World Cup Golden Boot 2022: Award Odds for Favorites
Harry Kane, Neymar, Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi are among the goal scorers that hope to strike the back of the net on a regular basis at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Those four players make up the list of favorites to take home the Golden Boot from Qatar.
Kane is the reigning winner of the tournament's top-scorer award. The English forward was responsible for six goals at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Mbappé, Neymar and Messi have all had their individual moments on the World Cup stage, but none has placed in the top three of the Golden Boot standings.
It seems the key for any striker interested in winning the Golden Boot is to score six goals. Twelve of the last 14 Golden Boot winners reached that total.
Five goals must be considered as the minimum for a scorer to be in the Golden Boot mix. The 2006 and 2010 winners had five goals each.
Kane is the favorite to capture the Golden Boot. He is attempting to become the first repeat winner in the award's history.
Golden Boot Odds
Harry Kane (+700; bet $100 to win $700)
Kylian Mbappé (+800)
Neymar (+1000)
Lionel Messi (+1000)
Karim Benzema (+1200)
Cristiano Ronaldo (+1600)
Lautaro Martinez (+1800)
Richarlison (+2000)
Memphis Depay (+2000)
Álvaro Morata (+2200)
Romelu Lukaku (+2500)
Gabriel Jesus (+2500)
Vinicius Junior (+2800)
Robert Lewandowski (+2800)
Darwin Núñez (+2800)
Harry Kane
Harry Kane is the favorite to defend his Golden Boot title.
Kane bagged six goals at the 2018 World Cup, and he enters Qatar as one of the most prolific strikers in the world.
The 29-year-old Englishman has 51 goals for the Three Lions. Twelve of those goals came during qualifying for the 2022 tournament.
Kane was tied with Memphis Depay of the Netherlands for the most goals in UEFA qualifying. Robert Lewandowski had the next-best total with nine goals.
Kane has not stopped scoring at the club level with Tottenham Hotspur. He has produced 12 goals in 15 English Premier League games this season.
He is the top target man for England, and there is a good chance that he comes away from the tournament as the nation's top scorer.
Kane's Golden Boot candidacy is dependent on how far England will go. The Three Lions are expected to get out of Group B against the United States, Wales and Iran. A fairly easy round-of-16 matchup could await them if they avoid the Netherlands coming out of Group A.
A quarterfinal appearance is the minimum expectation for Kane and England. He will have plenty of scoring chances in the games that get the Three Lions there.
While Kane is the favorite, it is at least worth noting that no one has ever repeated as the Golden Boot winner at the World Cup.
Kylian Mbappé
Kylian Mbappé knocked home three goals during his breakout performance at the 2018 World Cup.
Mbappé's chances of winning the Golden Boot went up as the World Cup got closer because of the injuries within the French squad.
Christopher Nkunku was forced out of the event with an injury he picked up in training in the last week, and Karim Benzema has not been at 100 percent to start the club season with Real Madrid.
Mbappé has produced 13 goals in Ligue 1 and six more in the UEFA Champions League for Paris Saint-Germain this season.
The 23-year-old is in arguably the best form of any player participating in the 32-team event.
He will be France's main option up top, and his goal-scoring form at PSG suggests he is ready to elevate his goal tally at the World Cup.
Most of Mbappé's group-stage goals will come against Tunisia and Australia, the two weaker sides in Group D alongside France and Denmark.
First place in Group D is even more valuable for Mbappé and France in this World Cup because that could help them avoid Argentina in the round of 16.
There is a clear path for Mbappé and France to make a deep run once again, but first, they need to avoid the curse that struck down Spain and Germany in the last two World Cups. The 2010 and 2014 champions did not make it out of the group stage.
Neymar
Mbappe's PSG teammate Neymar has equally as good of a chance to win the Golden Boot.
Neymar has turned in 12 Ligue 1 goals and five more in the Champions League this season to prepare for his potential deep run at the World Cup with Brazil.
Brazil has made it out of the group stage in each of the last four World Cups, and it has a familiar set of opponents in Group G. The Seleção played Switzerland and Serbia in the group stage in 2018.
Neymar produced two goals and two assists in Russia four years ago. He led the Brazilians with eight goals in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying.
The former Barcelona man is far from the only attacking threat in the Brazil lineup, with Richarlison, Antony and Gabriel Jesus among the other options in attack.
Neymar is the star of the team, and he showed as much during World Cup qualifying. He will hope that's a sign of things to come in Qatar.
A five-or-six-goal tally is possible for Neymar, especially if Brazil makes another deep run at the World Cup.
You can't ignore Neymar's personal form and Brazil's potential trajectory in Qatar, and that makes him an intriguing bet in the Golden Boot race.
Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi has never scored more than four goals at a single World Cup.
The 35-year-old Argentine legend only had one goal in Russia for Argentina. His highest tally came in 2014.
Messi could be motivated to shine brighter in Qatar because this could be his last World Cup.
He warmed up for the tournament with a pair of two-goal performances in September against Honduras and Jamaica. He then scored in a warm-up friendly against the United Arab Emirates.
Messi's 91 international goals are more than double the next-best tally on the Argentina roster, and he could add to that total in the World Cup opener against Saudi Arabia.
Messi could take the early lead in the Golden Boot competition if he is on point against what is perceived to be one of the weakest sides at the World Cup.
Argentina's ideal path to the World Cup final is to win Group C and hopefully avoid France as the second-place team in Group D.
The Albiceleste could beat Denmark and the Netherlands in the first two knockout rounds before potentially facing Brazil, Spain or Germany in the semifinal round.
Just like the other top Golden Boot candidates, a long run into the knockout round favors Messi's chances to top the scoring chart.
He should play at least four games in Qatar because Argentina has made it into the knockout round in the last four World Cups.
Gambling problem? Call (877-8-HOPENY) or text HOPENY (467369).
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visiting ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), visiting OPGR.org (OR), or calling/texting TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) or 1-888-532-3500 (VA).
Odds and lines subject to change. 21+ (18+ NH/WY). AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA/MI/NH/NJ/NY/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions.