World Cup Boot Winner

The World Cup is the most prestigious tournament in international soccer. Opposing club players unite as countrymen to lead their nation to the title of best in the world. Aside from winning the coveted first place, there are several awards given out to impactful players in the tournament. One such award is the Golden Boot, awarded to the player with highest number of goals scored in the tournament. In the 2014 tournament in Brazil, German forward Thomas Muller seemed to be the clear favorite with his incredible tally until Colombia’s James Rodriguez overtook him. In the grand scheme of things, the award is often taken with a grain of salt, especially if the winner’s country doesn’t win. Such was the case in 2014, with Germany winning the World Cup and Colombia being eliminated. Still, outscoring the rest of the world is an impressive feat.

The 2018 World Cup is full of superstars. This means there are quite a few candidates that can make a run at the Golden Boot. Muller and Messi will be there, but there are several others that will contest their odds of winning. This page centers on the Golden Boot and includes our picks for which players have the best chances of winning and who has the best betting odds.

Check out our Fifa world cup betting page if you want to bet on the winner of the main tournament.

Potential 2018 Golden Boot Winners And Betting Odds

Thomas Muller – Germany

Thomas Muller is a prolific striker for Bayern Munich, one of the most successful clubs in history. He often scores 20+ goals a season for his club. When it comes to playing for his country, he has scored 38 times in 90 appearances for the German squad. Muller does not play a natural striker, but rather a lurking forward that switches between the wing and central parts of the field. He is known for his competitive drive that lasts throughout the entire 90 minutes and a seemingly unstoppable work rate. Muller will likely be a starter in all the World Cup matches, increasing his chances of racking up his goal tally. We believe Muller to be more of a dark horse contender this year, but don’t expect him to shy away.

Lionel Messi – Argentina

Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest soccer player in history. The Argentinian forward has been with Barcelona for most of his career and is a legend. Unfortunately, Messi has yet to see a major victory while playing for his country. Call it being unlucky or just call it a lack of execution, Argentina never seems to finish strong. Messi has enjoyed incredible success on a personal level with 61 goals in 123 caps for Argentina, but the World Cup is more focused on the teams. Messi is a strong favorite to win because he has a sense of desperation attached to him. This may very well be the last World Cup he plays in, so he’ll want to go out on a high note.

Neymar – Brazil

Brazil is the team to watch this year. They are stacked with talent and are heavily favored to win it all. Neymar, undoubtedly the team’s biggest star, will be conducting most of the play throughout the tournament. With 40 goals in just 58 caps, he is one of the youngest Brazilians to be so successful. Neymar has played well for his club in Paris, PSG, but took an early departure from play to focus on the World Cup. In 2014, the forward suffered a gruesome back injury that forced him out of the tournament. Brazil lost by 6 goals to Germany the following game. We fully expect Neymar to make amends for his early departure and help his team to victory. Neymar is our projected favorite to be the 2018 Golden Boot winner.

Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo is the reason why there is an argument about who is the best player in the world. He and Messi trade the spotlight year after year. Ronaldo has won multiple trophies with his club Real Madrid, but also has yet to win a World Cup. Portugal is coming off a 2016 Euro Championship in which they had to finish the final match against France without their star player. Ronaldo has been slated as selfish by some, but you cannot deny his talents in front of goal. The winger has scored some world-class goals throughout his career. In fact, he has scored a total of 81 goals over the course of 149 caps. Ronaldo may also be entering his last World Cup, meaning he’ll be pulling out all the stops when it comes to winning games.

Harry Kane – England

England is often an afterthought in the World Cup. For such a talented squad, they always seem to fall short. However, Harry Kane poses a lethal risk in front of goal and could be a dark horse contender for the Golden Boot. The Tottenham striker has led the Premier League in goals before and is one of those strikers that seems to be in the right place at the right time. So far, he has recorded 12 goals for England. England may have a tough road ahead of them, but with proper service, Kane could make a run at the Golden Boot award.

Mohamed Salah – Egypt

We know what you are thinking—why Egypt? The nation hasn’t been to a World. In fact, it is how they qualified that is why we’re mentioning them. Mohamed Salah has enjoyed a strong resurgence in his career recently. The Egyptian forward led the EPL in goals during the 2017-2018 season for Liverpool and looks poised to score even more. Salah has a motor that just doesn’t quit and a semi-unorthodox style that will help him in the World Cup. He has scored 33 goals for his country and could add a lot more during this upcoming tournament. He won’t have the same quality of supporting talent as he does with Liverpool, but Salah can be a one-man show.

Alvaro Morata – Spain

Spain looks good heading into this tournament. They’ve gone through a bit of a slump recently but finally have some young talent that could win trophies. Up front, they have Alvaro Morata, a tall striker that has gone through some ebbs and flows in his career. He had a lackluster season with Chelsea, but the World Cup often provides players a clean slate when it comes to performances. Morata is certainly a dark horse contender, but if Spain gets going expect him to be one of the big reasons for it. He has scored 13 in total for his country.

Kylian Mbappe – France

Mbappe is a young up-and-coming player that shined throughout the 2016 Euro tournament. The player landed a huge deal with PSG and has been flourishing ever since. France lost in the Euro Final to Portugal, so these players have a chip on their shoulder. The 19-year-old only has 3 international goals so far, but his career has been on an upward trajectory for some time now and the World Cup is the perfect stage for him to strut his stuff.

James Rodriguez – Colombia

James Rodriguez won the Golden Boot in 2014 and he could very well do it again. The Bayern Munich player has recorded 21 goals for his country. In 2014, he won with 6 goals in 5 matches. The Colombian side is quite talented and was on the doorstep of success in the last World Cup. This year, with a little more maturity, they could make a surprise run at the title. Rodriguez will be an integral part of their success.

Updates To The 2018 Golden Boot Race

Keep checking back to this page throughout the World Cup. We’ll keep updating the goal scoring tally for each player. If another contender pops up we’ll be sure to add their profile. Be sure to get your bets in early once the official World Cup betting lines come out.