History is about to be rewritten in the race to become Europe’s top goalscorer, with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo finally relinquishing their crown.
Between them, the pair have held the coveted Golden Shoe - which honours the top scorer across all the continental leagues - for nine of the past 10 seasons, with Messi winning six in total, and Ronaldo four.
Only Luis Suarez has broken that dominance, when he shared the trophy with Ronaldo, and then won it outright in 2015-16. But now a new name is set to be engraved on the glittering prize.
Lazio’s Ciro Immobile may be an unlikely candidate to unseat the pair, given he has played out most of his career outside Europe’s biggest clubs, after failing the make the mark as a kid at Juventus.
But his staggering 35 goals in Serie A this season have not only taken his Rome club to within one win of pipping their great rivals Roma to a Champions League spot, but it also means he will beat Ronaldo to the Golden Shoe award.
The Portuguese superstar has scored 31 goals for Juventus this season, meaning he will have to score four in their final match - coincidentally against Lazio’s great rivals Roma - to draw level.
Immobile is now 30 years old, and apart from a short spell at Borussia Dortmund, where he scored just three goals in 24 Bundesliga appearances, has hardly set the football world alight.
But after spells at lowly Siena, Grosseto, Pescara and Genoa, he scored goals at Torino before his move to Germany. Since that failed season, he arrived at Lazio, and has found his scoring touch, finding the net regularly in his first three seasons.
But it is this year that he has been on fire, and if he scores in Lazio’s final game at Napoli, where victory would crown a remarkable season for the Romans, then he will match the all-time Serie A record of 36…set by Gonzalo Higuain for Napoli back in 2015-16.
Italians, naturally, are suggesting it is the end of an era in top flight football, with the Spanish dominance of Ronaldo at Real Madrid, and Messi with Barcelona set to end.
But don’t hold your breath for an English winner any time soon. The only time that has happened in the 52 year history of the prize was back in 1999-2000. And his identity may keep you guessing for a while as it is an unlikely figure, just like Immobile…..Sunderland’s Kevin Phillips!
