Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe are the favorites for the Golden Boot

Who will be the top scorer at the World Cup?

England’s Harry Kane competes as joint favorite to win the Qatar Golden Boot after winning the Golden Boot at the 2018 World Cup by six goals as England reached the semi-finals.

The Golden Boot winner usually plays for a team that goes deep into the tournament. Because more games mean more chances to score. And six goals is likely the goal of the Golden Boot. Colombia’s James Rodriguez won the Golden Boot aged six in 2014, as did Ronaldo in 2002 for Brazil. Five goals were enough to win the Golden Boot in both 2006 and 2010.

If you want to bet on the Golden Boot winner, here’s what you need to know. Unlike FIFA, BetMGM does not use assists as tiebreakers. If multiple players score the most goals in the tournament, all bets on those players involved will be paid out at lower odds.

favourites

England v Harry Kane (+700)

• Kane is the only true centre-forward goalscorer for England and there’s no real option behind him. He’ll only be substituted if England have a big lead or if he’s injured. If the latter is the case, England is in trouble. If you think England will win their first World Cup since 1966, you should combine your England bet with a bet on Kane to be the top scorer.

France F Kylian Mbappe (+700)

• Mbappe scored four goals at the 2018 World Cup as France led to victory. Along with his other teammates, he is a risky choice. France have so many chances to score that it’s easy to see the goals spread between Mbappe, Karim Benzema, Antoine Griezmann and others. And the defending champion’s recent record isn’t great either. Is this a French team that can buck this trend?

France F Karim Benzema (+1000)

• Benzema wasn’t part of that 2018 World Cup team so he will try to make a big impact. But is he perfectly healthy? He says he’s fit for the World Cup but hasn’t played for Real Madrid in three weeks. To go along with the entry at Mbappe, we’re not sure who will be France’s designated penalty taker or if there will be a rotation. This is important to know. Griezmann scored three penalties at the 2018 World Cup.

The story goes on

Brazil F Neymar (+1100)

• Neymar only scored twice at the 2018 World Cup when Brazil were eliminated by Belgium in the quarterfinals. Like France, Brazil are embarrassed in attack, but Neymar will no doubt be Brazil’s penalty taker at the World Cup. It’s not a bad idea to bet on the favorite team’s star player to win the tournament.

Argentina W Lionel Messi (+1200)

• We’re a little surprised that Messi isn’t among the top four on the board. This could be his last World Cup, Argentina are on a historic winning streak and Messi is in great form. We’ll be very surprised if Argentina doesn’t reach the semifinals and Messi isn’t one of the top scorers of the tournament.

Portugal F Cristiano Ronaldo (+1400)

• We advise against betting on Ronaldo. Sure he could put in a phenomenal performance at his last World Cup, but he hasn’t played much for Manchester United lately and hasn’t been great when he’s been on the field for a while. Just like the Red Devils, it could be time for Portugal to move away from a Ronaldo-centric approach. And the team has a lot of talent for it too.

Belgium F Romelu Lukaku (+1600)

• Lukaku is back in Serie A after a disastrous second stint at Chelsea and has been a terror for Belgium in recent years, moving across the width of the field to attack vulnerable spots in opposition defences. Vulnerability is a problem for Belgium’s defense and we fear that Belgium’s age in defense will end the team’s World Cup hopes.

Mid-range aircraft

Spain F Alvaro Morata (+2500)

Argentina F Lautaro Martinez (+2500)

Brazil F Vinicius Jr. (+2500)

• Much like Martinez, Vinicius’ pace could be the perfect complement to Neymar, capitalizing on the increased attention on his star teammate. Gabriel Jesus under +3300 may also be worth a look. Richarlison, meanwhile, is at +2500. We’re confident there won’t be enough goals to make them all Golden Boot contenders.

Long shots to watch

Germany MF Leroy Sané (+5000)

• This German team may not have the high profile in their roster as in previous years, but this is a solid young group anchored by core veterans with World Cup experience. Sane has been phenomenal for Bayern Munich and could easily become Germany’s top scorer.

Portugal MF Bruno Fernandes (+8000)

• If Ronaldo isn’t the guy for Portugal anymore, why can’t Fernandes be? He could be ready to have a big tournament, although no doubt Ronaldo will still be the team’s penalty taker as long as he’s on the field.

Don’t bet on these players

Portugal F Diogo Jota (+3300)

Senegal F Sadio Mane (+6600)

Mexico F Raul Jimenez (+10000)