The Serie A season is still young, but all signs point to a Capocannoniere, or top scorer, battle between two greats in Zlatan Ibrahimović and Cristiano Ronaldo. A decade ago this would’ve been the norm and it’d be more of a shock if these two were not leading their leagues in scoring. In 2020, however, with Ibrahimović being 39-years-old and Ronaldo 35-years-old, they’re still amongst the world’s best when it comes to finding the back of the net.
Capocannoniere: Zlatan Ibrahimović and Cristiano Ronaldo Chasing the Top Scorer
The Mighty Swede
Ibrahimović reinvigorated his AC Milan side and has them at first place in the league. It’s too early to call them favourites, but the Swede’s presence alone makes Milan a top-four contender. Many may have thought that the striker was nearing the end of his career after his time in Major League Soccer, but he’s proven everyone wrong.
In five matches he has eight goals. In addition to that, he has one assist. The goal tally should also be higher if not for missed penalty attempts. Putting that aside, his record is still impressive, averaging 1.6 goals per 90 minutes.
Ibrahimović has taken 25 shots in total. That means that he’s converting 32 per cent of his shots into goals. There are higher percentages across Serie A, but a key difference with Ibrahimović is how involved he is in every single one of Milan’s attacks.
He also holds a respectable shot average of 56 per cent. This could certainly be higher, however, as Ibrahimović has always been known for taking a couple of seemingly impossible shots per game.
The Swede is the clear leader of Milan’s attack. Behind him with second-most goals for Milan in Italy are Franck Kessié and Rafael Leão with just two. It’s reasonable to expect Ibrahimović’s goal tally to decrease with the return of Ante Rebić, but for now, the Swede is at the top of the league.
Cristiano Ronaldo Isn’t Slowing Down
Second place in the Capocannoniere is none other than Ronaldo. After a battle with COVID-19, Ronaldo returned to Serie A looking as good as ever. He currently has six goals to his name in just four matches.
Ronaldo is hitting an impressive pace of scoring a goal every 48 minutes. This leaves him with a current average of 1.86 goals per match. Although that number is likely to decrease, averaging a near-brace every match is incredible.
Having taken 17 total shots, Ronaldo is converting 35 per cent of them into goals. He’s also above Ibrahimović in shot accuracy, sporting a 65 per cent rate.
Ronaldo’s Juventus side currently sit at fifth in the Serie A table. This has them four points behind Milan in first place. Seven games in, that’s a very reasonable number to catch up to in due time. Juventus is currently adjusting into a new era with Andrea Pirlo as manager, and Ronaldo’s return is as good of a boost as they could ask for.
The Portuguese superstar will continue to rack up goals alongside players like Álvaro Morata and Paulo Dybala.
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