Golden Shoe 2015-16: Latest Standings, Europe's Top Goalscorers on December 21

Borussia Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang remains on top of the Golden Shoe standings, despite a goalless outing for his side this weekend.

The Gabon forward was unable to prevent his team losing 2-1 at FC Cologne on Saturday in the final fixture before the Bundesliga’s winter break.

Indeed, in a weekend of surprisingly scarce goalscoring from Europe’s top forwards, the biggest mover was Napoli’s Gonzalo Higuain, as he netted twice in a 3-1 win over Atalanta.

With a clutch of Europe’s top divisions now set for a midseason hiatus, now is an ideal time to reflect on the standings.

Here’s a look at how things are shaping up as we edge closer to 2016.

Position	Player	Team	Goals x Factor	Points
1.	Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang	Borussia Dortmund	18 x 2	36.0
T2.	Alex Teixeira	Shakhtar Donetsk	22 x 1.5	33.0
T2.	Nemanja Nikolic	Legia Warsaw	22 x 1.5	33.0
4.	Gonzalo Higuain	Napoli	16 x 2	32.0
T5.	Robert Lewandowski	Bayern Munich	15 x 2	30.0
T5.	Jamie Vardy	Leicester City	15 x 2	30.0
T7.	Tomas Radzinevicius	Suduva	28 x 1	28.0
T7.	Neymar	Barcelona	14 x 2	28.0
T7.	Thomas Muller	Bayern Munich	14 x 2	28.0
T10.	Luis Suarez	Barcelona	13 x 2	26.0
T10.	Riyad Mahrez	Leicester City	13 x 2	26.0
T10.	Romelu Lukaku	Everton	13 x 2	26.0

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, La Liga is considered among the most difficult leagues to net in, so Neymar's 14 goals are doubled to create his points tally of 28. By contrast, the Lithuanian top flight has a constant of one, meaning Tomas Radzinevicius’s 28 goals equate to 28 points.

Aubameyang Still Top, Higuain Closing In

ODD ANDERSEN/Getty Images

The Bundesliga's two top sides bagged a meagre goal each in their respective matches this weekend, meaning there was no dramatic shake-up in the hunt for this coveted award.

Indeed, neither Aubameyang nor Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski found the net. Thomas Muller was able to, though, with his penalty against Hannover 96 giving Bayern a 1-0 win and pushing him up to equal seventh in the standings.

As Squawka Football note here, the German international forward is enjoying the finest goalscoring season of his career to date:

Serie A has been the best division for drama this term, with the top five sides separated by just four points at Christmas.

Napoli are in second place, and they showed their title credentials with a fine win on the road this weekend, with their Argentinian No. 9 enjoying one of his very best seasons.

Higuain bagged a vital brace against Atalanta, taking his tally for the season to an impressive 16 goals, six more than any other player in the division.

Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

Although much maligned, the former Real Madrid striker has been a reliable source of goals ever since he made the switch to Serie A.

OptaPaolo provided us with Higuain’s impressive figures on the domestic front with the Partenopei:

In the Premier League, Jamie Vardy didn't add to his haul this weekend, although his Leicester City team-mate Riyad Mahrez did.

The Algerian playmaker was on hand to net twice from the penalty spot for his team in a 3-2 win over Everton, as the Foxes soared into a remarkable five-point lead at the summit of English football’s top flight.

PAUL ELLIS/Getty Images

Although Vardy has earned many plaudits for his goalscoring this term, Mahrez is the player who has been making this Leicester side tick with his tricky interplay on the flanks.

Daniel Storey of Football365 put his achievements into context:

With the Bundesliga, Serie A and La Liga now set to break over the festive period, there’s a chance for those in the Premier League to make up some ground in the race for this coveted award.

For Vardy, Mahrez and league leaders Leicester City, clashes with Liverpool and Manchester City should make for intriguing viewing too.

However, when domestic football is back across the continent, expect revitalised forwards such as Lewandowski, Muller and Aubameyang—not to mention the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar—to steadily reassert some dominance in the upper echelons of the standings.