We’re just two months away from the planet’s most popular sporting event, the World Cup. As the highly anticipated tournament approaches, the betting markets are taking their final form, and there are some fantastic future odds and betting choices available before the competition commences.
The Golden Boot is often one of the most intriguing markets, and this winter, the world’s most prolific goal scorers will be fighting it out for the ultimate solo prize in international soccer.
England’s Harry Kane won the trophy at the World Cup in Russia 2018, and he’s naturally evolved to become the favorite in top-rated sportsbooks to defend his crown this year. However, achieving this accomplishment in back-to-back world cups is unfathomable when considering the attacking prowess present at Qatar 2022.
Join us as we look at our favorite player to win the Golden Boot with the top five reasons you should back him and the current betting odds surrounding the prestigious trophy.
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World Cup 2022 Golden Boot Winner Odds (Top 10)
- Harry Kane (England) +800
- Kylian Mbappe (France) +850
- Karim Benzema (France) +1100
- Lionel Messi (Argentina) +1200)
- Neymar Jr (Brazil) +1600
- Romelu Lukaku (Belgium) +1800
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) +2000
- Memphis Depay (Netherlands) +2000
- Vinicius Jr (Brazil) +2200
- Lautaro Martinez (Argentina) +2500
Best Bet: Neymar Jr to Win Golden Boot (+1600) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
The Reasons
1. Current Form
While domestic competition isn’t comparable to the biggest stage in soccer, to gauge who will collect this year’s Golden Boot, we must consider the current form of each player on the list.
At the time of writing, Neymar Jr. has made seven Ligue 1 appearances and started in two Champions League games for Paris Saint-Germain this term and has already collected 9 goals.
If Neymar’s early season performances are anything to go by, his current Golden Boot price of +1600 is holding the best value on the board, and these available odds could take a dramatic hit before the tournament begins should the Brazilian superstar continue bagging goals effortlessly.
2. Wastes no time
Earlier this year, we saw Harry Kane become the fastest player to reach 50 international goals, claiming this record in a mere 71 appearances. However, the likelihood of Kane achieving consecutive Golden Boot trophies is a stretch, especially considering the talent that will be on display in Qatar.
If we look deeper into players who waste no time claiming international goal-scoring success, Neymar Jr. is the second-best to Kane’s current record. Neymar scored 50 goals for Brazil in 74 appearances, just three games shy of Kane’s achievement.
Fastest Players to Reach 50 International Goals
- Harry Kane (England) 71
- Neymar (Brazil) 74
- Robert Lewandowski (Poland) 81
- Ronaldo (Portugal) 114
- Lionel Messi (Argentina) 121
3. All-time record in sight
A massive factor in Neymar’s potential to claim this year’s Golden Boot award is the all-time record that sits within his grasp. The PSG star is 3 goals away from claiming Brazil’s all-time scoring record.
With 74 goals scored from 119 appearances (0.62 per game), Neymar is on the brink of surpassing one of the most legendary players in soccer history, Pele!
Neymar has 5 goals scored from his previous 5 international appearances. To add, he netted 2 goals and 3 assists in Brazil’s journey to the 2021 Copa America final.
4. Qatar 2022 potential fixtures
When it comes to securing goals in the World Cup, the schedule will play a huge part in a striker’s goal-scoring chances. Interestingly, France and England, the two teams with the lowest priced Golden Boot potentials, could meet in the quarter-finals of the tournament.
Should this outcome come to fruition, we could see an early elimination that would be detrimental to the Golden Boot hopefuls.
Brazil’s group stage outings are also important, as I believe Switzerland is the only team that could prevent Brazil from 4 or 5-0 dismantling.
Neymar will pounce on the likes of Serbia and Cameroon, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him take an early Golden Boot lead.
5. The competition
The goal-scoring efforts of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are undeniable; they’re two of the world’s greatest players ever to grace the pitch.
However, age isn’t on either player’s side, and I’d be surprised to see either man achieve the Golden Boot in a tournament stacked with youthful and hungry players wanting to raise their stock on the biggest stage.
Equally, France has two of the best goal-scorers in the competition; this will be a hindrance for Mbappe and Benzema as we should expect them to share the primary goal-scoring efforts during the tournament, which in turn takes effect on their goal-scoring tally.
Conclusion
One elite performance with the likes of a hat-trick going to one player can change the entire Golden Boot dynamics. In addition, the longer a team can stay in the tournament, this obviously favors the Golden Boot competitors.
With Brazil sharing the World Cup winner odds with France and England, you would expect one of the players from these teams to collect the Golden Boot award.
As I believe Neymar is the most in-form domestic player from all of the aforementioned squads and Brazil’s path to the final is the most straightforward route, Neymar at +1600 is unquestionably providing the best betting value in the Qatar World Cup 2022 Golden Boot odds.
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
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