World Cup 2022 – Top Goalscorer Betting Guide
If you’re interested in World Cup top goalscorer betting, you’re in the right place. Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé top the list for World Cup Golden Boot betting odds, but do you agree? These are just two of the superstars we discuss to help you predict the top goalscorer at this year’s FIFA World Cup. Keep reading to view the latest odds and learn more about the prestigious award.
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What Is the World Cup Golden Boot Award?
The Golden Boot is presented to the player who is the top goalscorer at the FIFA World Cup. Odds are it’ll be a forward or attacking midfielder from a top country like Brazil or France, but anybody could win it – making this a very exciting market for players to bet on. It’s based purely on goals, unlike the World Cup Golden Ball, which is about a player’s wider performance.
Although the terms ‘Golden Boot’ and ‘World Cup top goalscorer’ are pretty much interchangeable, this wasn’t always the case. The Golden Boot was only introduced as an official award in 1982. At the time, it was called the Golden Shoe, but since 2010 it’s been known as the Golden Boot, which certainly seems more fitting.
In the event of a draw, a series of tiebreakers are used to determine who wins the award. The favoured player is the one with the fewest penalties, most assists and least minutes played – in that order.
Latest World Cup Golden Boot Betting Odds
Before you start betting on the 2022 FIFA World Cup, it’s important to understand that top goalscorer odds change frequently. This is because there are up to four matches played per day and only a handful of goals required to capture the Golden Boot. One good game and a player can move from rank outsider to hot favourite.
Leading into this World Cup, top goalscorer betting favoured Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé. Kane has previous, having won the Golden Boot when England reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2018, while Mbappé is recognised as one of the greatest players in the game today. And they both have relatively straightforward groups – on paper, at least.
Here’s a list of the players most likely to win this year’s award, according to the latest World Cup top goalscorer betting odds.
| Player | Team | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Harry Kane | England | 7/1 (888sport) |
| Kylian Mbappé | France | 9/1 (BetUK) |
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 16/1 (888sport) |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 16/1 (888sport) |
| Neymar | Brazil | 17/1 (BetUK) |
| Romelu Lukaku | Belgium | 20/1 (888sport) |
| Memphis Depay | Netherlands | 25/1 (888sport) |
| Richarlison | Brazil | 33/1 (888sport) |
| Jose Vinicius Junior | Brazil | 33/1 (888sport) |
| Lautaro Martinez | Argentina | 33/1 (888sport) |
| Guilherme Pedro | Brazil | 33/1 (888sport) |
| Antoine Griezmann | France | 45/1 (BetUK) |
| Rafael Leao | Portugal | 50/1 (888sport) |
All odds correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Who Are the Betting Favourites to Win Top Goalscorer?
Now that you know how World Cup top goalscorer betting works, it’s time to dig deep and predict who has the best chance of winning the World Cup Golden Boot. Betting early, before they’ve notched their first goal, can really increase your potential returns.
Here’s our thoughts on eight of the favourites in the World Cup Golden Boot betting market:
Harry Kane (7/1)
Harry Kane (7/1)
- Country: England
- Club: Tottenham Hotspur
- Odds: 7/1 (888sport)
- International Appearances: 75
- International Goals: 51
- World Cup Finals Appearances: 1
- World Cup Finals Goals: 6
In terms of credentials for World Cup top goalscorer betting, you can’t ask for much more than what Harry Kane offers: he won the most recent Golden Boot at the World Cup 2018 and has continued to be England’s main threat going forward ever since.
The Spurs striker will be hopeful of turning around England’s recent poor form and helping to push the team towards the latter stages of the tournament once again.
Kylian Mbappé (9/1)
Kylian Mbappé (9/1)
- Country: France
- Club: PSG
- Odds: 9/1 (BetUK)
- International Appearances: 59
- International Goals: 28
- World Cup Finals Appearances: 7
- World Cup Finals Goals: 4
The football world was taken aback when Kylian Mbappé renewed his contract at PSG for an eye-watering sum, turning down an offer from Real Madrid in the process, but there’s a reason he’s able to command such mega fees.
The 23-year-old Frenchman is one of the hottest prospects in world football, and heavily tipped to be a future Ballon d’Or winner. He’s already got one World Cup under his belt and will he hoping to add another in Qatar.
Karim Benzema (14/1)
Karim Benzema (14/1)
Update (20/11/2022): Sadly, the 2022 Ballon d’Or has been ruled out of the World Cup because of a thigh injury suffered in training.
- Country: France
- Club: Real Madrid
- Odds: 14/1 (BetUK)
- International Appearances: 97
- International Goals: 37
- World Cup Finals Appearances: 5
- World Cup Finals Goals: 3
At 34 years of age, and with a checkered history with the national team, few would have predicted Benzema to be among the frontrunners for World Cup top goalscorer betting – yet here he is.
