Harry Kane favourite to win Golden Boot but faces tough competition
Harry Kane is the bookies’ favourite to win a second World Cup Golden Boot, while France duo Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema are tipped to give the England captain a run for his money… but goal machine Robert Lewandowski is a 33-1 outsider!
- The 2022 World Cup in Qatar is due to get underway on Sunday afternoon
- Football fans across the world are debating about who will win the Golden Boot
- England striker Harry Kane, 29, is the favourite to win the individual accolade
- Karim Benzema looks dangerous and Kylian Mbappe, 23, is firing for France
- Neymar is also in fine form and could be a frontrunner for the tournament
- Click here for the latest World Cup 2022 news, fixtures, live action and results
We are just three days away from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and football fans across the globe are beginning to debate about who will walk away with this year’s Golden Boot.
The prize for the tournament’s top scorer is always fiercely contested – with each country’s talisman looking to add the individual accolade to their list of honours.
England’s star striker Harry Kane won the Golden Boot following the World Cup in Russia in 2018. He will be looking to defend his title during the tournament in Qatar.
However, he will face stiff competition from the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema, Neymar and more.
As a result, Sportsmail have decided to look at those who will be in contention for the Golden Boot following the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
England’s Harry Kane won the Golden Boot following the World Cup in Russia in 2018
Kane is the bookies’ favourite to win the Golden Boot. It comes as no surprise given his performances on the international stage.
Kane is quite rightly regarded as one of the best forwards in world football and will be at the forefront of Gareth Southgate’s side over the next two months.
Kane will also be aided by England stars Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish and Marcus Rashford in his quest for the Golden Boot this summer.
The England talisman is no stranger to the ‘best striker’ title, having picked up the Golden Boot award at the 2018 World Cup in Russia after a stellar campaign that saw England reach the semi-finals.
Kane also won the Premier League’s Golden Boot on the final day of the 2020-21 season, edging out Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.
England captain and striker Harry Kane is the bookies favourite to win the Golden Boot
2. Kylian Mbappe
Mbappe managed to score four goals in seven games at the World Cup in Russia four years ago and came joint-second for the Golden Boot alongside Romelu Lukaku, Antoine Griezmann, Denis Cheryshev and Cristiano Ronaldo.
France have a plethora of attacking options around Mbappe, including Benzema, Ousmane Dembele, Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann and Marcus Thuram.
Therefore, it’s likely that Mbappe will be gifted a few opportunities from his team-mates as they look to defend their title as World Cup champions.
Kylian Mbappe managed to score four goals in seven games at the World Cup in Russia
3. Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi is notorious for being a standout performer. He is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, name in football. Therefore, it comes a no surprise he is down as a Golden Boot contender.
Messi managed to find the back of the net seven times in Argentina’s unbeaten qualifying campaign. He helped his side win 11 out of their 17 games to secure a place in the 2022 tournament.
Messi has experience of playing in a World Cup. He reached the quarter-final of the showpiece event in 2014. However, the Argentina international only scored four goals.
Messi has never won a World Cup and given this could be his last opportunity, he will be looking to do everything he can to get his hands on the silverware. In order to achieve his goal, he will need to find the back of the net on more occasions than one.
Lionel Messi managed to score seven times in Argentina’s unbeaten qualifying campaign
4. Neymar
Neymar is another household name that is expected to excel at the World Cup in Qatar. The 30-year-old is at his speak, having scored 19 goals in 24 outings for Paris Saint-Germain this season.
Four of those goals have come in his last five games for PSG. Therefore, the World Cup couldn’t have come at a better time for the Brazil international (and his team-mates!).
Neymar is not one to shy away from a big occasion. He’s scored 75 goals in 121 appearances for Brazil. He also has ability to find the back of the net through his set pieces and penalties.
Neymar (left) is another household name that is expected to excel at the World Cup in Qatar
5. Karim Benzema
Benzema has had a year to remember, winning the 2022 Ballon d’Or. He is now looking to add the World Cup to his list of honours after returning to the international fold in 2021 following his exile.
The France striker had been cast aside by manager Didier Deschamps since 2015 following his alleged role in the sex-tape blackmail of former team-mate Mathieu Valbuena.
But Benzema was recalled to the French squad for the Euros last summer and is now looking to help France retain their status as World Cup champions in Qatar.
However, Benzema has struggled with injuries this season. He has only played seven of Real Madrid’s 14 matches this term and is reportedly set to miss France’s opening game of the tournament on November 22.
