Haaland and Kane mount challenge to Mbappé in 2025-26 Golden Shoe race

Goal reports that, as of Jan 08, 2026, Kylian Mbappé's European Golden Shoe defence is being challenged by the likes of Harry Kane and Erling Haaland as the 2025-26 season unfolds.

The European Golden Shoe rewards the most prolific scorer across Europe’s top domestic leagues using a weighted system: goals are multiplied by a league factor (2.0 for top-ranked leagues, 1.5 for mid-level and 1.0 for lower-ranked competitions). The piece includes only players from 2.0-ranked leagues and lists Erling Haaland on 20 goals, Harry Kane on 19 and Kylian Mbappé on 18, with other leading names such as Igor Thiago (16), Ferran Torres (11), Mason Greenwood (11), Joaquín Panichelli (10), Lautaro Martinez (10), Antoine Semenyo (10) and Robert Lewandowski (9).

Mbappé won the 2024-25 edition, beating Salah to the honour, but the article notes that form, fitness and team dynamics inevitably fluctuate, leaving the eventual winner of the 2025-26 race undecided as the season continues.

Key Topics

Sports, European Golden Shoe, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Robert Lewandowski