Our in-house scribe takes a look at the players at this year’s soccer world cup likely to claim the Golden Boot.
Winning the soccer world cup for any player will be a massive achievement, in order to do so, you need to win games, and its goals that can only bring the glory. The more the merrier, but the superstar with the most will walk away with the Adidas Golden Boot award.
Let’s take a closer look at who could claim the prestigious accolade, won previously by two players currently participating in the soccer world cup, James Rodriguez and Thomas Muller.
Lionel Messi (9/1)
Arguably the planet’s most talented footballer, Lionel Messi, finds himself as the favourite to get the Golden Boot award – and that shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody. The Argentinian claimed the 2014 Golden Ball award after guiding his country to the final of the soccer world cup.
Messi knows how to bag those individual awards, it’s just the main prize that seems to be a bit too far out of reach for the little maestro. Argentina boasts one of the fiercest attacks so there will be plenty of chances for the likes of Messi and co. La Albiceleste are not guaranteed to win the tournament, but what is certain, is that Messi will be up there on the goalscoring charts.
Neymar (10/1)
If you read who I’m backing for the Player of the Tournament award, then you already know how I feel about Neymar. Forget the injuries and all the negatives that come with it, the Brazilian trickster is here to prove a point.
Neymar got the Bronze Boot in 2014, scoring four goals, the same as Messi and Robin van Persie, but because the Brazilian played fewer minutes, he was handed with the award. This time, Neymar should play every second of Brazil’s run in the soccer world cup, and although he is a wide player, his goals per game ratio speak volumes when he is playing for his national team.
Antoine Griezmann (16/1)
With many high-profile names left out in the France squad, Antoine Griezmann will have tons of pressure on his shoulders to bag the goals for Les Bleus. Griezmann was the top scorer in the last major tournament he played in for France, scoring six goals in the 2016 Euro’s, doubling the tally of his closest rival for the accolade.
It will be much tougher on the world stage, but a player with Griezmann’s quality can never be backed against. His midfield providers and wingers come off the back of superb seasons with their respective clubs, so should the Frenchman start in a striking role, which is inevitable, 16/1 seems to be an excellent price.
Cristiano Ronaldo (16/1)
The fact that goalscoring machine, Cristiano Ronaldo, is priced up at 16/1 should show us that the bookmakers have been really kind to us this soccer world cup. Being Portuguese hasn’t stopped him in winning major trophies, and with Ronaldo ageing like a fine wine, he’ll be looking to claim one of the few individual awards he is yet to bag throughout his illustrious career.
Ronaldo has already dealt with the biggest and baddest goalkeepers in the business, so nothing should stop the Portuguese captain from proving that he is really and truly the world’s best.
Thomas Muller (25/1)
Thomas Muller is one player who will always be under the radar when the shortlist for Golden Boot contenders pop up, but, somehow, his name is always up there. Muller has played in two soccer world cups, scoring five goals each in both tournaments, so if you expect him to be pipped to the Golden Boot award, six seems to be the target.
Germany are one of the favourites for the tournament, and as history indicates, Die Mannschaft know how to go about their business and embarrass teams with a high scoreline defeat. Muller will also be eyeing Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 goals in the soccer world cup. With 10 already to his name, and being 28-years old, Muller will surely feel he has a huge chance.
Prediction: Neymar (10/1)
I know, it seems like this man is going to do it all, but knowing the abilities that Neymar possesses, I can’t look at any other name and pick a Golden Boot winner. Neymar can take on players himself and shoot or could move into space and be an open option for his teammates.
What boosts the Brazilian’s chances is that Neymar is also on free-kicks and penalties for his country, plus, I expect them to go far in the tournament, with the world’s most expensive player to be in the thick of things.
Full soccer world cup 2018 Fixtures HERE
