In contrast to the previous season, Manchester City’s striker Erling Haaland is currently facing intense competition from numerous contenders in the race for the Champions League Golden Boot for the 2023/24 season. The Champions League Golden Boot Race: Haaland Confronts Intense Pressure.
During the previous season, on the path to Champions League victory with Manchester City, Haaland remarkably clinched the Golden Boot title with 12 goals. At that time, formidable rivals such as Mohamed Salah, Kylian Mbappe, and Vinicius were all eliminated early.
However, in the current season, the race for the Champions League Golden Boot is fiercely contested. After the round of 16, Erling Haaland leads with 6 goals, but three other stars have also achieved a similar goal-scoring record: Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), and Kylian Mbappe (PSG).
Statistics reveal that the majority of Erling Haaland’s goals in the Champions League 2022/23 season (10 out of 12 goals) were scored before the quarter-finals. From the semi-finals onwards, the Norwegian forward has struggled to find the net.
Thus, compared to the previous season, Haaland’s goal-scoring efficiency in the Champions League has significantly decreased. Nevertheless, according to assessments by European bookmakers, he remains the top contender for the Golden Boot due to Manchester City’s potential to advance deep into the tournament this year.
In addition to Haaland, Manchester City boasts two other top goal-scoring contenders: Julian Alvarez (5 goals) and Phil Foden (4 goals). Alvaro Morata ranks fourth with 5 goals, trailing by only one goal behind the four contenders ahead.
Furthermore, Arsenal and Real Madrid also have two stars in the top goal-scoring rankings: Gabriel Jesus and Jude Bellingham (4 goals). However, the likelihood of Jesus or Bellingham challenging for the Champions League Golden Boot against Haaland remains very low.