Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe reignited his pursuit of the European Golden Boot with a stunning hat-trick against Barcelona on Sunday, despite his side falling to a dramatic 4-3 defeat at the Montjuic.
The French forward’s three goals brought his LaLiga tally to 27 for the season, pushing him back into contention for the prestigious individual prize.
Mbappe, whose father is of Cameroonian descent, has been one of Europe’s most prolific scorers this season, consistently delivering for both club and country.
His latest treble puts him third on the European Golden Boot table with 54 points, trailing only Sporting CP’s Victor Gyokeres, who tops the list with 57 points, and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, who sits just two points ahead on 56.
The European Golden Boot race, which factors in the strength of each league’s coefficient, sees Gyokeres’ 38 goals in the Portuguese Primeira Liga given a multiplier of 1.5, slightly lowering the weight of his tally compared to the top five European leagues.
This leaves Mbappe within striking distance, with the Real Madrid talisman just one more standout performance away from potentially overtaking the Swedish striker.
Other top contenders include Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski and Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, both tied on 50 points, with Atalanta’s Mateo Retegui following closely behind on 48 points.
With a few games still left in the season, the race for the Golden Boot remains wide open, and Mbappe’s form could be decisive in the final weeks.
