2025-05-13, 09:04 AM - Word count:
Season 17 was a peculiar one when compared to recent seasons. There were a plethora of top players banging in goals on a regular basis, the likes of which we haven't seen again since. I want to focus on this race, top attacking players going head to head for the league's golden boot award. Two players would emerge on top in a tie in the end, but I want to give a brief spotlight to all five players involved in the dramatic course of events.
First up is Wang Zhihao, the Schwarzwalder FV striker who found themself in fifth place at the end of the season with a thirteen goal tally that would have them firmly in the golden boot winner spot in most seasons since S17. The Chinese striker was just establishing themself as a star in S17, their profile is a pacy striker who likes to get in behind the defense and carefully pick out their corner, placing the ball around the keeper in the process. They were also able to bag five assists this season to go along with their thirteen goals, in no small part due to their outstanding partnership with another teammate on this list, Kimi Häkkinen. While the two combined for a huge number of goals in S17, it was ultimately not enough to lift the golden boot or the league trophy that year as Schwarzwalder would finish in second just two points back of the champions, Reykjavik United.
Next up is the Buenos Aires striker, Jake Bradford. The American managed to bag fourteen goals in S17 for Buenos Aires, and he was a star who was beginning to realize the heights that everyone believed he could hit around this time. While his prime would be short-lived, this season stood out in his career as his best. His game was more about power than our first member of the list, Zhihao. Bradford was a force in the air and could absolutely put his foot through a shot with the best of them. While his team would finish firmly in the bottom half of the table, he stood out as a shining beacon of hope for the future. Unfortunately he would never quite hit the heights that this season showed he could hit again.
In third place was the second part of the dynamic Schwarzwalder duo, and the only non-striker in the golden boot race. Kimi Häkkinen was and still is one of the most dynamic attacking players in the league. Häkkinen combines physical dominance with technical excellence to both finish goal scoring opportunities as well as provide them for teammates. Fifteen goals and six assists is an unreal seasonal contribution and only a handful of players can boast a similar impact in terms of total goal contributions on the season. While it wasn't enough to lift either the individual trophy or the team one in the end, this season was nothing to sneeze at, and Häkkinen continues to prove their quality season after season in the top league.
The first of the joint S17 golden boot winners is Gerd Klose, a physical powerhouse with an explosive striking ability who hails from Germany. Klose tied for the league's top goal scoring award with 16 goals while playing for a team that he nearly single-handedly dragged to a mid-table finish. Unlike the other members of this S17 golden boot race club, there were no other consistent goal scorers on his team at Hollywood FC. Klose was a one man show, who has continued to score goals in the top flight like his career depends on it. Sometimes, your team isn't the best, it's usually times like these where winning an individual award like a golden boot will feel the sweetest.
The only situation I can think of where the golden boot feels better than Klose's vindication while playing for a less-competitive squad is what our second golden boot winner, Jean-Claude Goddamn felt when he lifted both the golden boot and league trophy to end the season. The Belgian was at the very top of his career in S17. An elite scorer playing in an elite squad, a physical freak built to score goals, the tip of the spear of a potent Reykjavik United attack. His sixteen goals felt different from Klose's, as he had teammates popping up all over the pitch scoring alongside him. While he was at the peak of his game, he was truly special to watch, and the entire league got to see that in S17. The muscles from Brussels was a special player, and very deserving of the recognition that he received in terms of the golden boot in S17.
First up is Wang Zhihao, the Schwarzwalder FV striker who found themself in fifth place at the end of the season with a thirteen goal tally that would have them firmly in the golden boot winner spot in most seasons since S17. The Chinese striker was just establishing themself as a star in S17, their profile is a pacy striker who likes to get in behind the defense and carefully pick out their corner, placing the ball around the keeper in the process. They were also able to bag five assists this season to go along with their thirteen goals, in no small part due to their outstanding partnership with another teammate on this list, Kimi Häkkinen. While the two combined for a huge number of goals in S17, it was ultimately not enough to lift the golden boot or the league trophy that year as Schwarzwalder would finish in second just two points back of the champions, Reykjavik United.
Next up is the Buenos Aires striker, Jake Bradford. The American managed to bag fourteen goals in S17 for Buenos Aires, and he was a star who was beginning to realize the heights that everyone believed he could hit around this time. While his prime would be short-lived, this season stood out in his career as his best. His game was more about power than our first member of the list, Zhihao. Bradford was a force in the air and could absolutely put his foot through a shot with the best of them. While his team would finish firmly in the bottom half of the table, he stood out as a shining beacon of hope for the future. Unfortunately he would never quite hit the heights that this season showed he could hit again.
In third place was the second part of the dynamic Schwarzwalder duo, and the only non-striker in the golden boot race. Kimi Häkkinen was and still is one of the most dynamic attacking players in the league. Häkkinen combines physical dominance with technical excellence to both finish goal scoring opportunities as well as provide them for teammates. Fifteen goals and six assists is an unreal seasonal contribution and only a handful of players can boast a similar impact in terms of total goal contributions on the season. While it wasn't enough to lift either the individual trophy or the team one in the end, this season was nothing to sneeze at, and Häkkinen continues to prove their quality season after season in the top league.
The first of the joint S17 golden boot winners is Gerd Klose, a physical powerhouse with an explosive striking ability who hails from Germany. Klose tied for the league's top goal scoring award with 16 goals while playing for a team that he nearly single-handedly dragged to a mid-table finish. Unlike the other members of this S17 golden boot race club, there were no other consistent goal scorers on his team at Hollywood FC. Klose was a one man show, who has continued to score goals in the top flight like his career depends on it. Sometimes, your team isn't the best, it's usually times like these where winning an individual award like a golden boot will feel the sweetest.
The only situation I can think of where the golden boot feels better than Klose's vindication while playing for a less-competitive squad is what our second golden boot winner, Jean-Claude Goddamn felt when he lifted both the golden boot and league trophy to end the season. The Belgian was at the very top of his career in S17. An elite scorer playing in an elite squad, a physical freak built to score goals, the tip of the spear of a potent Reykjavik United attack. His sixteen goals felt different from Klose's, as he had teammates popping up all over the pitch scoring alongside him. While he was at the peak of his game, he was truly special to watch, and the entire league got to see that in S17. The muscles from Brussels was a special player, and very deserving of the recognition that he received in terms of the golden boot in S17.
![[Image: C75197-D1-9-E74-4-DC5-836-E-981-D75-A96413.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/nc8qJ0Nf/C75197-D1-9-E74-4-DC5-836-E-981-D75-A96413.png)
