Kylian Mbappe takes Golden Boot lead with Real Madrid: What must Liverpool’s Salah do to catch him?

Kylian Mbappe made a decisive move in the 2024–25 European Golden Boot race by scoring twice against Real Sociedad. With his brace, the Real Madrid star surged to the top of the leaderboard—just ahead of Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres. But with one Premier League game left, can Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah overtake him?

Real Madrid hosted their final La Liga match of the season with the league title already out of reach, secured by rivals FC Barcelona. Still, Mbappe had two major targets left on the table: the Pichichi Trophy and the Golden Boot. And he wasn’t about to let the opportunity slip away.

In the 38th minute, he converted a penalty following a handball in the box. Then, in the 83rd, he fired home a left-footed strike after a well-placed through ball from Vinicius Junior. With the two goals, Mbappe reached 31 league goals—surpassing Gyokeres, who finished with 39 goals in Portugal.

The Golden Boot isn’t solely based on total goals—it’s determined by a point system that weighs goals scored in each domestic league. La Liga carries a multiplier of 2, while the Portuguese Primeira Liga is rated at 1.5. That means Mbappe’s 31 goals give him 62 points, edging Gyokeres’s 58.5—and with the Portuguese season concluded, Gyokeres is out of the race.

What does Salah need to do to catch Mbappe?

Mbappe’s season is officially over, but Salah still has one last shot to change the outcome. Liverpool face Crystal Palace at Anfield on Sunday in their final Premier League fixture. Although the Reds have already secured the league title, individual honors are still up for grabs.

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Salah currently sits third in the Golden Boot race with 28 goals and 56 points (the Premier League also uses a 2-point factor). To overtake Mbappe, he would need to score four goals—commonly referred to as a “poker”—to finish with 32 goals and 64 points, sealing the Golden Boot outright.

What if Salah and Mbappe tie?

If Salah scores a hat-trick and ends up tied with Mbappe at 62 points, the two would share the Golden Boot. This wouldn’t be unprecedented. The most recent shared Golden Boot occurred in the 2013–14 season when Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez both finished with 31 goals (62 points).

Salah has just one goal in his last eight league appearances, making a four-goal performance unlikely—but not impossible. With one game left, the Golden Boot drama is far from over.