The end of the calendar year is approaching and the second round of voting for the Golden Shoe will soon be completed. This time it promises to be an exciting edition with no real clear top favorite. A new candidate has emerged in recent months.
For the time being, not much information about the Golden Shoe has been announced. But at least one big change already appears to be coming. Traditionally, the trophy was awarded every Wednesday, occasionally on Tuesday or Thursday. However, it now appears that the gala will be held on the weekend.
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Two more rounds of voting
VIP tickets for the award show are already available via the ‘Golazo Experiences’ site and the date released there is Sunday, January 11. In itself a logical moment. The quarter-finals of the Croky Cup are scheduled the following day, with the competition also resuming a few days later.
The format for the election has not yet been tinkered with. Voting is still taking place in two rounds. The first concerns the second half of last season, the second concerns the current season so far. As a result, boys who transferred in the summer see their chances evaporate. With Ardon Jashari, Noah Sadiki, Tolu Arokodare, Franjo Ivanovic, etc., some contenders were left out.
Another prize for Club?
But there were also plenty of outstanding players left in post. Promise David, for example, but he fell back this season. Teammates Christian Burgess and Kevin Mac Allister will undoubtedly also score points, although the chances of winning for defenders are generally small. In addition, new trendsetters also emerged, although this time the trophy seems to have come a bit too early for boys like Nathan De Cat.
Then his Anderlecht teammate Adriano Bertaccini seems to have a better chance after he already presented impressive figures at STVV last season. However, the focus is mainly on cup winner and vice-champion Club Brugge. The ever-constant Hans Vanaken could win for the fourth time, while Christos Tzolis was already labeled as the top favorite before the season. But the two people from Bruges will have a serious competitor.
New seasoning at Union
For example, Adem Zorgane has emphatically presented himself as an outsider or even a favorite. The Algerian midfielder has been the absolute trendsetter for defending champion and leader Union this season. Analyst Guillaume Gillet recently even called him the best player in the JPL at the moment. He will certainly gain the necessary points among Walloon voters. Possibly also in the first voting round, when he won the Europe Play-Offs with Charleroi.
The midfielder does have a major disadvantage. On Sunday he will play his last match before he goes to the Africa Cup, against ex-club Charleroi. Zorgane will therefore be absent during Union’s last two league matches in 2025. And just at that moment, most voters will fill in their form for the second round …
