Sports

Messi set to win fourth Golden Shoe beating Ronaldo

Lionel Messi will beat Cristiano Ronaldo to the 2016/17 Golden Shoe award - despite failing to score this weekend.It will be the fourth time that Messi wins the coveted award, equalling Ronaldo’s tally, which is given to the top goalscorer across Europe’s top leagues.Messi is currently four goals ahead of Sporting Lisbon front man Bas Dost, who has scored 31 times this season, but the Dutchman only has one game left.He will require a minimum of five goals on the final day against Chaves if he is to outright win the award.Messi can yet add to his tally, with Barcelona hosting Eibar at the Nou Camp on the final day this coming weekend.The Argentinian drew an unlikely blank against Las Palmas on Sunday night but it should not influence his prospects of taking home the trophy.Ronaldo is currently 16th in the standings with 22 goals.Trailing Messi are Dost, Lewandowski (30), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (29), Edin Dzeko, Luis Suarez (both 27), Andrea Belotti, Anthony Modeste and Dries Mertens (all 25).Edinson Cavani has scored 33 times for Paris Saint-Germain this season, but he gets a lower point-per-goal ratio because he is playing in Ligue 1.The Premier League’s top goalscorer is Everton’s Romelu Lukaku but his 24 goals are only good for 12th in the standings across the continent.Messi’s inevitable victory means that either he, Ronaldo or Suarez has claimed the Golden Shoe since 2007/08.Suarez has won the gong twice - once with Liverpool and once with Barcelona.Source: The Mirror