Spanish football club Barcelona congratulated its Argentine striker Lionel Messi on almost surely earning the European Golden Shoe, award to the leading goalscorer of the European national league top divisions.
The winner of the Golden Shoe is determined by the number of national league goals scored multiplied by the league’s coefficient. In the 2018/19 season, Messi scored 36 goals in 34 matches of the Spanish La Liga.
“Another Golden Shoe for the best player in history. The sixth! There are not enough individual prizes to recognise your greatness, Leo. Congratulations!” Barcelona FC President Josep Maria Bartomeu said on Twitter.
Formally, Messi is not yet the winner of the prize, since not all national championships have ended. French forward Kylian Mbappe, who ranks second in the list of contenders for the Golden Shoe, will not be able to catch up with Messi, as Paris Saint-Germain has already played all his matches, and the third-ranked striker, Fabio Quagliarella from Italy’s Sampdoria, has to score 11 goals in the last match of Serie A against champion Juventus to edge out Messi.
Previously, Messi received the award in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2017 and 2018. His long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo received the prize four times, while the rest Golden Shoe winners, including Messi’s teammate Luis Suarez, earned the award two times or less.
Barcelona congratulates Lionel Messi on earning career’s 6th European Golden Shoe
