Golden Shoe 2015-16: Top Goalscorers in Europe, Latest Standings and Leaders

Borussia Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is top of the charts in the race for the 2015-16 Golden Shoe, after he netted once again on Friday in the Bundesliga.

Unfortunately for the Gabon international, the goal couldn’t help BVB to victory, as they lost 3-1 to Hamburg.

Trailing Aubameyang in the standings is Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Alex Teixeira in second place, who didn't play this weekend due to suspension, and Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, who is in third.

After another weekend of stellar goalscoring across the continent, these standings have taken on an intriguing shape as we head towards the festive period.

Here’s a look at the rankings in full and a recap of how some of the top contenders for this coveted award fared in their respective matches.

Position	Player	Team	Goals x Factor	Points
1.	Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang	Borussia Dortmund	15 x 2	30.0
2.	Alex Teixeira	Shakhtar Donetsk	19 x 1.5	28.5
3.	Robert Lewandowski	Bayern Munich	14 x 2	28.0
4.	Tomas Radzinevicius	Suduva	28 x 1	28.0
5.	Jamie Vardy	Leicester City	13 x 2	26.0
6.	Richie Towell	Dundalk	25 x 1	25.0
7.	Ingemar Teever	Levadia Tallinn	24 x 1	24.0
8.	Thomas Muller	Bayern Munich	12 x 2	24.0
9.	Neymar	Barcelona	12 x 2	24.0
10.	Nemanja Nikolic	Legia Warsaw	16 x 1.5	24.0

Rules: Each division is attributed a difficulty constant (between one and two), which is then multiplied by the number of goals scored to produce a total. 

For example, the Premier League is considered among the most difficult leagues to net in, so Jamie Vardy's 13 goals are doubled to create his points tally of 26. By contrast, the Lithuanian top flight has a constant of one, meaning Tomas Radzinevicius’s 28 goals equate to 28 points.

Aubameyang Leads the Way, Vardy Equals Record

Boris Streubel/Getty Images

It was a bittersweet Friday evening for Aubameyang, netting a consolation goal as Dortmund failed to keep in touch with Bayern at the summit of the Bundesliga.

With a side as formidable as Bayern in the division, Thomas Tuchel’s men know they have to be immaculate in order to mount a serious title charge. Unfortunately for them, there were some signs of frailty at Hamburg, with BVB unable to get the likes of Aubameyang, Marco Reus and Shinji Kagawa into the game for long spells.

Aubameyang did notch in the latter stages, giving him his 15th goal in 13 Bundesliga games.

As Squawka Football notes, his influence isn’t limited to just goals either:

Lewandowski was unable to draw level with Aubameyang, as he was scoreless for Bayern in their 3-1 win over Schalke 04. Nevertheless, the champions did move a whopping eight points clear of BVB with this victory, having won 12 and drawn one of their opening 13 league games.

Boris Streubel/Getty Images

Starting Thomas Muller in the XI as well as Lewandowski has been a major help for Bayern this season. The German netted the third goal in the win over Schalke to ensure he’s still featuring in the upper reaches of the Golden Shoe standings.

As FCB Media’s Cristian Nyari notes here, the forward has a remarkable record in the Bundesliga:

It was a landmark day in the English Premier League, as Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy netted for the 10th game running.

The England international bagged the first for the Foxes, as they routed a hapless Newcastle United 3-0 at St. James’ Park.

Vardy’s goal puts him level alongside Ruud van Nistelrooy for goals scored in consecutive games in the Premier League, and he can break that mark should he net against Manchester United at Old Trafford next weekend.

LINDSEY PARNABY/Getty Images

However, as we can see here courtesy of Sky Sports News HQ, Vardy does have a little further to go if he’s to better the all-time English football record:

Usually, Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo feature heavily in this list, but it’s Neymar who is stealing the spotlight in La Liga, as he and Luis Suarez ran riot for the Blaugrana in a magnificent 4-0 win in El Clasico.

JAVIER SORIANO/Getty Images

Messi was introduced as a second-half substitute as Barcelona dominated at the Santiago Bernabeu, with a brace from Suarez, a goal from Neymar and another from Andres Iniesta giving the Blaugrana the bragging rights in this long-standing rivalry.

Neymar and Suarez have 12 and 11 goals, respectively, this season; Ronaldo once again struggled to show his best.

However, as noted by Alex Shaw of ESPN FC, reports of the Real Madrid man’s demise seem greatly exaggerated:

It’s going to be intriguing to see whether Messi and Ronaldo, so often the most formidable scorers in the game, will eventually claw their way back to the top of the pile.

Aubameyang, Lewandowski and Muller are all in red-hot form at the moment, and playing at the point of excellent, attacking sides, they will continue to get chances.

Neymar and Suarez seem like the men to watch in the standings, as they are thriving as the leaders of the Barcelona attack.

If Messi’s return to the starting line-up can enrich their form rather than inhibit it, we may well see Blaugrana dominance in the race for this award come the end of the campaign.