Golden Boot Betting: Mbappe 11/10 favourite ahead of Messi and Kane while Bellingham also enters race

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Golden Boot Latest Standings and Odds

Player	Goals	Country	Next Opponent	Odds
Kylian Mbappe	8	France	Spain	11/102.11
Lionel Messi	8	Argentina	England	7/52.40
Harry Kane	6	England	Argentina	9/110.00
Jude Bellingham	6	England	Argentina	11/112.00

*prices correct as of 09:30 Sunday 12 July

July 12 Golden Boot Update - Bellingham enters race after brace against Norway

Jude Bellingham has entered the race to win the Golden Boot after scoring a brace against Norway on Saturday night, taking his tally to six goals for the tournament in helping England reach the World Cup semi-finals.

Bellingham's two goals in England's 2-1 win over Norway saw his odds slashed to 11/112.00 to win the Golden Boot, though he is still fourth favourite in the market behind Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Harry Kane.

Mbappe is the 11/102.11 favourite after scoring his eighth goal of the tournament in France's quarter-finals win over Morocco, though Messi (eight goals) and Kane (six goals) failed to add to their tallies in the quarter-finals and can be backed at 7/52.40 and 9/110.00 respectively.

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July 10 Golden Boot Update - Mbappe fav after scoring in France win over Morocco

Kylian Mbappe 11/102.11 reclaimed favouritism in the World Cuo Golden Boot market on the Betfair Sportsbook after scoring the first goal in France's 2-0 victory over Morocco.

Les Bleus became the first team to book their place in the semi-finals of the World Cup, with the remaining three last eight ties taking place today, tomorrow and in the early hours of Sunday.

Mbappe, who had a penalty saved in the first half against Morocco, has eight for the tournament - level with Lionel Messi 6/42.50 who has played a game fewer.

This weekend could be crucial in the Golden Boot race with at least one contender certain to leave the tournament when Norway play England on Saturday night.

Erling Haaland has seven World Cup goals and is 15/28.50. England's Harry Kane is on six at 8/19.00.

Our match previewer Dave Tindall has recommended a way of backing both and Betfair ambassador Alan Shearer has also had his say on the match.

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July 7 Golden Boot Update - Messi rescues Argentina to go one ahead of rivals

The big four are all still in the World Cup as we head towards the quarter-finals but it's Lionel Messi who has moved to the top - not for the first time - of both the goalscoring charts and the World Cup Golden Boot market afer scoring against Egypt.

Messi was instrumental in dragging Argentina back from 0-2 down to win 3-2, and he's now 1/12.00 favourite to win the Golden Boot ahead of 13/82.63 second favourite Kylian Mbappe.

Erling Haaland and Harry Kane are the only other two players trading at under 40/141.00 in the market ahead of Norway v England's quarter-finals clash on Saturday night, and they can be backed at 7/18.00 and 15/28.50 respectively.

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July 6 Golden Boot Update - Haaland and Kane goals tee up Norway v England QF

Erling Haaland is 6/17.00 and Harry Kane 9/110.00 to win the World Cup Golden Boot after both strikers scored to set up a quarter-final between Norway and England.

The Norwegian star scored both goals as his side beat Brazil 2-1 while later Kane's penalty proved decisive in England's 3-2 win over Mexico.

Haaland has seven goals in tournament - the same as Mbappe 1/12.00 and Messi 13/82.63 - while Kane's spotkick at the Azteca Stadium last night was his sixth of the tournament.

Norway v England will take place at 22:00 on Saturday - we'll have previews, tips and predictions from our experts in the build-up - and the last eight clash will see two of the Golden Boot contenders go head to head in Miami.

Staying in the tournament is key to a player's chances of outscoring their rivals - the more matches the better - so Haaland and Kane will be desperate to carry their teams get through.

England's players know Haaland well from his performances for Manchester City in the Premier League and, as part of their preparations, Thomas Tuchel and his players will spend the next few days working on stopping him.

The race to finish top scorer at the World Cup is one of the most exciting in the competition's history with the leading strikers on the planet all delivering on the biggest stage so far.

