Golden Boot leader and rival in Messi's farewell: Meet Oloko Ede

While Europe’s major leagues are still in the early rounds, other competitions that may not attract as much attention are already in more advanced stages thanks to the continent’s different calendars and formats. This contrast often produces curious storylines in the race for the Golden Boot across Europe. This season, the top spot in the award has fallen to Joseph Oloko Ede, Argentina’s opponent in Lionel Messi’s farewell.

Born in Nigeria, the striker chose to represent Benin, the country of his mother’s origin. During this international break, Oloko Ede received his first call-up for the African nation and will be at the Monumental de Núñez on Tuesday for Messi’s final dance in the Albiceleste No. 10 shirt.

Despite his confirmed presence at the occasion, the Beninese forward is expected to play only a few minutes at most, judging by his involvement in the first matches. On his debut for the national team, Ede played for two minutes in the draw against Burkina Faso in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, and in the following match he did not even get on the pitch in the win over Mauritania.

Far from being the main act in the farewell party for Messi, the centre-forward has enjoyed a standout season in Europe, which has lifted him out of anonymity and earned him a chance with the African national team. With 25 goals in the Latvian League, Oloko Ede is the only player still ahead of Barcelona star Raphinha in the race for Europe’s Golden Boot.

Because of Latvia’s severe winter, the domestic championship follows its own schedule, starting in March, which has given the Beninese striker a chance to pull clear in the battle for the continent’s scoring crown, albeit within a limited window.

Ede began the season on loan at Tukums 2000 and scored 16 goals in 16 games for Latvijas. In the second half of the competition, the striker was recalled by Liepaja and maintained his sharp eye for goal, finding the net ten times and adding five assists in 15 matches.

His impressive league campaign included a hat-trick in the draw against reigning champions Riga and a poker — four goals in one match — in the heavy win over Ogre United.

Alongside his outright lead in the Latvian League scoring chart, the Beninese forward’s efficiency has also kept him at the top of the Golden Boot standings for now. Each goal scored by the centre-forward is worth 1 point in the ranking of Europe’s leading marksmen, leaving Ede Oloko on 25 points. However, Raphinha’s blistering start to the season has made the little-known striker’s lead a short-lived one. The Brazilian has 12 goals in seven La Liga matches, where each goal is worth 2 points. As a result, the Barcelona player has closed the gap to the leader with 24 points.

While Raphinha and other forwards from Europe’s giants are still getting up to speed, Ede Oloko is riding his hot streak to keep building momentum in his career.

The striker came through the youth ranks at Nigeria’s 36 Lion FC, had a spell at Cotonou in Benin, and arrived in Europe in 2022.

In Europe, Oloko played for Karlovy Vary and Táborsko in the Czech Republic but only truly broke through after moving to Latvia. Before signing for Liepaja last year, the striker produced an 11-goal return in 26 matches for FK Jelgava.