And it’s no surprise after the season he just enjoyed, bagging 42 goals en route to winning both La Liga and the Champions League. His hat-trick against Chelsea stands strong in the mind, and he’ll want to make similar memories for France.
Lionel Messi (16/1)
Lionel Messi (16/1)
- Country: Argentina
- Club: PSG
- Odds: 16/1 (888sport)
- International Appearances: 164
- International Goals: 90
- World Cup Finals Appearances: 19
- World Cup Finals Goals: 6
He’s one of the greatest players of all time, and so it’s no surprise to see that Messi is still one of the favourites in World Cup Golden Boot betting, even after a questionable debut season at PSG. Although the club won the league comfortably, Messi certainly didn’t meet his usual high standards, managing just six goals in 26 Ligue 1 appearances.
Despite this, Argentina have a decent draw with Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland in their group – and Messi will be desperate to re-announce himself on the world stage.
Cristiano Ronaldo (16/1)
Cristiano Ronaldo (16/1)
- Country: Portugal
- Club: Manchester United
- Odds: 16/1 (888sport)
- International Appearances: 191
- International Goals: 117
- World Cup Finals Appearances: 17
- World Cup Finals Goals: 7
No player has ever scored more goals for an international team than Cristiano Ronaldo. The 37-year-old has a record-breaking 117 goals so far and will want to add as many as he can to that tally to cement his legacy – and this may be his final World Cup to do so.
Ronaldo had a fantastic season for Manchester United in 2021/22, scoring 18 Premier League goals and six more in the UEFA Champions League, despite the club underperforming. This season, he’s spent a lot of time warming the bench, but given his professionalism and burning desire for personal glory, that could only make him more determined to hit the net in Qatar.
Neymar (17/1)
Neymar (17/1)
- Country: Brazil
- Club: PSG
- Odds: 17/1 (BetUK)
- International Appearances: 121
- International Goals: 75
- World Cup Finals Appearances: 10
- World Cup Finals Goals: 6
Neymar is a player who receives a lot of criticism for everything from his attitude to his hairstyles, but the stats don’t lie: this player is a serious contender when it comes to World Cup top goalscorer betting.
Now 30 years of age, this is Neymar’s time to rise to the occasion, and the fact that Brazil are favourites to win the World Cup will boost his chances of winning the Golden Boot as he should, in theory, play more games than many of the other teams. With 75 goals in 121 matches, Neymar has pedigree. Can he come out on top at World Cup 2022?
Romelu Lukaku (20/1)
Romelu Lukaku (20/1)
- Country: Belgium
- Club: Inter Milan
- Odds: 20/1 (888sport)
- International Appearances: 102
- International Goals: 68
- World Cup Finals Appearances: 10
- World Cup Finals Goals: 5
Romelu Lukaku has had a bit of a rollercoaster career, dipping between dizzying highs with the likes of Inter Milan and then crushing lows at clubs like Chelsea and, arguably, Manchester United. But he always delivers for Belgium: his record of 68 goals in 102 appearances is fantastic.
The so-called ‘Golden Generation’ of the Red Devils are now all hitting the 30-year mark, so if they’re ever going to win a major tournament, now is the time. Could the big Belgian win the Golden Boot?
Memphis Depay (25/1)
Memphis Depay (25/1)
- Country: Netherlands
- Club: Barcelona
- Odds: 25/1 (888sport)
- International Appearances: 81
- International Goals: 42
- World Cup Finals Appearances: 4
- World Cup Finals Goals: 2
Another player who’s experienced quite extreme ups and downs in his career, Memphis Depay is definitely someone to consider for your World Cup Golden Boot betting. The Barcelona forward has slighter longer (and, therefore, more appealing) odds than the others on this list, but his credentials are impressive.
He’s the all-time top goalscorer for Netherlands in World Cup qualification, beating out icons like Ruud van Nistelrooy and Robin van Persie. At 28, and having just made his move to Barcelona, he’ll be confident of making a strong impact at this World Cup.
Harry Kane v Kylian Mbappe: Who Will Score More?
It’s no surprise to see that the shortest World Cup top goalscorer odds are for Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé. These are two of the most famous and prolific strikers in the modern game, both of whom have an excellent record with their national teams.
If you’re trying to decide between Kane and Mbappé for your World Cup Golden Boot betting, the group stage is a great place to start. Looking at their opponents could help us predict who will score more goals.
