Why Mbappe beat Viktor Gyokeres to European Golden Shoe despite scoring fewer goals

• Kylian Mbappe won the 2025 European Golden Shoe despite scoring fewer goals than Viktor Gyokeres
• Gyokeres finished the season with the most goals of any striker in Europe after a brilliant campaign in Portugal
• We explain why Mbappe won the Golden Shoe ahead of the Manchester United and Arsenal target

Kylian Mbappe was recently awarded the European Golden Shoe as his first season in Spain ended on a high note individually.

How did Mbappe perform in his first season at Real Madrid?

Mbappe's debut season at Real Madrid started with winning the UEFA Super Cup in his first competitive game.

However, it was the only trophy the Los Blancos won as they missed out on the Champions League, the La Liga and the Copa del Rey titles.

They were knocked out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage after losing to Arsenal both home and away.

Their archrivals, Barcelona, won both domestic titles, beating them to the league title by four points and winning the Copa del Rey trophy 3-2 in a classic final.

Mbappe's stats for Real Madrid 2024/2025

Despite not winning any major titles, Mbappe posted a brilliant season in front of goal, scoring 43 goals and providing five assists in 56 appearances.

Of the 43 goals, 31 came in La Liga as he won the Pichichi award in his first season.

What is the European Golden Shoe?

The European Golden Shoe is an award given to the player with the most points from goals scored in league matches at the end of the season.

In simple terms, it is Europe's Golden Boot, only that it is calculated differently.

For every goal a player scored, the goal is multiplied by a coefficient which represents the strength of the league he plays in. For example, top leagues like the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1 and German Bundesliga have a 2 coefficient.

Other leagues like the Liga Portugal and Turkish Super Liga have a 1.5 coefficient.

Why Mbappe won the Golden Shoe despite scoring fewer goals

Mbappe's 31 goals in La Liga weren't the most of any player across all European leagues. Viktor Gyokeres continued with his marvellous form, scoring 39 goals in 33 appearances for Sporting Lisbon in Portugal.

However, the Swedish striker didn't win the Golden Shoe as his goals were multiplied by 1.5, bringing a total to 58.5, as captured on Transfermarkt.

Mbappe, on the other hand, had his 31 goals multiplied by 2, which is 61.

Top scorers in Europe 2024/2025

After Mbappe and Gyokeres, Mohamed Salah came in third with 29 goals (58 points), with the Egyptian winning the Premier League Golden Boot.

Two-time winner Robert Lewandowski showed no signs of ageing, as the 36-year-old Pole finished the season with 27 goals (54 points) for Barcelona.

Harry Kane scored 26 (52 points) goals for Bayern Munich to win his first-ever trophy and wrap up the top five places.

Ballon d'Or favourite Ousmane Dembele is 12th on the log with 21 goals (42 points).

Why Kylian Mbappe is not playing at Club World Cup

Mbappe is yet to play at the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup as he battles to shake off an illness. The French star was diagnosed with an acute case of gastroenteritis but was discharged on Thursday last week, as seen in a club statement.

In his absence, new coach Xabi Alonso masterminded a one-all draw against Al-Hilal, who are currently under the tutelage of two-time Champions League finalist Simone Inzaghi.

The Los Blancos then beat Mexican side Pachuca 3-1 despite going a man down after just seven minutes when Raul Asencio was sent off for a last-man challenge.

It remains to be seen whether Mbappe will recover in time for their next game against Salzburg on Friday

Updated Ballon d'Or rankings 2025

In a related report, the updated rankings for the 2025 Ballon d'Or award were released following PSG's victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League final.

Dembele leads the race for the award after an outstanding season with PSG, where he helped secure a treble.

Barcelona's Raphinha and Lamine Yamal round out the top three spots after an unforgettable season.