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July 5 Golden Boot Update - Mbappe odds-on after goal against Paraguay

In betting terms, flip-flopping favourites refers to two selection that take turns in being favourite, one minute it's one selection as favourite, then the next minute it's the other selection that is favourite, and so on.

Since the 2026 World Cup commenced, we've had more flip-flops in the Golden Boot market than a cheap seafront shop in Benidorm!

And as we predicted yesterday, the market leaders have flip-flopped again and it's now Kylian Mbappe who is favourite to win the Golden Boot after scoring a penalty in France's bad-tempered 1-0 win over Paraguay.

That took the French superstar to seven goals for the tournament, level with Lionel Messi, and he's now odds-on and 8/111.73 to win the glittering prize.

But there's every chance that the favourites will flop flog again with Messi - who is 6/42.50 second favourite - effectively having a game in hand, and should he score at least once against Egypt on Tuesday night then he'll definitely return to the top of the market.

The market is suggesting it's a two-player race to win the Golden Boot, but Harry Kane is only two goals behind. Should England's star man score in a win over Mexico this evening then his odds of 12/113.00 will shorten significantly.

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July 4 Golden Boot Update - Messi returns to head of market after goal against Cape Verde

There's a familiar name back at the head of the World Cup Golden Boot market after Lionel Messi scored his seventh goal of the tournament in Argentina's 3-2 extra-time win against stubborn underdogs Cape Verde.

Messi's goal extends his record of being the World Cup all-time leading goalscorer (20 goals), and it also means he has now scored in eight consecutive World Cup matches, another record. He is the 6/52.20 favourite in the market and will fancy his chances of adding to his tally when Argentina meet Egypt in the Round of 16.

Kylian Mbappe is the second favourite at 5/42.25 to win the Golden Boot but it will be no surprise at all if he adds to his six-goal tally against Paraguay on Saturday night and returns to the top of the market in what is becoming a fascinating two-player battle to be the World Cup's all-time leading goalscorer as well as the 2026 tournament's top scorer.

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July 3 Golden Boot Update - Oyarzabal fifth favourite after Austria brace

For a man who has scored a Euros winning goal, Mikel Oyarzabal flies under the radar - so is there a chance the Betfair traders are underrating the Spain striker in the Golden Boot betting?

The Real Sociedad forward scored a brace for Spain as they swatted Austria aside last night to make the last 16.

That takes Oyarzabal's tally to four for the tournament, and in to 25/126.00 to win the Golden Boot, but the manner in which Spain won suggests they will go very deep, possibly all the way. Little wonder La Roja are the 6/17.00 third favourites to win the 2026 World Cup.

While Portgual lie in wait next time out, it would be either the US or Belgium in the quarter-finals before what would be a titanic clash with France in the semis.

July 1 Golden Boot Update - Kane scores two to close on Mbappe and Messi in the betting

Harry Kane has shortened to 7/18.00 in the World Cup Golden Boot market afer scoring his fourth and fifth goals of the tournament to rescue England from an early exit at this summer's tournament.

England trailed 1-0 to DR Congo deep into the second half, but two late goals from the Three Lions captain helped them secure a 2-1 victory and set up a meeting with co-hosts Mexico in the early hours of Monday morning.

Kane is now just one goal behind joint-leaders Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi who can be backed at 5/42.25 and 7/52.40 respectively in the market.

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July 1 Golden Boot Update - Mbappe and Messi set to fight out titanic battle

The competition to win the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot is shaping up to be a two-player race according to the Betfair Sportsbook after Kylian Mbappe scored his fifth and sixth goals of the tournament with a stunning brace in France's effortless 3-0 win over Sweden on Tuesday night.

Mbappe has gone favourite to win the prestigious prize at 1/12.00 and will have an excellent chance of adding to his tally when the World Cup favourites France play Paraguay - the 150/1151.00 World Cup outsiders who knocked out Germany earlier in the week - on Saturday night.

In scoring his two goals the brilliant Frenchman became the all-time leading goalscorer in World Cup knockout matches with 10 goals, and his tally of 18 World Cup goals overall is just one behind Lionel Messi in the all-time list.

