Golden Shoe 2018-19: Top Goalscorers in Europe, Latest Points on January 28

Lionel Messi kept his spot as the outright leader in the race for the 2018-19 European Golden Shoe after netting for the seventh La Liga game in a row in Barcelona's 2-0 win at Girona on Sunday.

He now has 19 league goals for the season, but Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe is hot on his heels with 18 in Ligue 1.

There was no Premier League action at the weekend, so Liverpool's Mohamed Salah remained on 16 goals, and he was joined by PSG's Edinson Cavani, who netted a double in a 4-1 win against Rennes, and Sampdoria's Fabio Quagliarella. 

Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first Serie A goal of 2019 in Juventus' 2-1 comeback win against Lazio.

Here are the latest standings in the battle for the Golden Shoe:

1. Lionel Messi, Barcelona: 19 x 2.0 difficulty factor = 38.0  

2. Kylian Mbappe, Paris Saint-Germain: 18 x 2.0 = 36.0 

T3. Mohamed Salah, Liverpool: 16 x 2.0 = 32.0

T3. Edinson Cavani, Paris Saint-Germain: 16 x 2.0 = 32.0

T3. Fabio Quagliarella, Sampdoria: 16 x 2.0 = 32.0

6. Liliu, Kalju: 31 goals x 1.0 = 31.0 points

T7. Mbaye Diagne, Kasimpasa: 20 x 1.5 = 30.0

T7. Zakaria Beglarishvili, Flora: 30 x 1.0 = 30.0

T7. Paulinho, Hacken: 20 x 1.5 = 30.0

T7. Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus: 15 x 2.0 = 30.0

T7. Luis Suarez, Barcelona: 15 x 2.0 = 30.0 

T7. Duvan Zapata, Atalanta: 15 x 2.0 = 30.0

T7. Nicolas Pepe, Lille: 15 x 2.0 = 30.0

Rules: All European leagues are assigned a difficulty factor between one and two by UEFA, which is multiplied by a player's goal tally to calculate their points total.

For example, the Estonian Meistriliiga has a factor of just one, so Liliu's goals for Kalju are worth just one point each, whereas Messi's are worth double that because La Liga's factor is two.

The last time Messi, 31, did not get on the scoresheet for Barca in a league game was on December 2 against Villarreal.

He has since returned 10 goals in seven games in the Spanish top flight, taking his tally for the season to 19 goals in 19 appearances.

The Argentinian's latest was a measured chip against Girona that doubled Barca's lead in the 68th minute:

Messi is well on his way to winning the Golden Shoe for the third season running.

But Mbappe, 20, is a major threat. He is in fine form in front of goal at the moment and has now scored five times in his last three Ligue 1 appearances:

PSG manager Thomas Tuchel has confirmed Neymar is set to be sidelined for a number of matches due to a foot injury.

As a result, Mbappe will be even more crucial for the French champions and will be looking to continue his goalscoring run in upcoming matches.

Ronaldo, 33, is another threat to Messi's chances of winning the Golden Shoe.

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He netted from the penalty spot in the 88th minute against Lazio to complete Juve's turnaround after Joao Cancelo had cancelled out Emre Can's own goal.

The Portuguese is four goals behind Messi in the Golden Shoe standings at present.

But he is more than capable of closing that gap even in the space of a single match, and he will be looking to get on the scoresheet again in Juve's next league clash against Parma.