Lionel Messi or Mohamed Salah: Will there be a European Golden Shoe winner for 2019/2020?

The race for the top scorer across Europe was brought to an abrupt halt. See who was leading the way

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  Neymar, Paris St Germain: 13 goals (26 points). Slide through the images to see who is leading the way. Reuters

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  Jadon Sancho, Borussia Dortmund: 14 goals (28 points). Reuters

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  Sadio Mane, Liverpool: 14 goals (28 points). Reuters

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  Marcus Rashford, Manchester United: (14 goals, 28 points). PA

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  Karim Benzema. Real Madrid: 14 goals (28 points). Reuters

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  Alexander Sorloth, Trabzonspor, Turkey: 19 goals (28.5 points). Getty Images

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  Danny Ings, Southampton: 15 goals (30 points). Reuters

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  Josip Ilicic, Atalanta: 15 goals (30 points). AFP

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  Erik Sorga, Flora in Estonia (now DC United in MLS): 31 goals (31 points). Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports

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  Moussa Dembele, Lyon: 16 goals (32 points). AFP

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  Joao Pedro, Cagliari: 16 goals (32 points). Getty Images

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  Mohamed Salah, Liverpool: 16 goals (32 points). EPA

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  Sergio Aguero, Manchester City: 16 goals (32 points). Getty Images

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  Shon Weissman of Wolfsberger, Austria: 22 goals (33 points). Barcroft Media via Getty Images

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  Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Arsenal: 17 goals (34 points) Action Images via Reuters

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  Romelu Lukaku, Inter Milan: 17 goals (34 points). AFP

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  Wissam Ben Yedder, Monaco: 18 goals (36 points). AFP

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  Kylian Mbappe, Paris Saint-Germain: 18 goals (36 points). Getty Images

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  Lionel Messi, Barcelona: 19 goals (38 points). AFP

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  Jamie Vardy, Leicester City: 19 goals (38 points). EPA

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  Erling Haaland, Borussia Dortmund: 9 goals for Dortmund, 16 for RB Salzburg in Austria (42 points). AP

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  Timo Werner, Leipzig: 21 goals (42 points). AFP

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  Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus: 21 goals (42 points). EPA

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  Robert Lewandowski, Bayern Munich: 25 goals (50 points). AFP

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  Ciro Immobile, Lazio: 27 goals (54 points). Getty Images

The time when the likes of Lionel Messi, Mohamed Salah and the world's other great strikers scored goal after goal feels like a distant memory.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, such sporting achievements have suddenly been watered down in terms of importance as nations go to extreme lengths to keep their citizens safe.

But history hasn't been wiped out, and, as it stands, the 2019/2020 season still exists - just in a state of limbo.

Whether end of season awards will be handed out is unclear at this stage, but up until matches across the likes of the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A were halted, the race for the annual Golden Shoe awarded to the top goalscorer in Europe was very much on.

See the list of list of leading contenders in the slideshow at the top.

How is the Golden Shoe winner worked out?

The players across the five top leagues in Europe - England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France - are awarded two points per league goal in the season.

Players in leagues ranked from six to 21 gain 1.5 points per goal, and leagues below that are worth one point per goal.

So, for example, Erling Haaland's goals at Austrian side RB Salzburg were worth 1.5 points per goal, and his goals following his move to Borussia Dortmund were were worth two points each.

Who has won the most Golden Shoes?

Little surprise there. Lionel Messi has claimed the award six times, including for the past three consecutive seasons. Messi's was looking unlikely to win the award this season, despite topping the La Liga goal charts.

Cristiano Ronaldo has also featured heavily, winning it four times.