The 2025-26 UEFA Champions League season is about to kick off, and awards from last year’s edition have already been handed out. Borussia Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy claimed the Golden Boot for the 2024-25 campaign, but the decision has raised questions as to why Barcelona winger Raphinha was overlooked despite finishing with the same number of goals.
Dortmund put together a solid run last season, reaching the quarterfinals largely thanks to Guirassy’s brilliance. The Guinean forward appeared in 14 Champions League games, scoring 13 goals and adding 5 assists to establish himself among Europe’s elite.
Dortmund’s run ended in the quarterfinals against Barcelona, who cruised to a 4-0 win at Montjuic Olympic Stadium. The German side struck back with a 3-1 victory in the return leg, but it wasn’t enough to overturn the deficit and they were eliminated from the competition.
In that second match, Guirassy made history by becoming the first African player to score a hat trick in a Champions League game from the quarterfinal stage onward. The treble pushed his tally from 10 to 13 goals, ultimately sealing the Golden Boot — a milestone Dortmund proudly highlighted on their social media channels.
Serhou Guirassy with the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League golden boot.
Why Guirassy and not Raphinha?
Raphinha arguably had the more complete campaign, not just by reaching the semifinals but also by being directly involved in 22 goals — 13 goals and 9 assists. With both players tied at the top of the scoring charts, and the Brazilian boasting far more overall contributions, many fans wondered why Guirassy walked away with the honor.
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The decisive factor came down to minutes played. Both appeared in 14 matches, but Guirassy’s 13 goals came in just 1,084 minutes, compared to Raphinha’s 1,224 minutes for Barcelona. Efficiency favored the Guinean striker.
So despite sharing the scoring lead, Guirassy claimed the Golden Boot thanks to his superior goals-per-minute ratio. In doing so, he became the first African player to ever win the award, etching his name into history in the revamped format of the Champions League.
