Back in May, Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe was awarded the European Golden Boot after scoring 31 goals in his debut season in La Liga – but why did Sporting CP man Viktor Gyokeres, who notched 39, get his hands on the trophy that every striker desires?
Mbappe joined Los Blancos on a free transfer last summer – and after a slow start to proceedings, he took centre stage, found his shooting boots and finished the campaign on a much better note, especially in regard to his record in front of goal.
In fact, the Frenchman became the highest-scoring player in Real Madrid history in a maiden season, surpassing a record set by Ivan Zamorano in 1992/93. It’s a feat that even Cristiano Ronaldo couldn’t achieve when he moved to Spain.
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But still, on the face of it, there was confusion over why Gyokeres – who is widely admired as one of the best strikers in world football – was not given the goal-focused gong and Mbappe, 26, was instead. Especially as he had scored nine more goals in domestic competition.
The Swedish sharpshooter, whose future remains uncertain, was at his goalscoring best across the 2024/25 season and, in all competitions, he struck 54 times in 52 outings.
Outrageously, 39 of his strikes came in the Primeira Liga as he figureheaded his side’s title win. Why he didn’t get his hands on the European Golden Boot, whether fans believe it's unjust or not, was by virtue of UEFA’s weighted scoring system.
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The aforementioned system places a higher value on goals scored in Spain’s top division than it does for those in lower-ranked leagues: Mbappe’s 31 strikes earned him 62 coefficient points; Gyokeres’ superior tally of 39 saw him end the campaign on 58.5 points.
That’s because, in Spain, each goal counts towards two coefficient points. Across the border in Portugal, however, a goal is worth just 1.5 points, leaving Gyokeres – much to his dismay – on a total of 3.5 points shy of the eventual winner’s tally.
In fact, UEFA rules state that goals scored by any player in Europe’s top five leagues – Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1 – are worth two points, while those in leagues ranked sixth to 22nd have goals worth 1.5.
Mbappe, regarded as one of the best teenagers in football history, became the first player to win the European Golden Boot since Thierry Henry as he finished ahead of Gyokeres (58.5), Mohamed Salah (58), Robert Lewandowski (54) and Harry Kane (52).
An impressive feat, the roaring 26-year-old also became the first player in football to ever win all three of the European Golden Boot, the World Cup Golden Boot and the Champions League Golden Boot. There is no end to what he could achieve.