Messi - also on six goals for the 2026 World Cup - was 10/111.91 earlier in the week to win the Golden Boot but he has drifted to 7/52.40 after Mbappe's brace. The 39-year-old legend will get his chance to add to his tally when Argentinal play Cape Verde on Friday night.

Erling Haaland kept his name in the frame with the late winner as Norway beat Ivory Coast 2-1. The Manchester City striker is 20/121.00 to win the Golden Boot.

Harry Kane has the chance to pay catch-up when England play DR Congo today. Kane is 8/111.73 to score - you can see all the England v DR Congo odds here.

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June 28 Golden Boot Update - More records for Messi as he goes odds-on

Argentina legend Lionel Messi is now odds-on at 10/111.91 to win the Golden Boot after he scored his sith goal of the tournament in his team's 3-1 win over Jordan, and in doing so becoming the first player in history to score in seven consecutive World Cup matches.

Messi scored in all four of the knock-out rounds at the 2022 World Cup and has started this tournament with six goals in three goup games, moving him two clear of his closest rivals in the race to win the Golden Boot.

Kylian Mbappe remains the second favourite in the market but is now out to 11/43.75 while teammate Ousmane Dembele is third in the market at 10/111.00. England's Harry Kane is out to 16/117.00 despite scoring his third goal of the tournament in Englan'ds 2-0 win over Panama.

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June 27 Golden Boot Update - Dembele hat-trick but Mbappe and Haaland don't add to tally

On a night when most football fans were itching to see Kylian Mbappe v Erling Haaland, it was Mbappe's teammate Ousmane Dembele that stole the show with a stunning hat-trick in France's 4-1 victory over Norway, moving the Frenchman to four goals for the tournament.

Dembele has shortened to 11/112.00 to win the World Cup Golden Boot and his four-goal tally is the same as Mbappe, though the France striker remains the 23/103.30 second favourite despite recording a blank against Norway. Lionel Messi is the strong 11/82.38 favourite in the market.

As for four-goal Haaland, he was denied the chance to add to his tally when he was left out of the starting XI with Norway seemingly accepting second place in the group which means they will play Ivory Coast in the Round of 32 on Tuesday, the same day that France play Sweden.

As a consequence Haaland has drifted to 14/115.00 in the market, which is three points bigger than England's Harry Kane who will get his chance to add to his two-goal tally on Saturday night when the Three Lions play Panama.

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June 25 Golden Boot Update - Vinicius Jr enters race with a brace against Scotland

Lionel Messi remains the 7/42.75 favourite to win the Golden Boot but another big-name player has entered the race after Vinicius Jr took his tally to four goals scored - one behind Messi - with a brace against Scotland on Wednesday night.

The Brazilian star has now scored in all three of his team's group games, and with top spot secured Brazil will play the runner-up in Group F in the Round of 32. However, that is unlikely to be a straightforward game with either Netherlands, Sweden or Japan set to finish second in that group.

Vinicius Jr's teammate, Mattheus Cunha, scored his third goal of the tournament and can be backed at 40/141.00 to win the Golden Boot.

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June 24 Golden Boot Update - Kane flops, Ronaldo comes alive

A miserable night for Harry Kane saw England limp to a 0-0 draw with Ghana and the England frontman lose ground on his Golden Boot rivals. Kane now trails Messi by three goals, Mbappe and Haaland by two. The Bayern Munich forward was 6/17.00 before the Ghana game but [8/1] now.

In contrast another international legend came alive in his second group game with Ronaldo delivering a brace of his own in a tournament that has been lit up by the biggest names delivering in front of goal. From 40/141.00 Ronaldo is now [22/1] to land the Golden Boot.

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June 23 Golden Boot Update - Mbappe and Haaland both hit braces

Kylian Mbappe is the 6/42.50 favourite in the World Cup Golden Boot market after he scored his third and fourth goals of the tournament in France's 3-0 win over Iraq.

