Mbappe wins European Golden Shoe for first time

Kylian Mbappe has won the European Golden Shoe for the first time after scoring twice in Real Madrid’s 2-0 defeat of Real Sociedad on Saturday.

The France international scored 31 league goals in his debut season in Spain, meaning he also won La Liga’s top scorer prize.

A double in Real’s final game of the season secured Mbappe top spot in the rankings ahead of Sporting striker Victor Gyokeres (39 goals) and Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah (29 goals).

Though Gyokeres scored eight more league goals than Mbappe, he finished runner-up because a weighted-points based system decides the rankings.

Goals scored by players competing in Europe’s top five leagues – Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1 – are worth two points.

Goals from those who play in leagues ranked sixth to 22nd in Uefa’s coefficient, including the Portuguese Primeira Liga, are worth 1.5 points.

Mohamed Salah needed a hat-trick in Liverpool’s final Premier League match against Crystal Palace on Sunday in order to share the prize with Mbappe. The Egypt international scored once in a 1-1 draw.

Mbappe is just the third Real player to win the award, after Hugo Sanchez (1989-90) and Cristiano Ronaldo (2010-11, 2013-14 and 2014-15).

Gyokeres – who has been heavily linked with a summer move to Arsenal – had no chance of catching Mbappe because Sporting’s league campaign ended the previous weekend.

After scoring in his side’s 3-1 defeat of Lisbon rivals Benfica in the Portuguese Cup final on Sunday, the Sweden international finished the season with 53 goals in 51 games in all competitions.

The top five in the rankings were as follows: Mbappe (62 points), Gyokeres (58.5), Salah (58), Robert Lewandowski (54), Harry Kane (52).