The race to unseat Mohamed Salah and keep him from standing alone atop the Premier League Golden Boot record list is on after Liverpool teammate Hugo Ekitike scored the first goal of this season on Friday, August 15.
It will be a fun season with many players hopeful of leading the Premier League in goals, a feat achieved by some of the biggest names to ever grace the pitches of England.
Can Ekitike go wire-to-wire? It’s an option for the big-money signing, but there will be plenty of twists and turns en route to the trophy’s collection in May.
Who won last season’s Premier League Golden Boot?
Mohamed Salah built a big lead and held on to comfortably claim his fourth Golden Boot, tying Thierry Henry for the most in Premier League history.
Salah’s conquest came a year after Erling Haaland shrugged off a month on the shelf with an injury and a host of challenges to win his second-straight Golden Boot. Haaland scored 27 goals in 2023-24, nine fewer than his record-devouring 2022-23 campaign.
Who are the favorites for the 2025-26 Premier League Golden Boot?
It starts with Haaland and Salah, but there are a lot of intriguing possibilities.
Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak is one of them, but his refusal to play for Newcastle will put him behind the pack in an ignominious start to the season.
New Arsenal center forward Viktor Gyokeres and Manchester United signings Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo, and Matheus Cunha will be fighting for goals in crowded attacks.
Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike, Chelsea’s Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer will be joined by Spurs’ Dominic Solanke and Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins amongst a crowded field of would-be Golden Boot winners.
Premier League 2024-25 goal scoring leaders
Hugo Ekitike, Liverpool — 1
Cody Gakpo, Liverpool — 1