At an awards ceremony in Madrid, Kylian Mbappé was presented with the Golden Shoe as Europe’s top scorer for the past season. The striker had to work hard to earn his first award.
It was a close race, but with a brilliant final spurt, Kylian Mbappé actually managed to overtake the leaders in the Golden Shoe rankings. The Real striker scored nine goals in the last five league games of the season, leaving long-time favorites Viktor Gyökeres (Sporting Lisbon, now Arsenal) and Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) trailing behind the Frenchman. Mbappé scored the decisive points with a brace on the last matchday in a 2-0 win over Real Sociedad at the end of May.
On Friday, European Sports Media (ESM) presented Mbappé with the trophy at Real Madrid’s training center in Valdebebas. “You deserve it,” said ESM Vice President Juan Ignacio Gallardo. “This unique and exclusive shoe fits only you. Today you are starting a collection.” Florentino Perez also sang the striker’s praises. “This is the result of your work, your commitment, and your passion for soccer. And I want to tell you that, as president of Real Madrid, I am very proud to have a player like you on our team,” said the 78-year-old.
Mbappé himself thanked his teammates and spoke of an “incredible team. The collective awards are the most important thing. Playing for Real Madrid is a dream.”
Turned it around after a false start
Mbappé moved from Paris St. Germain to Los Blancos in the summer of 2024, but his start was anything but a dream. He failed to score a single goal in his first three league games before striking six times in the following six games.
With 31 league goals, Mbappé ultimately became the top scorer in Spain, with no other player scoring more frequently in the major leagues. Gyökeres scored more goals (39), but these were only multiplied by a factor of 1.5 instead of 2 in the Golden Shoe ranking, as the Portuguese league is not considered one of the top 5.
The ESM will publish the first interim results for the 2025/26 ranking in the coming weeks. One thing is clear: Mbappé is likely to be among the frontrunners again. The 26-year-old once again leads the scoring charts in Spain with eleven goals, ahead of Atlético striker Julian Alvarez and Levante’s Etta Eyong (both 6).
