Cavani regains touch in Golden Shoe race
Monday, March 21, 2011
Article summary
SSC Napoli striker Edinson Cavani made the most ground in the ESM Golden Shoe rankings after striking twice at the weekend, while another Serie A player is now four points off the lead.
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Edinson Cavani made the weekend's biggest move in the race for the ESM Golden Shoe, recording his 21st and 22nd league goals of the season in SSC Napoli's 2-1 home victory against Cagliari Calcio.
The 24-year-old Uruguay international returned to goalscoring form having failed to find the net in his previous four league outings, and in doing so propelled his team back into the title race. Napoli are three points behind leaders AC Milan, who succumbed 1-0 at US Città di Palermo.
Another Serie A player in the hunt for the scoring title is Udinese Calcio's Antonio Di Natale. He struck from the spot – helping his side to a 2-0 home win versus Calcio Catania – with his 25th goal in 29 league appearances. That strike moved him to within four points of leaders Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who both failed to make their mark this weekend.
Manchester United FC's Dimitar Berbatov moved into fifth place on his own after grabbing a crucial 88th-minute winner in a 1-0 success against Bolton Wanderers FC. Just two points behind are Mario Gomez and Moussa Sow – who both scored on the weekend – plus Samuel Eto'o.
ESM Golden Shoe standings: 21 March 2011
1. Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona) 27 x 2 = 54
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid CF) 27 x 2 = 54
3. Antonio Di Natale (Udinese Calcio) 25 x 2 = 50
4. Edinson Cavani (SSC Napoli) 22 x 2 = 44
5. Dimitar Berbatov (Manchester United FC) 20 x 2 = 40
6. Samuel Eto'o (FC Internazionale Milano) 19 x 2 = 38
Mario Gomez (FC Bayern München) 19 x 2 = 38
Moussa Sow (LOSC Lille Métropole) 19 x 2 = 38
9. Kenny Miller (Rangers FC/Bursaspor) 25 x 1.5 = 37.5
10. Carlos Tévez (Manchester City FC) 18 x 2 = 36
Papiss Cissé (SC Freiburg) 18 x 2 = 36
Marco Di Vaio (Bologna FC) 18 x 2 = 36
Rules
Only the leading five countries – Spain, Italy, Germany, France and England – in the UEFA rankings have two as their multiplier. This is to emphasise the difference in (international) performance level between clubs from those countries and those of other nations.
A player cannot play first in a summer league (e.g. Norway) and then in a winter league (e.g. Spain) and combine the points total for each season.