Qatar is set to be a battleground for sharpshooters, with the best of the best vying to lead their country to World Cup victory. With just days left until the beginning of the FIFA World Cup 2022 and the opening match between Qatar and Ecuador, the excitement and anticipation for this major football spectacle will finally be enjoyed.
Admittedly, the opening fixture is not a game that will likely provide us with the most goals or a player that is able to score the most in the tournament, but fans will have already been casting an eye on who could potentially do so.
It is expected that this will be Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s last World Cup, so the aging stars will be desperate to dazzle in front of the goal in their final outing. Furthermore, Europe’s most prolific goal scorer, Erling Haaland, will miss this year’s Qatar World Cup. If he were to travel to Qatar, he would undoubtedly be among the favorites to win the Golden Boot; such is his form for Manchester City in the Premier League.
Who wins the Golden Boot in the FIFA World Cup?
Naturally, one of the most exciting parts of the competition is the race for the Golden Boot. To those unaware, this is the award that is handed out to the player who is able to score the most goals throughout the duration of the competition.
Harry Kane won the Golden Boot four years ago in Russia when his six goals helped England reach the semi-finals before falling short against Croatia.
The Golden Boot award might be perplexing to viewers when many players finish the tournament with an equal number of goals. FIFA considers a player’s number of assists as a tiebreaker for selecting the official winner. If two or more players are still tied after that, the amount of time a player spent on the pitch will be taken into account.
World Cup 2022 Golden Boot Favorites
Let’s take a look at the top anticipated goal scorers and the World Cup 2022 Golden Boot favorites, according to online sport betting odds available at this moment.
Harry Kane (England)
After the Three Lions failed to win a major championship at Euro 2020, Kane, the 2018 Golden Boot winner, will look to take England one step further.
Kane, who is only three goals away from passing Wayne Rooney as England’s all-time leading scorer, scored six goals as Gareth Southgate’s team advanced to the World Cup semi-finals in Russia, though three of them came in a single game against Panama.
He did score five goals in England’s first two group games but just once in the knockout stages. Indeed, three of his goals came from the penalty spot while all six of his shots on target were successful.
Kylian Mbappé (France)
Kylian Mbappé is always going to be a player that is considered to be in a position to win a Golden Boot award. He is a player that has shown his ability on the greatest stage of them all, as he managed to net four in Russia where he was named the Best Young Player, too, as he guided France to the title.
Additionally, his sense in front of goal has been incredible throughout 2022, as he leads everyone in Europe’s top five leagues in terms of goals scored, having bagged 43 in the calendar year.
Karim Benzema (France)
If Mbappé is not able to win it, it might be because of his French teammate, with Karim Benzema having enjoyed a resurgence of such in his career in recent years. He has only recently returned to the Les Bleus squad, and made an immediate impact at the Euro 2020 competition with four goals, and has continued to age like a fine wine.
He netted 44 times in 46 matches last season and subsequently won the Ballon d’Or for the first time. Naturally, a player of his caliber is always going to be considered to be a favorite to be the Golden Boot winner.
Conclusion
The battle for the Golden Boot is frequently fascinating, and this winter, the world’s best-attacking players from 32 countries will be competing for the ultimate personal prize.