Karim Benzema has had a year to remember, winning the 2022 Ballon d’Or. He is now looking to add the World Cup to his list of honours
6. Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo has been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons in recent weeks. However, he will look to change the narrative at the 2022 World Cup.
The Portugal international will be eager to reassert his dominance after falling down the pecking order at Manchester United.
Ronaldo has finished five different campaigns as the leading league scorer across Europe’s top divisions – claiming the title while playing for United, Real Madrid and Juventus.
However, Ronaldo is yet to a Golden Boot during a World Cup. Kane won the 2018 edition, James Rodriguez won the 2014 and Thomas Muller won the 2010.
The 37-year-old forward has scored a world record 117 goals in 191 international games since making his Portugal debut in 2003.
Ronaldo will look to the likes of Joao Felix, Rafael Leao, Ricardo Horta, Andre Silva and Goncalo Ramos to help supply him with opportunities.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons in recent weeks. However, he will look to change the narrative at the 2022 World Cup
7. Lautaro Martinez
Lautaro Martinez has earned himself the right to fight for the Golden Boot. The Argentina international scored as many goals as Messi during the qualifiers despite not taking penalties.
Ian Wright has even publicly backed the 25-year-old. Speaking on his podcast, Wrighty’s House, the former footballer said: ‘I am going to go (for my Golden Boot), because I have gone with Argentina, so someone is going to have to blast them to it. I think Lautaro Martinez.
‘I think he might be the one to finish it off. He might be the one to score the goals. He might be Steve Kerr, so I am going to go with Martinez for the Golden Boot.
‘Lionel Messi might score the 1-0 goal. But Martinez is someone who will blast through the group stages and might score in the latter stages. Messi might be the one who scores the winner against Brazil in the semis.’
Lautaro Martinez has earned himself the right to fight for the Golden Boot after thriving domestically with Inter Milan
8. Romelu Lukaku
Romelu Lukaku is another big name in the running for the trophy. He should a handful of goals during the group stages as Belgium will be facing Egypt, Canada and Morocco.
However, Lukaku has struggled domestically. He endured a miserable time at Chelsea before heading back to Inter Milan on loan. The 29-year-old had hoped to revive is goalscoring prowess but ended up sustaining a thigh injury. As a result, he was ruled out for more than two months.
Romelu Lukaku is another big name in the running for the trophy, however, he has struggled with injuries and could fail to live up to expectations
9. Vinicius Jr and Richarlison
Brazil’s first Group G match is against Serbia and both Vinicius Jr and Richarlison will be looking to get on the scoresheet.
Vinicius, who helped Real Madrid win the Champions League last season, has been thriving this term. He’s scored 10 goals and registered five assists in 21 games for his club.
The 22-year-old is a big occasion player and tends to find the back of the net when it’s important. He was responsible for scoring the goal against Liverpool in Paris.
Richarlison could also be in the running for the Golden Boot at this year’s tournament. He recently hit the headlines for scoring a sensational goal during training with the Brazil team.
The ball was played into the box and Richardlison leaped into the air and struck the ball on the volley while being five foot off the ground. He received a well-deserved round of applause from the rest of the squad.
Brazil’s first Group G match is against Serbia and both Vinicius Junior (above) and Richarlison will be looking to get on the scoresheet
10. Robert Lewandowski, Alvaro Morata, Kai Havertz, Ferran Torres, Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus
Poland’s talisman Lewandowski claimed his place among the best strikers in the world several years ago and has continued to shine since joining Barcelona in July.
Despite being 34, the Pole will head into the competition with one of the most prolific records to date – having scored over 300 goals the Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich (making him the second-highest goalscorer of all time in the German top-flight).
Alvaro Morata, Kai Havertz, Ferran Torres, Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus have also been touted as potential Golden Boot contenders. The bookies have backed them at 33/1, which is the same for Lewandowski.
Bayern Munich talisman Robert Lewandowski claimed his place among the best strikers in the world several years ago at and has continued to shine since joining Barcelona in July
GOLDEN BOOT CONTENDERS FOR THE WORLD CUP IN QATAR
Harry Kane: 7/1
Kylian Mbappe: 8/1
Lionel Messi: 10/1
Neymar: 11/1
Karim Benzema: 12/1
Cristiano Ronaldo: 17/1
Lautaro Martinez: 18/1
Romelu Lukaku, Memphis Depay: 20/1
Vinicius Junior, Richarlison: 25/1
Robert Lewandowski, Alvaro Morata, Kai Havertz, Ferran Torres, Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus: 33/1
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