Home of football statistics and historyThe Golden Boot is one of the most prestigious individual football accolades in the world aside from the Ballon D’Or. It is awarded to the player with the most goals in a FIFA World Cup tournament. Originally it was called the Golden Shoe award, but the name was changed in 2010.
Legendary players such as Ronaldo, Davor Suker, Gary Lineker and Thomas Muller have all claimed the trophy, but who could win it this year in Qatar? In this article, we have picked our six top contenders who could claim the Golden Boot at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal
If you enjoy betting on the World Cup, the Golden Boot award could be a good option. As this list demonstrates, there are some brilliant competitors. One of these is Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo is the leading international goal scorer of all time, with a margin of over 30 goals.
At this rate, it is unlikely that anyone will ever beat his tally. Despite this, Ronaldo is often not in the top 10 of the World Player Ranking for historical player achievement. Could this be the year that Ronaldo extends his tally and takes Portugal to the final?
Lionel Messi – Argentina
Did you know that Lionel Messi has never won a World Cup Golden Boot? Despite his legendary talent and stack of awards, this is the one that eludes him. Messi has never won a World Cup either, despite his excellent performances for the Argentina international team.
Messi continues his incredible form for Paris Saint Germain, and this could potentially be his last World Cup. Therefore, we can expect him to go all out and put on a show. Could this be his year to claim the World Cup Golden Boot?
Karim Benzema – France
Benzema is regarded as one of the best forwards of his generation and is an incredible talent for both Real Madrid and France. Since 2009, he has scored over 200 goals for Real Madrid, and he had an excellent 2021-22 season playing alongside Vinicius who we mention below.
Benzema also has real World Cup experience as he has played in three tournaments: 2010, 2014 and 2018, the last of which France won. France has one of the strongest squads this year and Benzema should easily score a heap of goals.
Harry Kane – England
Did you know that Harry Kane is the reigning Golden Boot winner? Kane is an incredible goal scorer and has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. He has scored over 50 international goals and continues to be one of the most lethal attackers in the EPL.
England has an OK group stage and provided they perform to their usual standards, there is no reason why they shouldn’t top their group. If Kane remains fit, we expect him to be a strong contender once again for the Golden Boot.
Romelu Lukaku – Belgium
Romelu Lukaku is a prodigious talent who often flies under the international radar. Perhaps it is because he plays for Belgium, and they have not yet achieved any major international tournament success. This is strange because the Belgium squad is packed with talent, including Eden Hazard.
Regardless, we feel that Lukaku has something to prove. This is because he had a relatively plain season with Chelsea in the 2021-22 EPL and may have underachieved. With this chip on his shoulder, and his already impressive international goalscoring record, we are sure he will be up there with the others on this list.
Vinicius Junior – Brazil
Vinicius is set to be a star for many years to come. This highly talented winger is only 21 and has already made a name for himself in La Liga, being an integral part of Real Madrid’s team. More notably, he also scored the winning goal in the 2021-22 Champions League final against Liverpool.
Currently, his international record with Brazil has only resulted in one goal. However, we feel that this is set to change in Qatar, and we can see this young explosive talent being a top contender for sure.
As you can see, there is some insane goalscoring talent in the upcoming Qatar World Cup. It is poised to be a spectacular tournament with an exceptional level of football. If we were to pick one other player, we would go with the rising star Mbappe. He has already proven his World Cup pedigree, and France remains a strong contender. It’s therefore logical to say that he is bound to score plenty of goals.
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