The Frenchman took his World Cup goals tally to 16 in 16 games - two shy of Lionel Messi who earlier scored both goals in Argentina's 2-0 win over Austria and became the World Cup's all-time leading goalscorer. Messi is 13/82.63 second favourite in the Golden Boot betting.

In another sign that this could be the greatest Golden Boot race of all time, Erling Haaland 5/16.00 scored his third and fourth goals of the tournament as Norway beat Senegal 3-2.

So that's Messi with five, Mbappe and Haaland with four each. And they have all only played two games.

On of that, Harry Kane 6/17.00 will be in the hunt for more goals, to add to the two he scored against Croatia, when England play Ghana tonight.

At least one Betting.Betfair tipster is backing Kane to find the net for the Three Lions today. Kane won the Golden Boot when England reached the semi-finals in 2018 and, eight years on, looks just as sharp as he did then. You can back Kane at 8/151.53 for one goal, 13/82.63 for two and 9/110.00 to score a hat-trick that would equal Messi's current total.

It all adds up to a thrilling contest to score the most goals at World Cup 2026 between four of the game's most brilliant talents. Read about all the latest betting moves on this rolling blog.

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June 22 Golden Boot Update - Messi becomes all-time leading World Cup goalscorer

Lionel Messi is the 6/42.50 favourite in the World Cup Golden Boot market after he scored his fourth and fifth goals of the tournament to help Argentina beat Austria 2-0, and in doing so he becomes the all-time leading World Cup goalscorer on 18 goals, two ahead of Germany's Miroslav Klose.

Messi, who scored a hat-trick in his team's opening 3-0 win over Algeria, also missed a penalty in the game and saw his last-minute free kick go inches wide.

Arguably the greatest player of all time, Messi is now two clear in the Golden Boot scoring charts but that could all change in the next 24 hours with the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane and Erling Haaland all in action.

Another dilemma punters will have if thinking of backing Messi at his current odds is whether or not he will play in Argentina's final group game against Jordan. With Argentina certain to qualify, in addition to the newly-expanded format, Messi could be rested in Matchday 3, but with his appetite for goals soaring he may well insist that he's given the chance to add more goals to his tally.

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June 20 Golden Boot Update - Kane, Mbappe, Messi head the market with key games upcoming

We don't have much to report on this Saturday morning though at the head of the World Cup Golden Boot market the Betfair traders are finding it impossible to find a clear favourite with Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi all heading the betting at 3/14.00.

We're coming to a crucial point in Matchday 2 with all the big teams set to play during the next few days and the trio of market leaders will fancy their chances of scoring more goals against Ghana (Kane), Iraq (Mbappe) and Austria (Messi) respectively.

At the start of Matchday 2 Canada's Jonathan David laid down his claim to win the Golden Boot with a hat-trick against Qatar, and he's now 18/119.00 in the market, while Brazilian duo Vinicius Jr and Matheus Cunha both moved on to two goals each and are 25/126.00 to back.

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June 18 Golden Boot Update - Superb Kane goes fav after brace against Croatia

It's been a fascinating 36 hours at the top of the World Cup Golden Boot market and we're now back to where we were before France's 3-1 defeat of Senegal, with England's Harry Kane back as favourite.

Kane was the favourie in the market before Kylian Mbappe scored a brace, which catapulted the Frenchman to favouritism only for Lionel Messi's superb hat-trick hours later resulted in Argentina's superstar shortening to 5/23.50 market leader.

But afer Kane scored twice in England's excellent 4-2 win over Croatia on Wednesday night it's the Three Lions striker who is now favourite to win the Golden Boot at 3/14.00.

Factor in Erling Haaland's brace on Tuesday night and it's been a whirlwind few days in one of the most popular markets on the Betfair Sportsbook, but with no other big names getting on the scoresheet in Matchday 1 - we're looking at your Cristiano Ronaldo - then the traders already believe we're down to a five-man race.

Behind Kane both Messi and Mbappe have drifted slightly to 10/34.33 while Haaland can be backed at 9/110.00. Germany' Kai Havertz - who also scored two in his opening game - is next in at 11/112.00 but it's 33/134.00 bar these five in the market.

