European Golden Boot race: Benzema in strong contention, Messi and Ronaldo disappear

Karim Benzema is a strong contender in the race for the 2022 European Golden boot.

Big Benz is among the top 5, whereas the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have disappeared from the rankings.

Current top 10

1. Ohi Omoijuanfo (Molde) - 40.5 points (27 goals).

2. Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) - 40 points (20 goals).

3. Thomas Lehne Olsen (Lillestrom) - 39 points (26 goals).

4. Patrik Schick (Leverkusen) - 34 points (17 goals).

5. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) - 34 points (17 goals).

6. Veton Berisha (Viking Stavanger) - 33 points (22 goals).

7. Dusan Vlahovic (Fiorentina) - 32 points (16 goals).

8. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) - 32 points (16 goals).

9. Ciro Immobile (Lazio) - 30 points (15 goals).

10. Mikkel Dahl (Torshavn) - 27 points (27 goals).

...

92. Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) - 16 points (8 goals).

With just one league goal so far, Messi (PSG) is not even listed.

If we weed out the Norwegian league and other lower leagues with less than 1.5 coefficient per goal, Benzema is up there among the top 2, while Vinicius makes the top 10.

Here's what the top 10 scorers from Europe's top 5 leagues looks like:

1. Lewandowski - 40 points (20 goals).

2. Benzema (Real Madrid) - 34 points (17 goals).

3. Schick (Leverkusen) - 34 points (17 goals).

4. Salah (Liverpool) - 32 points (16 goals).

5. Vlahovic (Fiorentina) - 32 points (16 goals).

6. Vlahovic (Fiorentina) - 32 points (16 goals).

7. Erling Haaland (Dortmund) - 19 points (13 goals).

8. Luis Díaz (Porto) - 18 points (13 goals).

9. Darwin Nunez (Benfica) 15 points (13 goals)

10. Vinicius (Real Madrid) 17 points (12 goals).