As the European football season marches on, and the cobwebs of the World Cup winter break have been firmly shaken off, we look towards the real business end of the campaign. With the Champions League back in action, and league title races firmly heating up, the next few weeks will be vital in deciding teams’ fates across all of the continent’s big leagues.
Indeed, the Premier League title race went right down to the wire last season, with Manchester City needing a late winner to secure a second successive trophy, whilst Bayern Munich and Paris Saint Germain found things more comfortable domestically. In the case of most league title wins, having an elite goal scorer can be the difference maker, and that’s proving the case when checking the football betting odds this season.
The scoring charts are often deceptive but having someone that can find the back of the net at any given moment can go a long way to a team being crowned champions come the end of the season. Read on, as we look at Europe’s five big leagues and see who is the top scorer at the time of writing.
Premier League – Erling Haaland
When Pep Guardiola paid £65 million to bring Erling Haaland to Manchester City from Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund, even a manager as experienced as the Spaniard wouldn’t have imagined such an output in a striker’s debut year. Hitting the ground running, Haaland scored 20 goals before the turn of the year and is looking to smash all individual records while winning a maiden Premier League and a Golden Boot. While some argue he slows down City’s swashbuckling style, the sheer productivity of the Norwegian makes him one of the most feared forwards in Europe.
La Liga – Robert Lewandowski
From one impressive debut season to another — Robert Lewandowski is loving life in Catalonia. Having traded Bayern for Barcelona last summer, the Polish international has hit the ground running in red and blue stripes, hitting 14 goals at the time of writing for Xavi as his side look to bring the La Liga title back to Camp Nou for the first time in four years. Lewandowski is getting the best out of the plethora of young talent at Barca and looks well on course to win the Pichichi Trophy ahead of Karim Benzema and Joselu.
Serie A – Victor Osimhen
Napoli have gone from strength to strength in Serie A since the winter break, and a large part of that is down to their main man up front Victor Osimhen. The Nigerian has fired 17 goals so far this season as Napoli look to end nearly 30 years of hurt by winning the league. Losing just two games in all competitions this term, one domestically, Luciano Spalletti has an exciting side, spearheaded by Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and it’s hard to see them surrendering the title at this stage of the season.
Bundesliga – Niclas Fullkrug
Certainly the surprise entry in this list, Niclas Fullkrug is firing on all cylinders in the Bundesliga. The Werder Bremen man is keeping his side afloat this season, currently in midtable whilst the German striker fends off RB Leipzig’s Christopher Nkunku for the top scorer award. Sadio Mane’s injuries have prevented the Africa Cup of Nations winner from being right up there, and after being given his opportunity for Germany at the World Cup, you wonder if a big move is due for Fullkrug, who recently turned 30.
Ligue 1 – Folarin Balogun
The story of Ligue 1 side Reims and their mental manager Will Still is one for footballing aficionados. Half English and half French, the Belgian-born Preston North End youth coach is still yet to get his UEFA pro coaching licence and is being fined each time he enters the dugout. He managed an unbeaten run amassing 12 games thanks to Arsenal loanee Folarin Balogun, who tops the French league’s scoring charts. A dangerous marksman from close range, Balogun must have surely caught the attention of Mikel Arteta, having outscored Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe domestically this season.