The former Ajax star shares the individual award with the Portugal international after the latter did not feature at the weekend due to injury

Liverpool star Luis Suarez and Real Madrid attacker Cristiano Ronaldo are joint winners of the European Golden Shoe this season after scoring 31 goals each in the Premier League and La Liga respectively.

Last year’s winner Lionel Messi has to settle for third spot this campaign following his 28 goals for Barcelona in 2013-14.

Suarez was in danger of missing out on the prestigious individual award as Ronaldo still had one game to add to his tally at the weekend, but the Portuguese forward eventually missed his side’s victory over Espanyol due to injury.

Both Messi and fourth-placed Diego Costa failed to find the net in Barca’s 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid, while Torino star Ciro Immobile did not score either in his side’s 2-2 draw against Fiorentina.

Red Bull Salzburg forward Jonatan Soriano and Heerenveen striker Alfred Finnbogason are the only players from outside Europe’s top five leagues to make the top 10, while Manchester City’s Yaya Toure is the only midfielder in there after scoring an impressive 20 goals for the Premier League champions.

Players such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Alexis Sanchez, Carlos Tevez and Mario Mandzukic all nearly missed out on a spot among Europe’s 10 best goalscorers.

History & How It Works

Players such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry and Diego Forlan have won the European Golden Shoe in the past few seasons, with the Argentina international as the latest winner of the award following his 46 goals in 2012-13.

Other noteworthy winners include the likes of Francesco Totti, Luca Toni, Ronaldo, Marco van Basten, Eusebio and Gerd Muller.

The weightings are determined by the league’s ranking on the Uefa coefficients, which in turn depend on the results of each league’s clubs in European competition over the previous five seasons. Goals scored in the top five leagues according to the Uefa coefficients are multiplied by a factor of two, and goals scored in the leagues ranked six to 21 are multiplied by 1.5. Goals in all other leagues are worth one single point.

This measure has prevented players from so-called weaker leagues from winning the European Golden Shoe, since a goal scored in, for example, Armenia, Estonia or Azerbaijan, carries less weight than a goal scored in Serie A, La Liga, the Bundesliga or the Premier League.

The Uruguay striker enjoyed a stunning season at club level, scoring 31 goals for Liverpool, but the England boss feels he may find it difficult at the World Cup

England manager Roy Hodgson claims Luis Suarez may struggle to shine for Uruguay at this summer’s World Cup.

The two nations have been drawn together in Group D for the tournament in Brazil, and meet in the second round of fixtures on June 19.

But Hodgson feels double footballer of the year Suarez – who scored 31 Premier League goals last season to inspire Liverpool’s title challenge – could struggle without his club-mates around him.

“Suarez is my player of the year,” he told reporters. “I’m not trying to take anything away from him, he’s had a wonderful season. He’s an exceptional player, with exceptional ability.

“But he’s not alone. He won’t have at Uruguay the same players he has around him at Liverpool. So who knows? Maybe he’s less effective with Uruguay than for Liverpool.

“I think it would be a big mistake to get hung up on any individual player no matter how much you respect their ability.

“In our team talk we will focus on Uruguay as a team, the way they play, the way they attack and defend, it won’t be all about just ‘Suarez, Suarez, Suarez’. I expect our players when they go out against Uruguay to deal with Luis Suarez as if they were meeting him in a club competition.

“Our two centre-halves, Gary Cahill and Phil Jagielka, have played against him many times. They know his strengths.

“If we are going to deal with any great player at the World Cup we will have to be well organised as a team.

“I would be very worried if we have so little faith in ourselves that when we are going to play Italy or Uruguay it’s all about Mario Balotelli this, or Suarez that.

“I would like to think our players are thinking ‘We are good too’.”

The Brazil legend watched the Liverpool full-back in action against Newcastle United last Saturday and complimented his playing style and determination on the field

Liverpool full-back Jon Flanagan has received a ringing endorsement from Brazil legend Cafu.

The 21-year-old has been dubbed the ‘Scouse Cafu’ by Reds fans following a string of impressive performances, a comparison that caught the attention of the two-time World Cup winner.

Cafu jetted over to Merseyside to see Flanagan in action against Newcastle United in the club’s final Premier League game of the season last Sunday and says he sees similarities between himself and the defender.

“He is a good player; still young and developing, but already gaining recognition at Liverpool and he might even have an opportunity with the English national team. He’ll be a great English player in the future,” Cafu told the club’s official website.

“I first started hearing about him by watching Premier League matches and observing his performance along with other players.

“I then started seeing some news saying he is the Red Cafu! So there’s nothing better than coming to the city and taking a picture with my successor.

“He has speed, strength and determination. He’s an athlete who goes after it and never gives it up. That’s exactly what I used to do; there were no missing chances for me, no tiredness and no being dejected.

“I see that style in him too. I hope he continues that way and achieves as many trophies as I did.”