As the 2025–26 football season gathers momentum, some of Europe’s most lethal forwards are already making their mark.

From La Liga to the Premier League, the race for the Golden Boot is heating up with familiar names and rising stars topping the charts.

The PUNCH takes a look at players across Europe’s top five leagues and the goals they have scored thus far.

1. La Liga: Mbappé (Nine goals)

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Real Madrid’s marquee signing Kylian Mbappé has wasted no time in asserting his dominance in Spain. The French superstar leads La Liga with 9 goals, showcasing his trademark speed and clinical finishing.

His arrival has electrified Spanish football, and he’s proving why he’s one of the most feared forwards in the world.

2. Ligue 1: Ansu Fati and Joaquín Panichelli (Five goals each)

Ligue 1 is currently led by Ansu Fati (AS Monaco) and Joaquín Panichelli (Strasbourg), each with five goals. While not as prolific as other leagues yet, these young talents are making headlines with their flair and finishing in what is shaping up to be a wide-open race in France.

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3. Bundesliga: Harry Kane (11 goals)

Top scorer Harry Kane has been in scintillating form, having bagged 11 in the league already, and the England captain also scored twice on Tuesday in a 5-0 win over Latvia that sealed their spot at the 2026 World Cup.

4. EPL: Erling Haaland (Eight goals)

Manchester City’s prolific striker, Erling Haaland, leads the early-season race with 8 goals in just 6 matches. He also scored a hat-trick for Norway against Israel.

5. Serie A: Riccardo Orsolini, Bologna, and Christian Pulisic, AC Milan (4 goals each)

Bologna winger Riccardo Orsolini and A C Milan’s Christian Pulisic, who was recently named Serie A player of the season, have both hit the ground running, leading the goal scorers’ chart in Italy.

As the Premier League resumes after the international break, clubs are grappling with a mounting list of injuries that could shape the outcome of the next round of fixtures.

From title contenders like Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool to struggling sides fighting to climb the table, nearly every team has at least one key player sidelined.

The official injury update obtained from the Premier League website on Friday shows that several players are battling knee, hamstring, and groin issues, with some expected to face lengthy spells on the sidelines. Managers now face tough decisions as they prepare their line-ups for a crucial weekend of matches that could influence both ends of the table.

Below is the full list of players currently injured across all 20 clubs, according to the latest data from the Premier League’s medical updates.

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Gabriel Jesus – Knee
Kai Havertz – Knee
Noni Madueke – Knee
Piero Hincapié – Groin
Martin Ødegaard – Knee

Aston Villa

Youri Tielemans – Calf
Tyrone Mings – Knock
Jadon Sancho – Illness
Ollie Watkins – Knock

Bournemouth

Enes Ünal – Knee
Adam Smith – Hamstring
David Brooks – Hamstring
Burnley

Lyle Foster – Dead leg
Jaidon Anthony – Knock
Connor Roberts – Knock
Jordan Beyer – Knee
Zeki Amdouni – Knee

Brentford

Gustavo Nunes – Hamstring

Edmond-Paris Maghoma – Hamstring
Yehor Yarmoliuk – Knock
Antoni Milambo – Knee

Brighton & Hove Albion

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Adam Webster – Knee
Solly March – Knee
Jack Hinshelwood – Ankle
Joel Veltman – Calf
Kaoru Mitoma – Ankle
Brajan Gruda

Chelsea

Levi Colwill – Knee
Liam Delap – Hamstring
Dario Essugo – Thigh
Cole Palmer – Groin
Moisés Caicedo
Enzo Fernández
Pedro Neto
Benoît Badiashile

Crystal Palace

Chadi Riad – Knee
Cheick Doucouré – Knee
Caleb Kporha – Back

Everton

Jarrad Branthwaite – Hamstring
Merlin Röhl – Hip

Fulham

Kenny Tete – Knee
Raúl Jiménez – Knock
Rodrigo Muniz – Muscle
Saša Lukić – Groin

Leeds United

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Lucas Perri – Thigh
Wilfried Gnonto – Calf
Daniel James – Ankle
Harry Gray – Hip

Liverpool

Giovanni Leoni – Knee
Stefan Bajčetić – Hamstring
Jayden Danns – Hamstring
Federico Chiesa – Knock
Ibrahima Konaté – Quadriceps

Manchester City

Rayan Aït-Nouri – Knock
Omar Marmoush – Knee
Mateo Kovačić – Achilles

Manchester United

Lisandro Martínez – Knee
Noussair Mazraoui – Knock

Newcastle United

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Jacob Ramsey – Ankle
Joelinton
Yoane Wissa – Knee
Tino Livramento – Knee
Lewis Hall – Thigh

Nottingham Forest

Ola Aina – Hamstring
Douglas Luiz – Hamstring
Oleksandr Zinchenko – Groin

Sunderland

Aji Alese – Shoulder
Dennis Cirkin – Wrist
Leo Fuhr Hjelde – Achilles
Romaine Mundle – Hamstring
Habib Diarra – Groin
Omar Alderete – Knock
Noah Sadiki – Knock

Tottenham Hotspur

Dejan Kulusevski – Knee
James Maddison – Knee
Radu Drăgușin – Knee
Kota Takai – Foot
Yves Bissouma – Knock
Dominic Solanke – Ankle

West Ham United

George Earthy – Hamstring
Wolverhampton

Wanderers

Matt Doherty – Wrist
Leon Chiwome – Knee
Toti Gomes – Illness
Several clubs (like Arsenal, Chelsea, Brighton) are carrying multiple knee and muscle-related injuries, threatening their rotation options in both domestic and European fixtures.

Teams may need to adopt more cautious lineups or revert to older but trusted players to plug gaps. For instance, Arsenal’s attack will look very different without Jesus and Havertz, while Manchester City will miss the midfield stability of Kovačić.

Barcelona legend, Gerard Piqué has said that Brazil legend, Neymar could have won the Ballon d’Or had he remained at the Catalan side a little longer.

Neymar left Barça for PSG in 2017, becoming the costliest player in the world.

Pique said that the move stopped the Brazilian from winning the Ballon d’Or.

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He said that the superstar footballer actually deserved to win the France Football award in his career.

Speaking on the PodPah podcast, Pique, who was Neymar’s teammate for many years at Barcelona, said he tried to convince the Brazilian not to make the move but the former PSG star did not listen to him.

“I’m convinced he deserved a Ballon d’Or. I think going to PSG hurt him. We tried to convince him not to go, we did everything possible.

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“Everyone thought he was going to stay, even me, but it seemed that it was already decided. In the end, he had an incredible career,” he said.

The Brazilian was at Camp Nou until 2017 when he decided to move to PSG who were willing to activate his €222 million release clause.

He left for Al-Hilal in 2023 and returned to Brazil with Santos in 2025.