FCBARCELONA.CAT

16.02.2009 11:20

Eto'o first in battle for Golden Boot

Roger Bogunyà

Samuel Eto'o’s two goals against Betis have put him at the top of the table in the battle for the Golden Boot. The Cameroon striker now has 46 points.

Those 46 points have come from the 23 goals he’s scored so far this season. Each goal in the Spanish League is worth two points, and he’s now ahead of his great rival for the Golden Boot, Red Bull Salzburg’s Marc Janko, who has 45 from 30 as goals in the Austrian League are worth 1.5 points each.

Other contenders for the crown

Apart from Marc Janko, who is Samuel Eto'o’s biggest rival, there are other well-known players who are still in with a chance of winning the Golden Boot. They include Valencia’s David Villa, who at 36 points is five goals behind the Barça player. Other contenders include team-mate Leo Messi and Bologna’s Marco Di Vaio who are both on 32 points.

Vedad Ibisevic, the top goalscorer in Germany, was another favourite but he has been sidelined with injury and is now out of contention in spite of the 36 points he’s racked up since before Christmas.

11 off Ronaldo’s record

The record for most goals in a season for Barça is held by Ronaldo. In the 1996/97 season the Brazilian found the back of the net on 34 occasions, 11 more than Eto’o’s current total. However, the Cameroon international still has 15 games to go to try to beat that tally. He has also notched more than 100 League goals for Barça.