In football, goals change games, and strikers carry the weight of expectation every time they step on the pitch. Finding the net regularly is what separates the good from the great, and the Golden Boot award is the ultimate proof of that consistency. In the Indian Super League (ISL), the award has been handed to the top scorer at the end of every season, with 10 different players lifting it across 11 seasons.

Read: All Golden Boot winners in the ISL

The race for the Golden Boot has also produced plenty of drama over the years. Some campaigns saw one striker dominate, but the ones fans remember most are the thrilling duels where multiple stars battled until the very end. Here, we look back at some of the most entertaining Golden Boot races in ISL history.

ISL 2015 - Mendoza vs Hume

The ISL’s second season saw a Golden Boot race that had fans glued to the action. Steven Mendoza and Iain Hume went toe-to-toe, lighting up the league with their goals. Hume was a slow starter but caught fire at the business end of the campaign, scoring in five straight matches, including a hat-trick against FC Pune City. His late surge made it look like he could pip Mendoza to the top.

But the Colombian forward had other ideas. Leading the line for Chennaiyin FC, Mendoza was ruthless in front of goal and, like Hume, bagged two hat-tricks in the league stage. By the end of the regular season, he held a slender 11–10 lead. When the playoffs came, Mendoza struck twice more while Hume managed just once, sealing the Golden Boot for himself and leaving Hume narrowly behind.

ISL 2019-20 - A three-way tie

The 2019–20 season delivered one of the most dramatic Golden Boot finishes in ISL history. Chennaiyin FC’s Nerijus Valskis, ATK FC’s Roy Krishna, and Kerala Blasters’ Bartholomew Ogbeche all ended with 15 goals, making it a rollercoaster ride at the top of the scoring charts.

Krishna started the season in fine form, leading the charts in the opening weeks. Valskis soon regained his clinical touch, steadily closing the gap, while Ogbeche burst into life in the latter stages, finishing the league phase at the top. But Kerala Blasters’ absence from the playoffs significantly dimmed Ogbeche’s hopes of claiming the Golden Boot.

Back then, if two or more players were tied on goals at the end of the season, the Golden Boot would go to the player with more assists. If they were still tied on both goals and assists, the award would go to the player with fewer minutes played.

In the playoffs, Krishna added one goal and an assist, while Valskis struck twice and assisted once to bring both their tallies to 15 goals and six assists. Ogbeche ended with just one assist, leaving the spotlight on Valskis and Krishna. With fewer minutes played, Valskis was finally crowned the Golden Boot winner.

ISL 2020-21 - Angulo’s dream debut

Igor Angulo’s first season in the ISL was a blockbuster. The Spaniard lit up the attack for FC Goa, setting up a thrilling race for the Golden Boot with Roy Krishna. The two went neck-and-neck from the opening matchday, with the lead changing hands almost every week.

By the end of the league phase, Krishna held a slight one-goal advantage over Angulo. However, Angulo struck in the first leg of the semi-final to level the scoring at 14 goals. While Krishna added four assists in the playoffs, he couldn’t find the back of the net.

With the updated Golden Boot rules in place, if two or more players were tied on goals, the award would go to the player with fewer minutes played. In this case, Angulo claimed the Golden Boot, having played fewer minutes than his MBSG counterpart.

ISL 2022-23 - Maurico, Silva and Petratos season

The 2022-23 ISL season delivered one of the closest Golden Boot races in league history. Eight players were in the mix, with three finishing on 12 goals, two on 11, and three more on 10, keeping the battle wide open until the final game.

Diego Mauricio, back with Odisha FC, emerged as a late contender, while East Bengal FC’s Cleiton Silva enjoyed a sensational goalscoring streak. Dimitri Petratos of Mohun Bagan Super Giant made a big leap in the knockout stages, scoring three goals, including a brace in the final.

By the end, all three were tied on 12 goals. With Silva missing the playoffs and Petratos unable to surpass the tally despite his late surge, Mauricio edged ahead thanks to a superior minutes-per-goal ratio, clinching the Golden Boot in one of the ISL’s most thrilling scoring races.

ISL 2023-24 - Diamantakos pips Krishna

Another season, another thrilling Golden Boot race. Nine players finished on double digits, but it all came down to a head-to-head duel at the top, with Roy Krishna and Dimitrios Diamantakos both ending the campaign on 13 goals. Krishna enjoyed another clinical season for Odisha FC, finding the back of the net consistently and guiding his side to the semi-finals.

Diamantakos, meanwhile, was in devastating form for Kerala Blasters FC, his ruthlessness in front of goal allowing him to reach 13 goals despite playing just 17 matches. Jason Cummings of Mohun Bagan Super Giant, thanks to a deep run to the final, had an outside shot, scoring twice in the playoffs but finishing on 12 goals.

In the end, Diamantakos claimed the Golden Boot thanks to a superior minutes-per-goal ratio, while Krishna narrowly missed out once again.