Salah eyes history with fourth Golden Boot as Isak chases

As the Premier League season nears its climax, Mohamed Salah is emphatically stamping his authority on the Golden Boot race. The Liverpool talisman has been in scintillating form, rattling in 28 goals so far – more than anyone in the league.

Performances like his brace and two assists against Spurs last December helped propel Liverpool toward the title, leaving Salah nine goals clear of last year’s top scorer, Erling Haaland. Remarkably, Salah is not just scoring for fun; he’s also the league’s top playmaker with 18 assists, a testament to the all-around influence of a player in peak command of his powers.

“He can score a goal if he is not in the best half-hour or the best 15 minutes,” Liverpool manager Arne Slot said of Salah’s relentless production. “That’s why he is mentally so strong… you need to be that if you want to be seven or eight years at the highest level every three or four days.” Salah also signed a two-year contract extension in April to the relief of Reds fans.

History in the making

Chasing Salah is Newcastle United’s rising star, Alexander Isak. The lanky Swede has 22 goals, including a hat-trick taken with panache against Ipswich Town just before Christmas. In that match, Isak struck in the opening minute with a fierce half-volley and completed his treble with clinical finishes.

25-year-old Isak’s rich vein of form – at one point nine goals in nine games – has firmly established him as a worthy contender, even if the gap to Salah now looks insurmountable.

Erling Haaland, the Golden Boot holder in 2022/23 and 2023/24, has 21 goals despite an injury-disrupted campaign. The Manchester City striker exploded out of the gate with two hat-tricks in the autumn, but a winter dry spell saw him lose pace.

Haaland’s first two seasons in England yielded an astounding 36 goals and then 27, rewriting the record books. This year, another Golden Boot for the Norwegian would have made him only the third player, after Thierry Henry and Alan Shearer, to top the league three years running.

Instead, it is Salah on the verge of history. The Egyptian forward already owns three Premier League Golden Boots, and a fourth would tie Henry’s record while adding to his legacy as one of the era’s defining goal scorers.

Beyond the headline names, a few dark horses have crowded this season’s scoring charts. Brentford’s duo of Bryan Mbeumo (18 goals) and Yoane Wissa (17) have quietly inserted themselves among the elite marksmen, stepping up admirably in Ivan Toney’s absence.

Yet for all their exploits, neither they nor anyone else will likely catch Salah now. With only a handful of matches remaining, Liverpool’s No. 11 has created daylight between himself and the pack. Barring a final flurry from Isak or a miracle from Haaland, the 2024/25 Golden Boot is Salah’s to lose – a reward for a season of brilliance, consistency and record-chasing feats from a player who shows no signs of slowing down.