Last season, the battle for the Serie A Top Scorer Award depicted the Scudetto battle. Like his Napoli rooted the competition from the early going, Victor Osimhen left the chasing pack in his dust as he marched towards his maiden Serie A Top-Goalscorer Award.
Judging by the current charts, Lautaro Martinez who served as a runner-up last term, is looking to emulate the Nigerian’s feat and secure the trophy by a landscape. Nevertheless, the Inter captain could still face some hurdles on the way, opening up the door to one of the most thrilling Capocannoniere races in recent memory.
So now it’s time to take a closer look at the twenty most likely candidates to win the Paolo Rossi Award this season while ranking their chances.
20. Lorenzo Colombo (Monza)
Last season, the Milan youth product made his bones in Serie A while on loan at Lecce. Last weekend, he finally broke his duck for Monza.
While he certainly remains an outsider, the arrival of the elusive creative force known as Papu Gomez at the U-Power Stadium should boost his chances.
19. Boulaye Dia (Salernitana)
Similar to his Salernitana, Boulaye Dia is yet to hit the ground running this term. He has only scored a single goal thus far and had to miss the earlier matches through injury.
Nevertheless, the Senegalese was a catalyst in last season’s Serie A Top Scorer race, finishing on the podium. Who can ever forget his stunning equalizer that smashed the exhilaration out of Maradona Stadium crowds who were preparing to celebrate their first Scudetto in 33 years?
18. Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta)
Sadly for Gianluca Scamacca, he sustained his injury right after announcing himself in Bergamo with a fabulous brace.
If the Italian can resume action soon enough and remain fit, he should be able to climb his way back in the rankings. Nevertheless, his early stop may have hindered his chances of launching a genuine onslaught for the title.
17. Duvan Zapata (Torino)
Duvan Zapata has been on the decline in recent years, dealing with recurring injury problems. However, you get the sensation that the Colombian still has one run in him.
At the age of 32, this is the perfect time for the vastly experienced striker to launch a bid for the award that eluded him in the past, even if his start to life in Torino has been lukewarm thus far.
16. Ademola Lookman (Atalanta)
Last season, Ademola Lookman was the only one who managed to keep pace with Osimhen at the start of the season. However, he ran out of steam in the long run.
With Scamacca and El-Bilal Touré both injured at the moment, Gian Piero Gasperini has been relying on the Nigerian as his main source of goals, even though he isn’t a classic target man.
15. Nikola Krstovic (Lecce)
Nikola Kristovic cemented himself as one of the best revelations of the Serie A campaign, scoring three goals despite his relatively late arrival in the summer.
While plying his trade at an impressive, yet limited Lecce side, the Montenegrin is unlikely to clinch the award. But if he keeps bagging the goals, he will certainly find himself at a more prestigious club come next season.
14. Mateo Retegui (Genoa)
Last summer, many expected the newest oriundo in the Italian national team to join a top side, but it was the ambitious Genovese who sealed the deal with Boca Juniors upon their return to the top flight.
The 24-year-old is a throwback striker who never shies away from a shot when given a glimpse at goal. He has already netted three this season, and his rapidly blossoming partnership with the elegant Albert Gudmundsson will certainly solidify his claim.
13. Nicolas Gonzalez (Fiorentina)
For the second season in a row, Fiorentina appear to be lacking a free-scoring centre-forward, with summer signings M’Bala Nzola and Lucas Beltran both struggling for continuity.
But luckily for La Viola, Nicolas Gonzalez is rising to the occasion and making up for the deficit. The Argentine winger already has four strikes to his name, even though his positioning suggests he’s more likely to create goals than scoring them himself.
12. Marcus Thuram (Inter)
Marcus Thuram is proving to be one of the best bargains of the summer, not only in Italy but in European football overall. The Frenchman has only scored twice thus far in Serie A, with Lautaro Martinez assuming the role of the ultimate scoring force at Inter.
But in the long run, the two Nerazzurri stars could alternate their roles, especially since the new signing has the physical attributes to act as a classic Number 9.
11. Paulo Dybala (Roma)
Throughout his career, Paulo Dybala has won every honor in Serie A (five Scudetto titles and an MVP Award), except for the Top Scorer Award.
The Argentine star is often happy to feed others, but his ability to find the back of the net from various positions is second to none. Nonetheless, Romelu Lukaku is the more likely option to raise the Roman banner in the Capocannoniere race.
