Who Are The EFL Championship Golden Boot Winners From The Last Ten Years And Where Are They Now?

Here at SportsCasting, we’ve taken a look back at the last ten EFL Championship Golden Boot winners and reveal what they are up to now. 

Admittedly, not every player who finishes as England’s second tier top goal-getter goes on to maximise their full footballing potential.

However, there are those who have gone on to enjoy stellar careers after lighting up the Championship. Many often go on to play in the Premier League and even represent their countries at international level.

Sammie Szmodics – 27 Goals (2023/24)

Last season’s EFL Championship Golden Boot winner was Blackburn’s Sammie Szmodics. The Republic of Ireland star netted an impressive 27 goals for a struggling Rovers side who finished 19th.

Szmodics spent his earlier years at Colchester and Peterborough where he began to hone his appetite for goal. However, his first season at Ewood Park didn’t prove very fruitful – netting five times in 34 outings.

In the 2023/24 campaign, Szmodics proved to be one of the most lethal players in the country as he fired the Lancashire side to safety.

Along the way, Szmodics won November’s Player of the Month award. He was also named as Blackburn’s Player of the Season and earned a place in the PFA and EFL Team of the Season. Now, he plies his trade at Ipswich after an initial £9 million transfer.

Chuba Akpom – 28 Goals (2022/23)

Middlesbrough forward Chuba Akpom was the EFL Championship Golden Boot winner in the 2022/23 campaign. The Arsenal graduate scored 28 goals in 40 appearances.

After failing to make the grade in north London, Akpom had loan spells at Brentford, Coventry, Nottingham Forest, Hull and Brighton before completing a permanent transfer to PAOK.

During his time in Greece, the 29-year-old still struggled to find the back of the net. Nonetheless, that all changed when he moved to the Riverside in 2020.

It took a while for Akpom to find his shooting boots at Boro but when he did, he was unstoppable. Akpom landed an astonishing eight personal accolades that year before securing a big-money move to Ajax. This season, Akpom is on loan at Lille where he has scored twice in six Ligue 1 outings.

Aleksandar Mitrovic – 43 Goals – (2021/22)

Fulham supporters will have very fond memories from their EFL Championship campaign. Not only did the Cottagers win the league, Aleksandar Mitrovic shattered the scoring record for a single season.

The Serbian star netted 43 times as Marco Silva’s side returned to the top-flight in emphatic fashion. That broke the previous record by a colossal 12 goals.

Unsurprisingly, Mitrovic cleaned up at the end of season awards for both his employers and the EFL. He even had an impressive 14 more strikes to his name than the second highest scorer that season (Dominic Solanke).

Nowadays, Mitrovic can be found strutting his stuff for Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League. The 30-year-old scored 28 times in as many games last year and has 13 goals in 14 appearances in 2024/25.

Ivan Toney – 31 Goals – (2020/21)

Similar to Chuba Akpom, 2020/21 EFL Championship Golden Boot winner Ivan Toney entertained various loan spells before he discovered his scoring touch.

Between 2018-2020, Toney rattled in 40 goals across 76 appearances for League One Peterborough. Those impressive figures earned a move to Brentford.

During his one and only second tier season with the Bees, Toney set a Championship record for most goals scored in a single season. Which of course, Aleksandar Mitrovic has since broken.

After proving to be one of the Premier League’s best forwards after helping the west Londoners to promotion, Toney was subsequently banned from football for betting offences. He has since gone on to play for England and currently represents Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli.

Aleksandar Mitrovic – 26 Goals – (2019/20)

A second appearance for Aleksandar Mitrovic who was the EFL Championship Golden Boot winner in the 2019/20 campaign for Fulham.

On this occasion, Mitrovic only netted 26 times as the Cottagers secured Premier League football via the playoffs. Unsurprisingly, the Serbian star didn’t score in the 2-1 win vs Brentford in the final at Wembley.

Nonetheless, Mitrovic’s plethora of goals helped the west Londoners return to the top-flight at the first time of asking. However, his goals the following year couldn’t keep Fulham up.

As already mentioned, Mitovic is doing what he does best in the Saudi Pro League. Even after his record-breaking £50 million move away from the English capital, he still remains a Fulham legend.

Teemu Pukki – 29 Goals (2018/19)

Ah, Teemu Pukki. His stunning form for Norwich in the 2018/19 season saw the term ‘Pukki Party‘ established across a variety of social media platforms.

Pukki netted a hugely impressive 29 goals to win the Championship Golden Boot after joining the Carrow Road outfit on a free transfer from Brondby.

The Finish international was the talk of the country owing to his lust for goals. Once the Canaries won the league, Pukki was rewarded with six personal accolades including the EFL Championship Player of the Season.

Pukki’s hot streak continued into the Premier League when he fired in a hat-trick in the 3-1 win over Newcastle in August 2019. After leaving Norfolk in 2023, Pukki played in the MLS and is now at HJK Helsinki.

Matej Vydra – 21 Goals (2017/18)

Well-travelled EFL Championship star Matej Vydra took the honours in 2017/18 after netting 21 goals for Derby as the Rams secured a playoff berth.

The Czech forward moved to Pride Park for a reported fee of £8 million the season previous but struggled to replicate his scoring exploits for Watford.

That only seemed to spur Vydra on who was the catalyst for Derby’s march into the top six. However, he was unable to fire Derby to the Premier League with Gary Rowett’s side losing out to Fulham in the semis.

Vydra won a whole host of individual accolades at the end of the season before securing a move to Burnley. Nowadays, the 32-year-old is playing for Viktoria Plzen.

Chris Wood – 27 Goals (2016/17)

EFL Championship journeyman Chris Wood won the Golden Boot after netting 27 times for Leeds during the 2016/17 campaign.

Wood had struggled to find the back of the net on a regular basis before securing his move to Elland Road 2015. His 13 goals in 2015/16 showed the Whites faithful what he was all about.

As Leeds embarked on their pursuit of the playoffs, Wood terrorised defenders across the country and demonstrated his goalscoring touch.

The Yorkshire giants were unable to secure their return to the big time but Wood earned a £15 million move to Bunrley. This season, Wood is in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot after netting 18 times in 29 appearances for high-flying Nottingham Forest.

Andre Gray – 25 Goals (2015/16)

The EFL Championship Golden Boot winner in 2015/16 was Burnley sharpshooter Andre Gray. The former Jamaica international scored 25 times as the Clarets won the league.

Gray originally made a name for himself during his stint with Luton in the National League. His lethal form at Kenilworth Road saw him secure a switch to Brentford before Sean Dyche’s side swooped.

Like the majority of the other top scorers, Gray won a series of personal accolades which included being named in the EFL and PFA Team of the Season.

After representing Watford and QPR, the 33-year-old played in Greece and Saudi Arabia before moving to struggling Plymouth on 2024/25.

Daryl Murphy – 27 Goals (2014/15)

Completing the EFL Championship Golden Boot winners list from the last ten years is Daryl Murphy. The former Republic of Ireland star was plying his trade at Ipswich Town when he won the award in 2015/16.

Murphy was the standout star as the Tractor Boys secured a playoff spot. However, the forward was unable to fire his side to Wembley as Town lost out to bitter rivals Norwich in the semi-finals.

At the end of the season, Murphy was named as Ipswich’s Player of the Year as well as the Players’ Player of the Year. He was also named in the PFA Team of the Year.

Murphy moved on from Portman Road whereby he had stints at Newcastle, Nottingham Forest, Bolton and Irish side Waterford before hanging up his boots in 2021.