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June 17 Golden Boot Update - Messi on brink of becoming GOAT

Lionel Messi is the new 5/23.50 favourite to win the World Cup Golden Boot after a brilliant hat-trick in Argentina's 3-0 win over Algeria saw him beomce the tournament's joint-top all-time goalscorer.

The 38-year-old - making his 200th appearance for his country - was in brilliant form with his first hat-trick at a World Cup meaning he equals Germany's Miroslav Klose at the top of the all-time leadng goalscorer charts.

With defending champions Argentina expected to go deep in this summer's World Cup, Messi has an outstanding chance of scoring at least one more goal which will see him become the greatest of all time in terms of World Cup goalscoring.

Just hours before Messi's hat-trick France striker Kylian Mbappe had shortened to 15/82.88 favourite to win the Golden Boot after scorng a brace against Senegal, while Norway's Erling Haaland was cut to 5/16.00 after scoring two goals against Iraq.

But following Messi's antics against Algeria, Mbappe and Haaland have drifted slightly in the market, now available to back at 11/43.75 and 6/17.00 respectively.

There are, of course, a couple of favourites left to play their opening games at the 2026 World Cup.

England's Harry Kane who will line-up against Croatia tonight. Betfair Sportsbook make him 11/102.11 to score and 6/17.00 to score two or more.

And Cristiano Ronaldo will play his 23rd World Cup game when Portugal meet DR Congo in the early kickoff. The Portuguese veteran is 8/111.73 to get on the scoresheet.

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Please Note: The below profiles are Kev Hatchard's pre-tournament thoughts along with each player's initial, pre-tournament odds.

Kevin Hatchard's Golden Boot Betting Guide

Kylian Mbappe - France

11/26.50 to win the Golden Boot

Although Mbappe is yet to win a trophy with Real Madrid, his numbers for Los Merengues are very impressive. The 27-year-old has delivered 86 goals in 103 appearances since joining from PSG, and he has won the La Liga top scorer award (the Pichichi) in both of his campaigns in Spain. Mbappe missed a few games towards the end of the season with injury, although many Madrid fans believe he has been saving himself for this tournament. Mbappe won the 2018 World Cup and scored an extraordinary hat-trick in the 2022 final. He has an astonishing World Cup record of 12 goals in 14 games, and is a worthy favourite here.

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Harry Kane - England

13/27.50 to win the Golden Boot

Kane has had a phenomenal campaign for Bayern Munich, scoring a staggering 61 goals in all competitions. That tally included a match-winning hat-trick in the German Cup final and goals in both legs of the Champions League semi-final against PSG. For once Kane is going into a major tournament for England in decent physical nick, as Bayern boss Vincent Kompany managed his minutes towards the end of the season. Kane won the Golden Boot in 2018 with six goals, he'll be on penalty duty, and he has already scored a World Cup hat-trick against Group L opponents Panama.

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England World Cup Match Schedule & Locations

• England vs Croatia - Wednesday, 17 June 2026 at 9:00pm UK time (AT&T Stadium, Arlington/Dallas, Texas)
• England vs Ghana - Tuesday, 23 June 2026 at 9:00pm UK time (Gillette Stadium, Foxborough/Boston, Massachusetts)
• England vs Panama - Saturday, 27 June 2026 at 10:00pm UK time (MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford/New York-New Jersey)

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Erling Haaland - Norway

12/113.00 to win the Golden Boot

Manchester City star Haaland has a jaw-dropping goalscoring record for Norway. He has netted 55 goals in 49 caps, and is already his country's record scorer at the age of 25. Haaland smashed in a barely believable 16 goals in qualifying, but Norway have a tough group, with Senegal, France and Iraq. Successfully backing the blonde bombshell in this market may hinge on what he can do against Iraq, but if you fancy Norway to have a deep run in the knockout rounds, then backing Haaland is a must.

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Lionel Messi - Argentina

14/115.00 to win the Golden Boot

Arguably the greatest player of all time finally secured the World Cup in Qatar four years ago, and he scored seven goals in the process. With a fairly kind group of Algeria, Jordan and Austria in store, there's an opportunity for the Inter Miami veteran to rack up the goals again. However, the big question is whether coach Lionel Scaloni will keep Messi's powder dry for the big knockout games, rather than needlessly run him into the ground in the group phase. At time of writing, Messi had netted an incredible 116 international goals.

