While not as important as actual championship races, the chase after a scoring title, golden boot or Pichici is quite interesting as well. Some players, like Luis Suarez and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, don’t have too much to worry about, while the trio of Cristiano Ronaldo, Diego Costa and Lionel Messi will have to wait until the final day to see who is crowned in the Spanish La Liga.
In Italy and Germany it’s quite close, although with unimpressive numbers. In Italy we have Ciro Immobile with three players capable of overtaking him before the season is over, while in Germany it is tied right now between two players who might be teammates next season, but are fierce rivals right now.
English Premier League
In England, it’s over. Some teams have four matches to play, others have three, but Luis Suarez is alone in this, scoring 30 goals and cementing once and for all (something that was clear to most last season) that he is the best striker and probably player in the Premier League. The closest scorer to him? Teammate Daniel Sturridge who started the season in a storm but has since been quelled down somewhat, but injuries as well. Manchester City players – Yaya Toure with 18 goals and Sergio Aguero with 16, take up the next two spots.
Spanish La Liga
The league with a three headed championship race that seems to have a clearer picture also has three players gunning for the top spot. For years it’s been either Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. This season Diego Costa is also in the mix. Ronaldo leads the trio with 28 goals, followed by Diego Costa of Atletico Madrid with 27, and Lionel Messi comes third with 26. In this one, anything can happen. Predicting a champion and not the Pichichi considering the state of the table right now is slightly easier.
Italian Serie A
Italy is always full of surprised when it comes to top strikers, and Ciro Immobile of Torino, a team that isn’t going anywhere special this season, currently leads the table with 20 goals. Chasing his tail? Both Luca Toni of Hellas (almost 37 years old!!) with 18 goals and Carlos Tevez of Juventus scoring 18 as well. Gonzalo Higuain of the slightly disappointing Napoli is fourth with 17 goals, also worth considering for a strong finish.
German Bundesliga
The twist in the Bundesliga? Both players tied for the lead aren’t teammates yet, but they might be next season. Robert Lewandowski of Dortmund has scored 18 goals. Mario Mandzukic of Bayern Munich has done the same. Lewandowski will play for Bayern next season. The question remaining is will Mandzukic stay or look for a new team. Adrian Ramos from Hertha and Josip Drmic of Nurnberg follow them with 16 goals each.
French Ligue 1
Another league with four matches to go, and a clear king of goals. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored 25 goals so far, nine more than Vincent Aboubakar of Lorient with 16 goals, and 10 more than his PSG teammate, Edinson Cavani, who has scored 15 goals so far. Ibrahimovic also leads the league in assists with 11 (tied with James Rodriguez of Monaco). He’ll be crowned champion once again, something he has gotten used to over the last 10 years.