Harry Kane is THIRD in the European Golden Boot race ahead of Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland after 17 goals in 11 league games at Bayern… but who are the two unknown forwards currently leading the way?

Harry Kane is in the hunt for his first ever European Golden Boot after scoring an impressive 17 goals in 11 Bundesliga games for Bayern Munich this season.

The England captain’s electric start has seen him break several records and put him in a healthy position for this season’s European goalscoring award.

His tally puts him ahead of last season’s winner Erling Haaland, who scored an impressive 36 goals in his debut season for Man City, with the Norwegian superstar breaking several records on his way to winning the Treble.

Kane also beats Kylian Mbappe in terms of goals this season, with the PSG star also posting a brilliant goals per match ratio after scoring 13 times in 11 games. However, despite Kane’s heroics, he currently sits only third in the standings, with two relative unknowns leading the way.

Here, Mail Sport looks at the surprise contenders for what promises to be an exciting battle for the 2023-24 European Golden Boot.

10. Solvi Vatnhamar (21 goals – 21 points)

Club: Vikingur Gota

League: Faroe Islands Premier League (Faroe Islands) – Coefficient: x1 multiplier

We go to the Faroe Islands for the tenth best goalscorer in Europe so far, and surprisingly I’ve never heard of them either.

But that doesn’t mean Solvi Vatnhamar isn’t deadly in front of goal. The Faroe Islands native has even finished as top scorer in the Faroe Islands Premier League over the past two seasons, with this season’s tally of 21 earning him a spot in the top 10.

The 2022/23 season, in which Vatnhamar scored 21 goals for Vikingur, has now ended, so don’t expect the 37-year-old to remain on the list as he cannot improve his tally.

9. Faris Moumbagna (15 goals – 22.5 points)

Club: Bodo/Glimt

Competition: Eliteserien (Norway) – Coefficient: x1.5 multiplier

We are now on our way to mainland Europe and Faris Moumbagna is running at full speed for Bodo/Glimt in the Eliteserien.

The Cameroonian frontman has scored 15 goals in 26 games so far this season, but there are only a few more games for the 23-year-old to add more goals to his tally as the season ends on December 3.

8. Lautaro Martinez (12 goals – 24 points)

Club: Inter Milan

League: Serie A (Italy) – Coefficient: x2 multiplier

Our first famous player on the list is Lautaro Martinez, Inter Milan’s World Cup-winning striker.

The Argentine forward is enjoying his club football this season, scoring 12 goals in as many games for the Italian giants, making him a real contender for the gong should he continue his excellent domestic record in front of goal this season.

Martinez’s goals have helped Inter Milan secure top spot in Serie A after 12 games, with Simone Inzaghi’s men losing just once so far this season.

7. Andrej Ilic (21 goals* – 24.5 points)

Club: RFS & Valerenga

League: Virsliga (Latvia) & Eliteserien (Norway) – Coefficient: x1.5 multiplier

One of two players on this list to have scored a plethora of goals for two clubs and the first is Serbian Andrej Ilic, who played for RFS in Latvia before moving to Norwegian side Eliteserien in the summer to play away for Valerenga.

The 23-year-old scored 14 goals in 25 league appearances for RFS but managed to carry over his good form in front of goal, scoring a further seven in 11 appearances in Norway.

However, he will really have to up the stakes if he wants to win the European Golden Boot, as the coefficient of both competitions gives him a 1.5x multiplier.

5=. Erling Haaland (13 goals – 26 points)

Club: Manchester City

League: Premier League (England) – Coefficient: x2 multiplier

Can Haaland keep his crown? You wouldn’t bet against the Man City man, that’s for sure.

The Norwegian star broke a host of records on his Premier League debut last season, picking up his first European Golden Boot before his side completed a famous Treble.

And he doesn’t look like he’s slowing down this time around, having already scored 13 goals in 12 Premier League games this season.

Although his future Ballon d’Or rival – and the next contender on this list – looks set to challenge him again in the goalscoring department.

5=. Kylian Mbappé (13 goals – 26 points)

Club: Paris Saint Germain

League: Ligue 1 (France) – Coefficient: x2 multiplier

‘Whatever you can do’ may be what goes through Kylian Mbappe’s mind as he sees Haaland increase his goal tally.

The PSG star scored a hat-trick against Reims this weekend, and despite his own boss Luis Enrique having criticized him in other areas of his game, it is difficult to criticize his quality when he is in front of goal.

Mbappe has scored 13 goals in 11 Ligue 1 games this season, helping the Paris side claim top spot as we approach the winter break.

But while the Frenchman has had an excellent start to the season, there are others who are beating him at this stage.

4. Serhou Guirassy (15 goals – 30 points)

Club: Stuttgart

League: Bundesliga (Germany) – Coefficient: x2 multiplier

Then along comes Serhou Guirassy – the striker who really gives Kane value for money in the Bundesliga.

The Stuttgart striker is absolutely flying this season, scoring a whopping fifteen goals in just nine league matches and achieving a better goals-per-minute ratio than the England captain.

While Kane’s life in Bavaria is second to none, the Guirassy campaign has been arguably better, needing just 31 shots to reach his incredible total to date.

Guirassy has already broken the record for the fastest player to score 15 goals in a Bundesliga season – a record that Kane broke just two weeks ago – and could claim many more if he continues his ridiculous start.

3. Harry Kane (17 goals – 34 points)

Club: Bayern Munich

League: Bundesliga (Germany) – Coefficient: x2 multiplier

What else can be said about Kane’s start in the Bundesliga?

The former Tottenham striker has been in ridiculous form, scoring an impressive 17 league goals in just 11 games, making Bayern Munich a force to be reckoned with in all competitions.

While there is never any doubt about his ability to score goals, the speed at which he scores goals is unprecedented in the German top flight.

He has now incredibly outscored last season’s Bundesliga top scorer and had scored back-to-back hat-tricks in the league before hitting a brace this weekend.

Kane has scored nine goals in his last four Bundesliga matches and appears to be the favorite to win this season’s European Golden Boot… but there are currently two other strikers ahead of him in the rankings.

2. Amahl Pellegrino (23 goals – 34.5 points)

Club: Bodo/Glimt

Competition: Eliteserien (Norway) – Coefficient: x1.5 multiplier

It seems like Bodo/Glimt are definitely blessed with goal-scoring talent as they have two players in the current top 10 for the European Golden Boot.

Moumbagna’s total of 15 for the season is impressive, but Amahl Pellegrino is his team’s standout scorer this season with 23.

However, like other Eliteserien contenders on this list, they only have a few more games to add to their goal tally as their campaign ends on December 3.

While it is expected that Kane and others will surpass this total over time, it has been a fantastic season in front of goal for Pellegrino.

1. Akor Adams (22 goals* – 36.5 points)

Club: Lillestrom & Montpellier

League: Eliteserien (Norway) and Ligue 1 (France) – Coefficient: x2 multiplier

Akor Adams has settled well into life at Montpellier after taking a big step forward from the Norwegian top division.

The 23-year-old has already scored seven goals in 11 games this season, coming off the back of a 15-goal campaign in the Eliteserien with Lillestrom – making him the second player in this list to combine the number of goals and his value. place in the race for the European Golden Shoe.

He’s certainly not nearly as productive in front of goal as Kane, Haaland and Mbappe, but Adams is front and center at this stage of the season.

Will he stay at the top? Probably not. But the Nigerian striker has an eye for goal and should be one to watch as the season progresses.