Harry Kane – The England striker is the top favorite at betting sites to repeat his 2018 world cup feat. He will be up against Iran and the US and then one of Ukraine, Wales, or Scotland. This means he has plenty of opportunities to score goals in the group stage.
Kylian Mbappe – The 23-year-old PSG forward is probably the fastest striker on our list. The betting sites have placed him just behind Harry Kane with a slight difference in the betting odds. Mbappe is in great form scoring more than 80 goals for his club in the last two seasons, and if France can go deep in the tournament, he will have a high chance of netting the most goals in the world cup.
Cristiano Ronaldo – With the record for most international goals to his name, Cristiano Ronaldo is a clear frontrunner in this market. Some may say Ronaldo has underperformed in this tournament given his tally of 7 goals from 4 world cups. At 37 years of age, this may be the last chance for Ronaldo to win the golden boot.
Lionel Messi – The man needs no introduction. Lionel Messi, arguably the best footballer in the world, has not been prolific in world cups, scoring only six goals in 19 appearances prior to this tournament. After won the Copa America trophy with Argentina in 2021, he will be eager to make a world cup comeback after a lackluster performance in 2018.
Romelu Lukaku – The giant belgian front-man will be confident of bagging goals in a generous group, which includes Canada and Morocco. The Inter Milan striker underperformed last season with Chelsea, but when it comes to the national team, he consistently delivers, as he did in the 2020 Euro with 4 goals in 5 games.
Neymar – His team is the top favorite in the outright winner market. While his spell at PSG in the champions league wasn’t great, Neymar is definitely a force to reckon with at the international level. With 6 world cup finals goals and 71 international goals from 117 appearances, Neymar can be a great value bet.
Robert Lewandowski – Barcelona’s prestigious signing was on fire in 21/22, scoring more than a goal per game for both club (Bayern Munich) and country (Poland). Admittedly, he’s hampered by his country’s chances – 150/1 pre-tournament outsiders with the betting markets..
Memphis Depay – The 28-year-old Dutch player was the top goal scorer in the world cup qualifiers with 12 goals. The Barca forward seems to be all set to make a mark in Qatar
Vinicius Júnior – Despite the pressure as a key player for both Real Madrid and Brazil, Vinicius Jr. has risen to the challenge spectacularly. His partnership with Karim Benzema in Madrid was the deadliest pairing in European football last season, and he has emerged as a sneaky contender for the Golden boot.
World Cup’s all-time Top Goalscorers
- Just Fontaine (France) 13 Goals 1958
- Sandor Kocsis (Hungary) 11 Goals 1954
- Gerd Muller (Germany) 10 Goals 1970
- Eusebio (Portugal) 9 Goals 1966
- Guillermo Stabile (Argentina) 8 goals 1930
- Ademir (Brazil) 8 goals 1950
- Ronaldo (Brazil) 8 goals 2002
- Leonidas (Brazil) 7 goals 1938
- Grzegorz Lato (Poland) 7 goals 1974
- Mario Kempes (Argentina) 6 goals 1978
- Paolo Rossi (Italy) 6 goals 1982
- Gary Lineker (England) 6 goals 1986
- Salvatore Schillaci (Italy) 6 goals 1990
- Oleg Salenko (Russia), Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria) 6 goals 1994
- Davor Suker (Croatia) 6 goals 1998
- James Rodriguez (Colombia) 6 goals 2014
- Harry Kane (England) 6 goals 2018
- Miroslav Klose (Germany) 5 goals 2006
- Oldrich Nejedy (Czechoslovakia) 5 goals 1934
- Florian Albert (Hungary) 4 goals 1962
Note – In the 1962 World Cup, the top goal scorer contest was tied between 7 players