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Mikel Oyarzabal - Spain

14/115.00 to win the Golden Boot

The Real Sociedad star scored the winning goal against England in the Euro 2024 final, and he has led La Real to victory this season in the Copa del Rey. An expert penalty-taker, Oyarzabal was Spain's top scorer in qualifying with six strikes, and he netted 26 goals for club and country this season. With Lamine Yamal carrying an injury and Nico Williams not in his usual shape, false nine Oyarzabal may have a big role to play against Cape Verde, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia, and I believe he's well worth backing at 14/115.00.

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Lamine Yamal - Spain

18/119.00 to win the Golden Boot

Barcelona star Yamal suffered a hamstring injury that ended his campaign a few games early, and although he is confident he'll be fit for opening game against Cape Verde, I suspect Spain coach Luis de la Fuente will look to manage the teenager's minutes in a group stage that should be fairly straightforward. In any case, Yamal may well end up being more of an assist provider than a scorer (he only has six goals in 23 caps), and I fancy that Oyarzabal might end up being the beneficiary of that outstanding supply line.

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Cristiano Ronaldo - Portugal

20/121.00 to win the Golden Boot

With Ronaldo having scored more international goals than anyone in the sport's history, I fell into the trap of backing him in the Golden Boot market ahead of Euro 2024, and the 41-year-old failed to score a single goal. Indeed, Portugal boss Roberto Martinez lost credibility by persisting with Ronaldo for 120 minutes against both Slovenia and France in the knockout phase, and he wasn't rewarded. Only goalkeeper Diogo Costa played more minutes for Portugal in that tournament than Ronaldo. Martinez will probably remain hitched to the Ronaldo wagon, but Colombia, Uzbekistan and DR Congo could be doughty group-stage opponents.

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Vinicius Junior - Brazil

25/126.00 to win the Golden Boot

There's no doubt that Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti has been something of a Vinicius whisperer at Real Madrid down the years, teasing elite performances out of a character that can sometimes allow his emotions to get the better of him. The 25-year-old remains one of the world's best players, but he has rarely shown his qualities on the international stage, and experienced watchers of the Selecao believe he all too often feels the pressure of pulling on that famed yellow jersey.

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Ousmane Dembele - France

25/126.00 to win the Golden Boot

After helping PSG secure back-to-back Champions League successes by scoring the French giants' goal in the final, Dembele is now looking to win the Ballon d'Or for the second campaign running by shining in this tournament. His club form is stellar, but his goalscoring record for Les Bleus is distinctly underwhelming, and he has suffered a serious of minor injuries this term. In games where France can operate in a lower gear, coach Didier Deschamps may choose to manage Dembele's minutes.

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Julian Alvarez - Argentina

30/131.00 to win the Golden Boot

There have been some fine displays from Alvarez in Atletico Madrid colours this term. He was incredible in a 5-2 derby win over Real Madrid, he scored a superb goal in a losing cause in the Copa del Rey final, and The Spider delivered ten goals and four assists in the Champions League. However, the Barcelona transfer target also had a spell in the season where he scored just four goals in four months. His battle with Lautaro Martinez for a starting spot discourages me here.

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Lautaro Martinez - Argentina

30/131.00 to win the Golden Boot

For the same reasons that I'm swerving Julian Alvarez, I'm avoiding a bet on Lautaro Martinez. The Inter skipper was magnificent in leading the Nerazzurri to a league and cup double, scoring 22 goals in all competitions. However, I'm scarred by what happened in Qatar four years ago, as Martinez lost his place in the team to Alvarez after the Albiceleste made a poor start.

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Raphinha - Brazil

30/131.00 to win the Golden Boot

Although Raphinha has been a big part of Barcelona's back-to-back La Liga successes, this campaign has been disrupted by injury. The former Leeds star only started 18 La Liga matches, but still delivered 13 goals and four assists, and he had five goal involvements in seven Champions League games. The only concern here is whether Brazil's goals are going to be shared around, with Matheus Cunha and Vinicius Junior also on the scene.

