Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Sergio Aguero, Romelu Lukaku or Riyad Mahrez? Premier League Golden Boot race analysed

By Jack Wilkinson

Image: Who will claim this 2015/16 Golden Boot?

With just over a month left until the end of the Premier League season, it's not only the race for the title that has pulses racing.

While Leicester and Tottenham focus on English football's top prize, up to five players also have their sights set on another award - the Golden Boot.

Just three goals separate Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Sergio Aguero and Romelu Lukaku at the top of the standings, while Riyad Mahrez is a further two goals back.

So who will join the likes of Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry and Cristiano Ronaldo in lifting the top-goalscorer gong? Here, we take an in-depth look at the contest...

Previous Golden Boot winners

Season Player Team Goals
2014/15 Sergio Aguero Man City 26
2013/14 Luis Suarez Liverpool 31
2012/13 Robin van Persie Man Utd 26
2011/12 Robin van Persie Arsenal 30
2010/11 Dimitar Berbatov Man Utd 20
Carlos Tevez Man City 20

State of play

Advertisement

It's Kane who leads the way with 22 goals, the latest of which earned Spurs a point at Anfield in early April.

One behind him is Leicester striker Vardy, who moved the Foxes a step closer to the title with a double at Sunderland on Sunday. Last season's Golden Boot winner, Aguero, is locked on 18 goals with Everton frontman Lukaku, with the Argentine netting in City's last outing against West Brom.

Also See:

The same, however, cannot be said for Lukaku, whose goals appear to have dried up following his breath-taking start to the campaign. Mahrez, meanwhile, completes the quintet on 16 goals having handed over the goalscoring mantle to Foxes team-mate Vardy in recent weeks. 

Premier League Golden Boot - 2015/16

Player Team Goals
Harry Kane Tottenham 22
Jamie Vardy Leicester 21
Sergio Aguero Man City 18
Romelu Lukaku Everton 18
Riyad Mahrez Leicester 16

Remaining fixtures

Current leader Kane, and table-toppers Vardy and Mahrez have just five games remaining to add to their respective tallies - although their quests for the Premier League title will no doubt take precedence.

Kane's Tottenham travel away to Stoke, Chelsea and Newcastle in their final five games and welcome West Brom and Southampton to White Hart Lane. That run of games could benefit Kane, with 12 of his 22 goals coming on the road for Mauricio Pochettino's side.

Leicester's fixtures fall opposite to their main title rivals Spurs, with three of their remaining five games taking place at the King Power Stadium. This slight adjustment is unlikely affect Vardy, whose 21 goals are split 11 at home and 10 away.

Image: Will Vardy or Mahrez add the Golden Boot to a potential Premier League winners' medal?

It's a different story for Mahrez, though. Only four of his 16 league goals have come at home, and with tough trips to Manchester United and Chelsea accounting for the remaining away fixtures, his challenge could well be weakened.

Lukaku's 18 goals have been evenly split at home and away so the only advantage he may receive comes by the fact he has at least one games' advantage on his rivals.

Similarly, Aguero has an extra 90 minutes of game time in which to catch Kane and Vardy. Thirteen of the Argentine's 18 goals have come at the Etihad Stadium, but he will not have the luxury of home comforts, with four of Manchester City's final six games coming on the road. 

Remaining fixtures

Harry Kane Jamie Vardy Sergio Aguero Romelu Lukaku
Stoke (a) West Ham (h) Chelsea (a) So'ton (h)
- - Newcastle (a) Liverpool (a)
West Brom (h) Swansea (h) Stoke (h) -
Chelsea (a) Man Utd (a) So'ton (a) B'mouth (h)
So'ton (h) Everton (h) Arsenal (h) Leicester (a)
- - - Sunderland (a)
Newcastle (a) Chelsea (a) Swansea (a) Norwich (h)

Repeat performance?

Lukaku would surpass his Golden Boot rivals and claim the prize if he were to repeat his goalscoring form against his remaining opponents. The Belgian, who has played two games fewer than Kane, Vardy and Mahrez, and one game fewer than Aguero, notched an impressive eight goals in the corresponding fixtures - a repeat would take his tally to 26 goals.

Aguero would finish second if things were to repeat themselves, with his tally of 18 boosted by the six goals he scored in games with Newcastle and Chelsea alone.

Image: Could Romelu Lukaku make a late surge for the Golden Boot?

Kane and Vardy would be tied for third place, with the pair adding just one and two goals to their current tallies if they were to replicate their goals from earlier on in the season.

Mahrez, meanwhile, would remain fifth despite scoring six goals in the corresponding fixtures first time around. It appears the Algerian may have too big a gap to bridge.

Golden Boot 15/16 (if results repeated)

Player Team Current total Goals in reverse fixtures Total
Romelu Lukaku Everton 18 +8 26
Sergio Aguero Man City 18 +6 24
Harry Kane Tottenham 22 +1 23
Jamie Vardy Leicester 21 +2 23
Riyad Mahrez Leicester 16 +6 22

Sky Sports pundit Matt Le Tissier's verdict

"I think Vardy will finish top goalscorer this season after he got himself back in the goals with a brilliant brace at Sunderland, and Leicester will go on and win the league from here. I don't think it's just between those two now, though, I wouldn't put it past Aguero to score four goals in a game."

Who do you think will hold their nerve and claim this season's Golden Boot? Leave a comment below or tweet us @SkyFootball

Outbrain