Strange top scorer surpasses Haaland and Mbappe

Not Haaland, nor Mbappe. The person leading the race for the European Golden Shoe is a name unfamiliar to many - Darko Lemajic, the 32-year-old striker of RFS Club (Latvia).

Darko Lemajic has scored 28 goals this season.

While the world was still watching every goal of the two biggest superstars of the era, Lemajic quietly scored 28 goals in just half a season, topping the Golden Boot rankings. He did not play in the Premier League or La Liga, but in the Latvian championship, where each goal is only counted as 1 point, instead of 2 points like the top European leagues. But with 28 goals, Lemajic still far surpassed Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, who only had 13 goals (26 points).

At 32, Lemajic is not a young phenomenon or a new discovery. He is a classic striker, 1.98 meters tall, strong, intelligent in his position and cool in his finishing. Lemajic's career has been quite quiet, having passed at small teams such as Indija, Napredak Krusevac, Riga, RFS or Gent. However, this year, the Serbian striker suddenly scored regularly, turning himself into "the unexpected top scorer" of Europe.

Meanwhile, Haaland just scored a double against Bournemouth, was voted “Player of the Match” and joked that “many Fantasy players are not happy that I was substituted early”. He has 17 goals for Man City in all competitions and 9 goals for the Norwegian team, but in the race for the national championship alone, he is temporarily behind Lemajic.

According to UEFA's calculation, goals in the 5 strongest leagues (England, Spain, Germany, Italy, France) are multiplied by 2; leagues from 6th to 21st are multiplied by 1.5; the rest are multiplied by 1. With that rule, Lemajic still holds the top spot even though he plays in the third tier of European football.

From the small stands of Riga, Darko Lemajic is writing his own fairytale. While the world is busy praising Haaland and Mbappe, he quietly proves: sometimes, the real top scorer doesn't need the spotlight.

Source: https://znews.vn/vua-pha-luoi-la-mat-vuot-haaland-va-mbappe-post1599636.html