Between 1968 and 1991, the best scorers in the European soccer leagues received the Golden Boot from the French magazine France Football regardless of the strength of the league in which a particular player performed. Eusébio, Gerd Müller, Dudu Georgescu and Fernando Gomes won the prize twice each before the gap between big and small leagues started growing in the early nineties.
After Darko Pancev won the award with 34 goals in 1991, the Golden Boot was not awarded again until 1996/97, when European Sports Magazines (ESM) devised a modified system of determining the value of goals scored.
According to the current rules, the leagues are divided in three groups according to strength and attached to each group is a quotient by which the number of goals is multiplied to obtain the player's rating.
This measure has prevented players from weaker leagues from winning the Boot, since presumably a goal scored in Armenia carries lesser weight than a goal scored in the Premier League.
1967/68 Eusébio Benfica 42
1968/69 Petar Zhekov CSKA Sofia 36
1969/70 Gerd Müller Bayern 38
1970/71 Josip Skoblar Marseille 44
1971/72 Gerd Müller Bayern 40
1972/73 Eusébio Benfica 40
1973/74 Hector Yazalde Sporting Lisbo 46
1974/75 Dudu Georgescu Dinamo Bucharest 33
1975/76 Sotiris Kaiafas Omonia Nicosia 39
1976/77 Dudu Georgescu Dinamo Bucharest 47
1977/78 Hans Krankl Rapid Vienna 41
1978/79 Kees Kist AZ Alkmaar 34
1979/80 Erwin Vandenbergh Lierse 39
1980/81 Georgi Slavkov Trakia Plovdiv 31
1981/82 Wim Kieft Ajax Amsterdam 32
1982/83 Fernando Gomes Porto 36
1983/84 Ian Rush Liverpool 32
1984/85 Fernando Gomes Porto 39
1985/86 Marco van Basten Ajax 37
1986/87 Rodion Camataru Dinamo Bucharest 44
1987/88 Tanju Colak Galatasaray 39
1988/89 Dorin Mateut Dinamo Bucharest 43
1989/90 Hugo Sánchez Real Madrid 38
Hristo Stoichkov CSKA Sofia 38
1990/91 Darko Pancev Red Star Belgrade 34
Since 1997 the ESM group, including France Football, has awarded the Golden Boot to the player with the most points rather than goals, to impede the Welsh, Cypriot or Georgian strikers from collecting the prize over the Ronaldos, Henrys or Tottis. The weakest leagues have the quotient of 1, the intermediate leagues that of 1.5 and the top leagues 2.
Here are the top three placed players since the new system came to power. The right column indicates the points, and the left column indicates the goals scored.
Goals scored | Points
1. Ronaldo Barcelona 34 68
2. Mario Jardel Porto 30 60
3. Hakan Sükür Galatasaray 38 57
1. Nikos Mahlas Vitesse 34 68
2. Marco Negri Rangers 32 64
3. Oliver Bierhoff Udinese 27 54
1. Mario Jardel Porto 36 72
2. Ruud v. Nistelrooy PSV 31 62
3. Raul González Real Madrid 25 50
1. Kevin Phillips Sunderland 30 60
2. Ruud v. Nistelrooy PSV 29 58
3. Mario Jardel Porto 38 57
1. Henrik Larsson Celtic 35 52,5
2. Hernán Crespo Lazio 26 52
3. Mateja Kezman PSV 24 48
Raul González Real Madrid 24 48
Andrij Shevchenko Milan 24 48
1. Mario Jardel Sporting Lisbon 42 63
2. Thierry Henry Arsenal 24 48
Dario Hübner Piacenza 24 48
David Trezeguet Juventus 24 48
1. Roy Makaay Deportivo 29 58
2. Mateja Kezman PSV 35 52,5
3. Shabani Nonda Monaco 26 52
1. Thierry Henry Arsenal 30 60
2. Ailton Goncalves Werder 28 56
3. Djibril Cisse Auxerre 26 52
1. Diego Forlán Villarreal 25 50
Thierry Henry Arsenal 25 50
3. Samuel Eto'o Barcelona 24 48
Cristiano Lucarelli Livorno 24 48
Marek Mintal Nürnberg 24 48
1. Luca Toni Fiorentina 31 62
2. Thierry Henry Arsenal 27 54
3. Samuel
Eto'o Barcelona 26 52
1. Francesco Totti Roma 26 52
2. Afonso Alves Heerenveen 34 51
3. Ruud
van Nistelrooy Real Madrid 25
The unofficial European top scorers between since 1991 have come from powerhouses like Rangers and Porto, but also from minnows such as Margveti or Barry Town.
1991/92 Ally McCoist Rangers 34
1992/93 Ally McCoist Rangers 34
1993/94 David Taylor Porthmadog 43
1994/95 Arsen Avitisyan Homenhem 39
1995/96 Zviad Endeladze Margveti 40
1996/97 Tony Bird Barry Town 42
1997/98 Rainer Rauffmann Omonia 42
1998/99 Mário Jardel Porto 36
1999/00 Mário Jardel Porto 38
2000/01 Henrik Larsson Celtic 35
2001/02 Marc Lloyd Bangor City 47
2002/03 Andrei Krilov TVMK Tallinn 37
2003/04 Ara Hakobian Banants Erevan 45
2004/05 Fatih Tekke Trabzonspor 31
2005/06 Tarmo Neemelo TVMK Tallinn 41
2006/07 Afonso Alves Heerenveen 34
Eduardo
da Silva Dinamo Zagreb 34
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