Luis Suarez won the European Golden Shoe award for the second time in his career. The striker, who plays for Spain’s Barcelona, scored 40 goals in La Liga, outpacing Cristiano Ronaldo by 5 goals.
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Another Latin American player, Argentine Gonzalo Higuain, who plays for Italy’s Napoli, came second by scoring 36 goals. Ronaldo, from Spain’s Real Madrid took the third position with 35.
Suarez won soccer tournaments in La Liga, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup with his team this season.
The Golden Shoe award does not only depend on goals, but also on the league’s UEFA ranking. The player's goal tally is multiplied by the ranking of the league the player scores in. The strongest leagues have a rating of 2.0, the next are 1.5 and the final leagues are 1.0.
Suarez hit 40 goals in 35 matches of the league, 59 in all competitions and 84 since he joined his current club, Barcelona. Still, Ronaldo is the only player to have won the European Golden Shoe on four occasions.
The Uruguayan's notoriety grew during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil when he bit Italian player Giorgio Chiellini during a match. This is the third time he has bitten opponents, with Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanović and PSV attacker Otman Bakkal being on the receiving end prior. Suarez was also banned from playing soccer temporarily for racial abuses against Manchester United player Patrice Evra.