10. Federico Chiesa (Juventus)
Similar to his former teammate Dybala, the Italian is serving as a second striker alongside a more physical target man, a factor that doesn’t play in his favor.
However, the Euro 2020 hero has finally regained his optimal physical condition following the horrendous injury sustained in January 2022, while his finishing has undoubtedly improved as evidenced by the four goals bagged thus far.
9. Ciro Immobile (Lazio)
With four previous accolades to his name, Ciro Immobile is only one Top Scorer Award away from equaling the Serie A record registered by Milan icon Gunnar Nordahl (five).
But unfortunately for the 33-year-old, his best days now appear to be behind him, while the departure of his longtime partner-in-crime Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has certainly hurt his chances.
8. Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo)
Due to late-summer transfer speculations, Sassuolo opted to leave Domenico Berardi on the sidelines for the first two rounds of the season.
But after being reinstated, the winger immediately began to gain ground, and has already netted four goals, with Juventus and Inter both on his list of victims.
While the 29-year-old will provide quality strikes from the outside of the box, he’s unlikely to catch the more natural hitmen in the race, but his prowess could bolster the chances of Andrea Pinamonti.
7. Rafael Leao (Milan)
Year after year, Rafael Leao’s finishing touch continues to improve. Perhaps one day he’ll transform himself into a bona fide striker, following in the footsteps of Lautaro Martinez.
But in the meantime, the Portuguese star remains an advanced left winger with a license to roam in the final third and storm into the box.
We expect the 24-year-old to accumulate an impressive tally by the end of the Serie A season, but it probably won’t be enough to fight for the Top Scorer Award.
6. Andrea Pinamonti (Sassuolo)
Following an underwhelming first campaign at the Mapei Stadium, Andrea Pinamonti is determined to bounce back with a spectacular 2023/24 campaign. The Inter youth product is tall, physical and deadly in front of goal.
With the likes of Berardi, Armand Laurienté and Nedim Bajrami feeding him with delicious plays, he might become the Dark Horse in the race.
5. Dusan Vlahovic (Juventus)
Now we reached the five main contenders for the throne. Since his arrival in Turin, Dusan Vlahovic has only been showing flashes of the merciless bomber who tormented Serie A defenses while donning the purple jersey of Fiorentina.
Following a complicated summer, the Serbian ended up staying in Turin and has overcome his groin issues.
But despite showcasing signs of improvement, playing for Juventus could ironically hurt his chances of winning the Award, as the Bianconeri have been playing rigid, infertile football under the guidance of Massimiliano Allegri.
4. Olivier Giroud (Milan)
Serving as the first-choice centre-forward for one of the main contenders in the Serie A race, Olivier Giroud is certainly a natural contender in the race for the Paolo Rossi award.
Despite celebrating his 36th birthday, the 2018 World Cup winner still boasts a terrific physical shape.
Moreover, the Frenchman is the main penalty-taker for the Rossoneri and occasionally steps forward for free-kicks, which gives him a significant advantage over some of his competitors.
3. Romelu Lukaku (Roma)
In the 2020/21 campaign, Romelu Lukaku won the Scudetto title with Inter along with the Serie A MVP award, but missed out on the Top Scorer Award which instead went to Cristiano Ronaldo.
Therefore, the Belgian would certainly love to round off his first campaign in the Italian capital with a Capocannoniere accolade. He appears to be fully concentrated and on song with the rest of his Roma teammates.
But it remains to be seen if the club’s inconsistent results will hurdle his chances.
2. Victor Osimhen (Napoli)
If there’s one man you can definitely bet on to catch up with the currently-soaring Lautaro, it has to be Victor Osimhen. Anyone who doubts the Nigerian’s credentials as one of the finest strikers in the world has probably never seen him in action.
The menacing forward is simply a thorn in the back of any defender whom he crosses paths with, and he’ll be looking to collect his second Serie A Top Scorer award on the trot.
1. Lautaro Martinez (Inter)
After making history by bagging four goals off the bench, the Inter captain is flying off the charts with nine goals in seven league appearances. These are incredible figures for a player who had always been deemed as a second striker or a “Nine and a Half”.
While he’s unlikely to maintain the same pace until the end of the season, his velocious start puts him in the driver’s seat, as he already enjoys a four-goal cushion separating him from his nearest rival.
The Argentine has now established himself as a deadly all-round bomber who only needs half a yard of space to inflict damage.
So at this point, it’s difficult to bet against the current Capocannoniere leader.
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