Golden Shoe Race: Aubameyang Leads Way For Africa

Captain of Al Ahly (2nd left) trying to go past an opponent in a recent game.

Gabon forward Pierre-
Emerick Aubameyang has continued to be Africa’s top contender in the European Golden Shoe, the annual prize awarded to the top goal scorer in the continent’s top flight leagues.
Aubameyang, who has scored 22 goals in Germany’s Bundesliga in 2015/16, is placed sixth on the ranking with 44 points, narrowly ahead of the great Lionel Messi (21 goals in Spain’s La Liga).
The rankings are determined according to a points system, with a goal scored in top-ranked leagues (such as the Bundesliga, Premier League or La Liga) worth double points, while ‘lesser’ leagues are multiplied by either 1.5 or 1.0, with their strength determined by their placing on UEFA’s coefficient list which determines how many clubs represent the country in the Champions League and Europa League.
Top of the pile is Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who has struck 27 goals in La Liga to overtake Napoli’s Gonzalo Higuain (26 goals in Italy’s Serie A). Luis Suarez of Barcelona (26 La Liga goals), Benfica’s Jonas (26 goals in Portugal’s Primeira Liga) and Robert Lewandowski (23 goals in the Bundesliga) complete the top five.
After Aubameyang, Africa’s next best is Algerian Islam Slimani, who is in equal 12th place with Romelu Lukaku and Neymar thanks to his 18 goals in Portugal’s top flight, while his compatriot Riyad Mahrez and Nigerian Odion Ighalo are also inside the top 30 thanks to their 15 goals each in the Premier League.