World Cup Top Goalscorer Odds: Who Will Win the Golden Boot?

With the great man turning 39 during this competition, fans and bettors could be forgiven for wondering if Lionel Messi could continue to deliver on the big stage. The Argentina captain quickly put an end to that debate with a stunning hat-trick against Algeria in his team’s comprehensive 3-0 win in their opening Group J fixture.

Messi was available at 12/1 with some Irish bookmakers pre-tournament. Those odds are now long gone. He already has three goals in the bank, and with Argentina likely to progress to the latter stages of the tournament it’s a case of how many more he can score. 

A further incentive for Messi is he has never won the World Cup Golden Boot. 

Kylian Mbappe was the pre-tournament favourite at 5/1. He’s already shown he’s in the sort of form required to win a second Golden Boot with his brace against Senegal in France’s opening Group I fixture. 

After Spain’s poor start, the French are the new favourites to win the World Cup. And their second half performance against Senegal showed why they are one of the most feared teams in the competition. 

With Mbappe also in good form, the two-time winners are likely to go deep into the competition. This gives the Real Madrid striker a potential eight matches to top up his tally. 

Erling Haaland is making his first-ever appearance at the World Cup and he wasted no time making his mark with a first half brace in Norway’s 4-1 win over Iraq. 

The Manchester City forward is arguably the most lethal finisher in world football at the moment. However, with Norway not among the favourites to get to the latter stages, Haaland will need a lot of goals in the group phase to give himself any chance of winning the Golden Boot at his first attempt.

Harry Kane has enjoyed a record-breaking season with Bayern Munich, scoring 61 goals in 51 matches in all competitions. The England captain won the Golden Boot in 2018 and is also his country’s all-time leading goal scorer. 

Kane is England’s main source of goals and the Three Lions will need him to fire if they are to have a chance of winning silverware. If he can stay fit and carry on his remarkable goalscoring form, the Bayern striker has a serious chance of capping a sensational season with another World Cup Golden Boot.

Kai Havertz put himself into Golden Boot contention after scoring twice in Germany’s 7-1 win over Curacao in their opening Group E fixture. 

Although he is not naturally a striker, Havertz led the line for Germany ahead of Deniz Undav against Curacao and looks set to continue in this role throughout the competition. He is no stranger to this position, as he regularly plays it for his club side Arsenal. 

Germany are not one of the betting favourites, but are well equipped to reach the latter stages. Havertz already has two goals, and with group matches against Ivory Coast and Ecuador still to come, his odds are very appealing.