As each of Europe's big five leagues enter the final few weeks of the campaign, some of world football's biggest names are vying it out to land individual accolades.
After taking a look at the race for the Premier League's Golden Shoe, it is now time to turn attention elsewhere across the continent to see who leads the way in the respective scoring charts.
La Liga
© Getty Images
1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid, 39 goals)
2. Lionel Messi (Barcelona, 35 goals)
3. Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid, 20 goals)
Unsurprisingly, the two players widely considered to be the greatest of their generation top the Spanish scoring charts as they continue their attempt to outdo each other. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi just simply love scoring goals, seemingly setting new records with each passing game.
Their personal battle on the European stage, which has seen both score 75 goals in the Champions League, is one which is likely to continue for a few more years yet. On the domestic stage, meanwhile, Ronaldo currently leads the way in La Liga with 39 goals for the campaign.
It is this astronomical scoring rate which guided the Portuguese to his second Ballon d'Or crown earlier this year, yet he still cannot shake off Messi who also boasts a record unrivalled anywhere else on the continent. The 27-year-old has found the net 35 times in the league this season which, combined with his 16 assists - some two more than that of Ronaldo - goes a long way to showing that there is more to the Argentine's game than simply slamming the ball home himself.
The superstar duo's race to land the Pichichi will go right down to the wire, but elsewhere Antoine Griezmann continues to go about his work in a somewhat understated manner. Much like Atletico Madrid as a whole in many ways, the performances of the £24m summer signing may not make the headlines, yet his 20 goals this season mark a mightily impressive debut campaign on Spanish shores. He still has some way to go before the can match the scoring rate of the real giants of the game, but the ability to pop up in the right place at the right time certainly stands the Frenchman in good stead for the future.
Serie A
© Getty Images
1. Carlos Tevez (Juventus, 18 goals)
2. Jeremy Menez (AC Milan, 16 goals)
3. Mauro Icardi (Inter Milan, 16 goals)
He may have been more of a hindrance than a threat in his final season at Manchester City, but there is no denying that Carlos Tevez has played a huge part in Juventus's recent domination over in Italy. Nineteen goals in his debut campaign in Turin was a decent return rate, but having almost matched that tally with 18 goals this time around with seven games still to play, this will be the prolific forward's most proficient campaign to date.
It is not just the ability to find the net which has made Tevez a real hero at Juve, though, it is also his new-found ability of finding space to help feed in others, such as Alessandro Matri who has seven goals of his own. The former Manchester United ace has also proved to be far more successful in front of goal in Europe, too, having scored twice in the tense opening-game win over Malmo, while also bagging three more against Borussia Dortmund.
Tevez is no flat-track bully, but a player who more often than not proves the difference maker. The same can also be said of Milan pair Jeremy Menez and Mauro Icardi, of AC and Inter respectively, who are currently the names on everyone's lips in the Italian capital. The fallen giants of Serie A may now be camped firmly in mid-table, but that has not stopped them joining the Capocannoniere race.
Milan have a rich history of prolific attackers, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Andriy Shevchenko most recently, while Menez could join that illustrious list. Having started the season in a 'false nine' role, Menez has enjoyed a fine personal campaign, but it counts for very little in the grand scheme of things with the Rossoneri failing to match their previous highs.
Ligue 1
© Getty Images
1. Alexandre Lacazette (Lyon, 25 goals)
2. Andre-Pierre Gignac (Marseille, 18 goals)
3. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris Saint-Germain, 17 goals)
As the summer transfer window draws into sight, there is one man in particular who is seemingly being linked with an array of English clubs. Alexandre Lacazette has enjoyed a fantastic year, scoring the goals which have helped propel Lyon to the top of the Ligue 1 table, although he recently admitted that he would like to remain at the Stade de Gerland.
Each element of his game - pace, power and poise - has proved too much for many top-flight defenders to deal with, particularly Lille who succumbed to a Lacazette treble in the first half of the season. There has been a another star making headlines, though, and he goes by the name of Andre-Pierre Gignac.
The Newcastle United-linked forward is one of a few Marseille players out of contract this summer, and if he continues to rack up the goals at his current rate then there will be no shortage of suitors at the end of the season. The burly striker had never previously surpassed the 16-goal mark during his previous four seasons at the club, although he is now well on track to reach 20 for the season.
Gignac looks a different beast under the watch of Marcelo Bielsa, prowling in and around the penalty area and having the ability to score with both feet and also being able to hold up play to bring others into the game. It is a similar trait that we have seen time and time again over the years from another superstar in the shape of Ibrahimovic.
The self-proclaimed greatest footballer there has ever been has scored goals wherever he has plied his trade, including at current club Paris Saint-Germain. Recent comments he made shining a bad light on France landed him in hot water with authorities, but it is this controversial side of the striker which has made him one of the most talked about players of his time. Top scorer for two seasons running, Zlatan is fast running out of time to win the award for a third year in succession.
Bundesliga
© Getty Images
1. Alexander Meier (Eintracht Frankfurt, 19 goals)
2. Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich, 17 goals)
3. Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich, 16 goals)
The Bundesliga boasts some of world football's biggest names, many of whom currently reside at Bayern Munich, so it is not all that surprising to see the Bavarian giants top the scoring charts. Arjen Robben, Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller all feature in the top five, but it is Frankfurt goal machine Alexander Meier who currently tops the charts.
An attacking midfielder by trade Meier, who scored a combined 24 league goals in his last two campaigns in the German top flight, has pushed on this time around to give his side a slim chance of landing a Europa League berth. However, it was revealed last week that the 32-year-old requires surgery on his knee, meaning that his season has come to an early end.
It is a similar scenario for Robben, who has started just two league games for Bayern since the start of March. His injury problems, coupled with the absence of Franck Ribbery on the opposite flank, has clearly been felt by Pep Guardiola's men in recent weeks. Thankfully for them, Lewandowski has stepped up to the plate with five goals in his last six outings.
Three of those strikes have come in the league, taking him up to 16 for the season - just four short of his final tally at Borussia Dortmund last year. The Polish international, who has today been tipped with a move to Man United, is one of the most rounded strikers in the game, and if he can continue to break down defences in the closing weeks of the campaign, then for the second year running he will prevail to claim the Golden Shoe.
Daniel Lewis
