Ardon Jashari and Tessa Wullaert win Golden Shoe for best football player

Ardon Jashari played an hour on Sunday afternoon during AC Milan's 1-1 draw at Fiorentina in Serie A. A few hours later, he stood on the podium in Middelkerke as the surprise winner of the 72nd Golden Shoe, for best player in the Belgian competition. The Swiss midfielder could hardly believe what was happening and was very pleased. ‘This really gives me a great feeling’, he stammered afterward at the press conference. Best female player Tessa Wullaert won for the sixth time.

‘It's unbelievable’, he smiled. ‘When I transferred to Milan this summer, I thought I could forget about winning the Golden Shoe. The fact that I've finally managed to win it, based on a single round of voting, makes me very happy. I'll never forget this moment. It brings up a lot of emotions.’

Jashari collected 351 points in the first round of voting for the Golden Boot, after the first half of the year, which was enough for victory. The Swiss player surpassed former teammates Hans Vanaken (304 points) and Christos Tzolis (243 points). He is the first player since Gilles De Bilde in 1994 to win the Golden Boot based on half the votes.

Tessa Wullaert remains the best Belgian female footballer at the moment. The Inter Milan striker won her sixth women's Golden Boot in ten years on Sunday in Middelkerke, her third in a row. Wullaert was delighted afterward. ‘An award like this remains unique every year’, she said with a broad smile. Wullaert previously won in 2016, 2018, 2019, 2023, and 2024. This is her sixth overall victory. The women's Golden Shoe is only in its tenth year.

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