Messi has won the European Golden Shoe six times, the most in the award’s history.
He collected the awards in 2009–10, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2016–17, 2017–18, and 2018–19, playing for Barcelona each time. The prize recognises the leading league scorer in Europe’s top divisions, using a points system rather than simply comparing raw goal totals.
Since 1996–97, goals in the strongest leagues receive a multiplier: the top five leagues generally count goals at two points each, while lower-ranked leagues receive smaller weighting. That system allows the award to compare scoring across competitions of different strength.
Messi’s 2011–12 campaign was especially remarkable. He scored 50 La Liga goals, producing 100 Golden Shoe points, still the award’s single-season points record. His six wins also include three consecutive victories from 2016–17 through 2018–19.
The Golden Shoe is different from the Pichichi Trophy: the Pichichi covers only La Liga, while the Golden Shoe compares Europe’s top domestic leagues.