England first face Iran, followed by the USA and Wales. None of these opponents are too tricky, although the emotion of facing neighbours Wales could mean a lower-scoring game, just as is often the case in hard-fought derbies like Manchester United vs Liverpool. Iran should be easy pickings and a key time for Kane to notch some goals if he wants to be the World Cup 2022 top goalscorer.
France are such a strong team that they really didn’t need a so-called ‘easy’ group, yet they managed to draw Denmark, Australia and Tunisia. There’s no reason Mbappé couldn’t score in each of those matches, although the quality of his fellow countrymen Benzema and Griezmann could mean he has to share the spoils.
Based on the early indicators, our experts predict Mbappé has a slightly higher chance of scoring more goals than Kane.
World Cup Golden Boot Betting Trends
World Cup top goalscorer betting is never easy to predict, but we can look at the history of the competition to pick up a few trends which can help guide our thinking for Qatar 2022.
Here are five interesting World Cup top goalscorer stats and trends:
Six Goals
Six Goals
Since 1982, seven of the 10 Golden Boot winners only needed six goals to claim the award. In other words, one or two great games in the group stage puts a player in prime position to become the World Cup top goalscorer.
Seven Matches
Seven Matches
Eight of the 10 winners since 1982 have gone all the way to the final, playing seven games: three in the group, and four in the knockout stages. The more you play, the more chances you have to score, so nationality certainly matters.
16 Strikes
16 Strikes
The record for an individual player scoring goals across multiple World Cup tournaments is 16 goals. This was accomplished by Germany’s Miroslav Klose, who scored 16 times over four tournaments from 2002-2014.
Four of the Finest
Four of the Finest
In the Chile World Cup in 1962, four goals were enough to capture the top scorer award. This was jointly shared by six players: Garrincha, Vavá, Leonel Sánchez, Flórián Albert, Valentin Ivanov and Dražan Jerković.
One Time Only
One Time Only
No player has yet managed to finish as top goalscorer at a World Cup twice. Could Harry Kane become the first player in history to win a second World Cup Golden Boot?
All-Time Top Goalscorer at the FIFA World Cup
As you can see, it’s useful to look back at the history of World Cup top goalscorers to help predict the future outcomes. So, our experts have dug through the archives to give you a succinct breakdown of every World Cup top goalscorer since 1982.
It’s not all about the Golden Boot – there are other awards, such as the World Cup Golden Glove. Therefore, we’ve also included the Silver Shoe and Bronze Shoe – i.e., second and third place – to give you a more detailed idea of who could win.
Here are the key details on each World Cup top goalscorer:
| World Cup | Golden Shoe/Boot | Goals | Silver Shoe | Goals | Bronze Shoe | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russia 2018 | Harry Kane | 6 | Antoine Griezmann | 4 | Romelu Lukaku | 4 |
| Brazil 2014 | James Rodriguez | 6 | Thomas Müller | 5 | Neymar | 4 |
| South Africa 2010 | Thomas Müller | 5 | David Villa | 5 | Wesley Sneijder | 5 |
| Germany 2006 | Miroslav Klose | 5 | Hernán Crespo | 3 | Ronaldo | 3 |
| South Korea/Japan 2002 | Ronaldo | 8 | Miroslav Klose, Rivaldo | 5 | N/A | N/A |
| France 1998 | Davor Šuker | 6 | Gabriel Batistuta, Christian Vieri | 5 | N/A | N/A |
| USA 1994 | Oleg Salenko, Hristo Stoichkov | 6 | N/A | N/A | Kennet Andersson, Romário | 5 |
| Italy 1990 | Salvatore Schillaci | 6 | Tomáš Skuhravý | 5 | Roger Milla, Gary Lineker | 4 |
| Mexico 1986 | Gary Lineker | 6 | Emilio Butragueño, Careca, Diego Maradona | 5 | N/A | N/A |
| Spain 1982 | Paolo Rossi | 6 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | 5 | Zico | 4 |
Ready to Bet on the World Cup Top Goalscorer?
World Cup Golden Boot betting is a popular market which isn’t simple to predict, but it’s also easy to see why it’s so appealing. You can get relatively long odds on established international strikers like Neymar and Lukaku, and just a handful of good performances can result in massive returns.
Now that you have a thorough understanding of the types of players who usually win the World Cup top goalscorer award, and odds to go alongside our breakdown of the favourites, you might want to place your own bets.
Ready to make your prediction? Then it’s time to take advantage of the best World Cup top goalscorer betting odds at our recommended site below.
FAQs
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About the author
Eric Roberts
Sports Journalist
Eric has been a sports journalist for over 20 years and has travelled the world covering top sporting events for a number of publications. He also has a passion for betting and uses his in-depth knowledge of the sports world to pinpoint outstanding odds and value betting opportunities.
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