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Kai Havertz - Germany

35/136.00 to win the Golden Boot

If everyone is fit, Havertz gets into Julian Nagelsmann's Germany XI as the centre-forward. He's the best way of bringing the likes of Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz and Lennart Karl into the play, and having now scored in two Champions League finals, he's shown he's a big-game player. If I had full faith in Havertz's fitness, I'd be all over this, but he was able to start just seven Premier League games in an injury-plagued campaign.

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Ferran Torres - Spain

40/141.00 to win the Golden Boot

It strikes me that Ferran Torres remains one of the most underrated forwards in world football. He scored 23 goals for club and country this season, and in La Liga he scored the same number of goals as Vinicius Junior and Lamine Yamal. Torres is hitting the target with 53.6% of his shots, his highest percentage since his very first campaign with Valencia. Deciding to back Torres comes down to whether you think he'll get the centre-forward role ahead of Oyarzabal, and the clues point towards Oyarzabal.

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Michael Olise - France

45/146.00 to win the Golden Boot

Despite an avalanche of goals from Harry Kane, Bayern star Olise was named as the Bundesliga's Best Player this season, and it's hard to disagree. The former Crystal Palace winger produced an incredible 15 goals and 19 assists in the league alone, although he struggled against PSG in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final. Olise is one of several superstars at Didier Deschamps' disposal, but can the coach find the right combination to unlock Olise's talent?

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Ollie Watkins - England

50/151.00 to win the Golden Boot

Although Watkins' role will that of Harry Kane's back-up, there's every chance that in searing conditions and a longer tournament that the Aston Villa striker will be used extensively. Watkins finished the domestic season in superb form with 12 goals in his final 13 matches. If England have qualified already, Watkins could be let loose on Group L minnows Panama, and in any case he's one Kane injury away from being a starter.

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Now read the Betfair Traders' Betting Guide to Group L featuring England.

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Luis Diaz - Colombia

50/151.00 to win the Golden Boot

Diaz has won league titles in his last two campaigns with Liverpool and Bayern, and he contributed plenty of goals to both successes. The wiry winger netted 13 league goals for Liverpool in their title win, and 15 for Bayern this term. For Colombia, Diaz has 22 goals in 73 caps, and he should get chances to score against DR Congo and Uzbekistan in the group stage.

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Donyell Malen - Netherlands

66/167.00 to win the Golden Boot

Throughout his career, Donyell Malen has been a streaky player, but he hit the ultimate hot streak after signing for Roma from Aston Villa in January. The former Dortmund and PSV forward netted an impressive 14 goals in 18 Serie A games, a glut of goals which helped to push the Giallorossi into the Champions League spots. Malen scored four goals in seven qualifiers at a rate of 0.9 goals per 90, and although the Dutch are in a tricky group, Malen's an attractive each-way bet at this price.

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Breel Embolo - Switzerland

80/181.00 to win the Golden Boot

An important caveat before we start is that at time of writing, Rennes striker Embolo hadn't been granted his visa, so obviously don't back him until that admin is sorted. However, I do fancy the muscular striker to make a splash at this tournament. He netted four goals in six qualifiers, he scored twice at Euro 2024 and he is by a distance the best centre-forward in the Swiss squad. Switzerland should feast against Qatar and compete well with Bosnia and co-hosts Canada, and Embolo will spearhead their attack. An eye-catching each-way selection.   

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Raul Jimenez - Mexico

100/1101.00 to win the Golden Boot

Although he failed to score at the 2022 World Cup, Fulham striker Jimenez will hope to do far better on home soil. The 35-year-old remains Mexico's best centre-forward, and he scored a solid nine Premier League goals for Fulham. El Tri like to send plenty of crosses into the box, and despite suffering a serious head injury a few seasons ago, Jimenez remains an excellent aerial threat. With home games to come against Czechia, South Africa and South Korea, Jimenez can make a flying start.

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Now read our other World Cup previews here!

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