The 5 players we can’t believe won more Golden Boot awards than Lionel Messi | OneFootball

Lionel Messi has won nine domestic Golden Boot awards throughout his career so far, but a handful of players have managed to win more than that.

In total, Messi won the La Liga Golden Boot on eight occasions and he also won the MLS Golden Boot with Inter Miami in 2025.

For context, Robert Lewandowski, Nicolas Munoz, Tulio Maravilha, Gunnar Nordahl and Arthur Friedenreich have also won nine G0lden Boot awards, meaning they’re tied level with Messi.

However, we’ve found the five players in football history who boast more domestic Golden Boot awards than Messi.

1. Romario – 15 Golden Boot awards

Romario‘s record of 15 domestic Golden Boot awards has stood the test of time and likely won’t be broken any time soon.

Of his Golden Boots, 10 were won in Brazil, three in the Netherlands, one in Spain and one in the USA.

With that sort of goal record, it’s no wonder that Gary Neville often refers to the Brazilian forward as the toughest player he’s ever faced.

“Romario was the most incredible player,” Neville said.

“Speed of turn, speed off the mark, the ability to beat someone. He was just an amazing player.

“Romario was, to me, the scariest thing I’ve seen. I remember him just stood in front of me and I’m thinking I’ve got him, then he’s spinning me and running behind me and I’m thinking ‘what the hell was that?’

“I can’t believe what I’ve just seen, and the ball had gone behind me. Brilliant instinctive movement, change of direction.

“The change of direction from Romario was exceptional, and that was the thing that always troubled me the most.”

2. Josef Bican – 12 Golden Boot awards

According to the RSSSF, Bican scored around 950 goals throughout his career and so it’s not much of a surprise to learn that he won plenty of Golden Boots along the way.

The striker enjoyed his peak years at Slavia Prague, where he managed to win a record 11 Golden Boot awards.

In his early years, he also won a Golden Boot in Austria with Rapid Vienna, scoring more goals than any other player in 1933-34.

=3. Pele – 11 Golden Boot awards

Pele’s legacy within the game is immortal.

Playing for Santos, he won 11 Golden Boot awards, winning his first in 1957 and his last in 1973.

His most prolific year came in 1958, when he scored 58 league goals, a record for the Campeonato Paulista Serie A1.

Amazingly, he won nine consecutive Golden Boots from 1957 to 1965, scoring more than 30 goals in eight of those seven campaigns.

=3. Dada Maravilha – 11 Golden Boot awards

Like Pele, Maravilha also won 11 Golden Boot awards while playing in Brazil.

He won six of those awards while playing for Atletico Mineiro and also won Golden Boots while playing for Internacional, Flamengo, Sport and Nacional.

=3. Sima – 11 Golden Boot awards

Sima also racked up 11 Golden Boot awards while playing in Brazil, winning his first in 1968 and last in 1983.

Impressively, he won the top scorer award for four different clubs, winning it with Piaui, Tiradentes, River and Auto Esporte.