 | |
| 1998-99 | Porto (Portugal) | 36 | |
| 1999-00 | Sunderland (England) | 30 | |
| 2000-01 | Celtic (Scotland) | 35 | |
| 2001-02 | Sporting Lisbon (Portugal) | 42 | |
| 2002-03 | Deportivo La Coruña (Spain) | 29 | |
| 2003-04 | Arsenal (England) | 30 | |
| 2004-05 | Arsenal (England) | 25 | |
| Villarreal (Spain) | 25 | ||
| 2005-06 | Fiorentina (Italy) | 31 | |
| 2006-07 | AS Roma (Italy) | 26 |
- ^ Pancev got the prize only in 2006, following a protest from Cyprus where a player allegedly scored 40 goals, though the official topscorers for the season are both listed with 19 goals. Due to this affair, France Football decide to make the competition unofficial until 1996.
- ^ Otar Korgalidze of Georgian club Guria Lanchkhuti scored 40 goals, but is usually ignored in this unofficial ranking.[citation needed]
- ^ Merab Megreladze of Georgian club Samgurali Tshkaltubo scored 41 goals, but is usually ignored in this unofficial ranking.[citation needed]