Saturday’s Champions League final between Real and Atletico Madrid marked the close of European club competitions for the 2015/16 season.
As focus now switches to the UEFA European Championship to be hosted in France, here are the leading goal scorers in the top five Leagues in Europe; majority of whom will take part in the European summer showdown.
La Liga: Luis Suarez [40]
La Liga may be termed as the most lucid league in Europe due to the unrivaled dominance of Barcelona and Real Madrid, although Atletico Madrid occasionally challenge-albeit as a third wheel.
The trio of Messi, Suarez and Neymar [MSN] were in destructive form as they single-handedly elevated Barcelona back to helm of Spanish football yet again.
Of the 90 goals scored in La Liga by the trailblazing trio, Luis Suarez scored a whooping 40 of them. The Uruguayan won the Spanish Golden Boot following the achievement, finishing ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo who wasn’t far off with 35 goals.
Ligue 1: Zlatan Ibrahimovic [38]
Some players to need to win World Cup or the Champions League to go down the annals of football history as the best to ever grace the game, while others need neither; case in point Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Ibra’s metronomic efficiency has seen him net 38 goals in Ligue 1, you would almost forget he is 34-years old.
Having proven his clinical abilities in five counties already, winning League titles in all of them, it’s a no-brainer why Manchester United supporter are rallying for Jose Mourinho to sign the Swede.
Serie A: Gonzalo Higuain [36]
Higuain’s transfer from Real Madrid to Napoli seemed a set backwards for a striker in his station, but the Argentine has proved that his career is all but over.
Juventus may have won the Scudetti for the fifth consecutive time, but the runners up Napoli provided the Golden Boot winner.
Higuain scored a staggering 36 goals, making him the third leading goal scorer in Europe- although Serie A has lost a bit of spark over the years.
Bundesliga: Robert Lewandowski [30]
Mats Hummels’ departure to Bayern Munich has asserted what we already knew but don’t often talk about; that Borussia Dortmund will always be in the shadow of Bayern.
Robert Lewandowski- a previous defector of the Bavarian cause - is the leading goals scorer in the Bundesliga with 30 goals to the good.
Save for winning the Golden Boot, his highlight of the season was back in September when he scored five goals in nine minutes as Bayern Munich came from behind to beat Wolfsburg 5-1.
English Premier League: Harry Kane [25]
And finally the best is saved for last. The English Premier League may be the most exciting and oddly unpredictable league in all of Europe, but the leading goal scorer in nowhere near Europe’s best.
Harry Kane carried the day in England, netting 25 times for Tottenham to clinch the Golden Boot.
Luis Suarez nearly registered double figures ahead of England’s top scorer which could signify one of two thing; either the Premier League is too tough, or they are just better than us…much better than us.
Written by Brian Humphrey
Follow Brian on Twitter @brihum
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