The Gerd Muller Trophy is a relatively new award given out by France Football and the Ballon d’Or organisers, which recognizes Europe’s top goal scorer for a full season.
Handed out during the annual Ballon d’Or ceremony, the Gerd Muller Trophy was established in 2021, originally as the “Striker of the Year” in its first season before being renamed to honor the great German goal scorer.
Robert Lewandowski won the first two editions of the award in his final two seasons at Bayern Munich, and Erling Haaland was the winner at last year’s ceremony after his record-breaking 2022/23 campaign with Manchester City.
Unlike other awards such as the Ballon d’Or, Kopa Trophy, or Yashin Trophy handed out during the evening, the Gerd Muller Trophy is not a subjective prize awarded following a voting process. Instead, it is given to the highest goal scorer amongst all top professional leagues and international football around the continent.
While it’s usually clear who will be honored before the gala itself since the award is simply based on statistics, this year’s winner was not known until the announcement was made at the ceremony. The Sporting News brings you the latest on who came out on top.
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Who won the Gerd Muller Trophy 2024?
The 2024 prize was shared between England and Bayern Munich star Harry Kane, and Real Madrid and France forward Kylian Mbappe.
Kane finished level with Kylian Mbappe on goals for club and country this season on 52 goals, with each player scoring 44 club goals and eight more for their national team. Kane edged his French counterpart to win the 2023/24 European Golden Shoe as Europe’s top league goal scorer, but Mbappe did more damage for PSG across other competitions.
Going into the gala, it was unclear who would claim the prize. France Football confirmed to The Sporting News that they would not be revealing their tiebreaker method until the winner was revealed, so they could maintain some intrigue prior to the gala. In the end, of course, there was no tiebreaker needed.
2024 Gerd Muller Trophy candidates
Below are the leading goal scorers across the top European professional leagues and international football in 2023/24.
| Player | Club (Goals) | Country (Goals) | Total Goals |
| Harry Kane | Bayern Munich (44) | England (8) | 52 |
| Kylian Mbappe | PSG (44) | France (8) | 52 |
| Erling Haaland | Man City (38) | Norway (7) | 45 |
Why can’t Cristiano Ronaldo win the Gerd Muller Trophy?
Ronaldo has racked up a world-class trophy haul over the course of his illustrious career, and given the numbers he put up last season for Al Nassr, he could have been in line to potentially add another bit of individual silverware to his one-of-a-kind cabinet.
However, there’s one slight issue: Ronaldo is not eligible. France Football confirmed to The Sporting News that the Gerd Muller Trophy is only awarded to the top goal scorer of the season amongst players contracted to European clubs. Therefore, because Ronaldo is playing for Al Nassr in the Asian confederation, he was not up for the prize in 2024.
Ronaldo set a Saudi Pro League single-season record for most goals in a league campaign in 2023/24, which would have put him in contention to win this honor had he been eligible.
However, he would still have been beaten to the top spot by just a single goal. Both Kane and Mbappe scored 52 for club and country, while Ronaldo logged 51, having been blanked at Euro 2024 while the other two passed him. Ronaldo’s six goals at the Arab Club Champions Cup would not have counted towards his total, as the competition is not a FIFA-sanctioned event.
MORE: The all-time Ballon d’Or winners’ list
Who was Gerd Muller?
The trophy is named after former Bayern Munich and Germany striker Gerd Muller, who became the first player to win the Ballon d’Or from the country in 1970.
Nicknamed ‘Der Bomber’, Muller was one of the finest goal scorers of his generation. His record of 365 goals in 427 games in the Bundesliga still stands, and he twice won the European Golden Shoe award.
A winner of four league titles and three European Cups with Bayern, Muller is one of only nine male players in history to have won the FIFA World Cup, the European Cup/UEFA Champions League, and the Ballon d’Or.
How is Gerd Muller Trophy different from European Golden Shoe?
While both the Gerd Muller Trophy and European Golden Shoe are both awards handed out to top goal scorers across European clubs, there are two major differences between the awards.
First, the European Golden Shoe only counts league goals across a full season while the Gerd Muller Trophy encompasses not only all club competitions but also national-team duty.
Additionally, the European Golden Shoe weights a player’s tally so that goals in larger, more prominent leagues count more than those in smaller, less heralded countries. For example, Kane’s 2023/24 victory saw him score 36 goals for a total point value of 72, as goals in a top European league such as the Bundesliga come with a 2x multiplier, while the 29 goals for Victor Gyokeres of Sporting CP only counted for 43.5 points as they came with a 1.5x multiplier.
Meanwhile, the Gerd Muller Trophy counts all goals the same, so any player who racks up a large tally for club and country would be able to compete.
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