African trio share Premier League Golden Boot

Sadio Mane, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mohamed Salah became the leading scorer this season with 22 goals

LONDON: The race to be crowned the English Premier League's leading scorer this season ended in a three-way tie on Sunday as the African trio of Sadio Mane, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mohamed Salah shared the Golden Boot.

Gabon forward Aubameyang scored twice for Arsenal at Burnley to join Salah and his Liverpool teammate Mane, who netted a final-day double against Wolves, on 22 goals for the Premier League season.

PHOTO: AFP

Sergio Aguero, of champions Manchester City, was next in line with 21 goals.

Salah has now won the award two seasons in a row but this term's winning tally was the lowest by players in English football's top-flight since 2010/11 when Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez shared the Golden Boot with 20 goals apiece.

Aubameyang was delighted to be a member of an all-African trio of winners, saying in quotes reported by the BBC: "I share this trophy with two other guys I like, great players and African. We are representing Africa, that's cool.

"I am happy we won, and I am sharing this trophy with two other guys I like.

"My teammates knew about the Golden Boot, I said nothing. I did not want them to play and only focus on me. I am a team player."

For Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp there was the satisfaction of knowing he had a played a part in the careers of all three of this season's Golden Boot winners, having signed Aubameyang from Saint-Etienne in 2013 when he was in charge of Dortmund.

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"Auba too? Do they have three boots?" said Klopp, who suffered the last-day heartache of seeing Liverpool finish just one point behind City.

"It is good. They are all my players," the German added.

Salah scored 32 league goals last season, a record for a 38-game Premier League campaign.

The 26-year-old is the sixth player to win the Golden Boot award in consecutive seasons.