Contenders for the EUROS Golden Boot?
England have one of their best sides in years and arrive as one of the favourites alongside France and the hosts Germany, knowing Gareth Southgate has to get the win in order to win over the fans, and ultimately, to save his job.
The Three Lions came painstakingly close to victory at Euro 2020. Wembley Way looked set for the ribbons to be adorned in white. But after a poor tactical display, England found themselves unstuck, losing via penalties in the final by Italy.
If they are to go one better in Germany, they will need to find their shooting boots, but do Gareth Southgate’s men have enough goals in them?
In this article, we look at the early favourites to win the Golden Boot at Euro 2024, assessing each player’s chances of finishing as the top scorer.
Kylian Mbappe – France
We start with the favourite for the Golden Boot, France’s maestro, Kylian Mbappe.
Les Blues have the best squad depth in the tournament and a variety of different attacking options throughout their squad.
While they managed to reach the final of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, it is no surprise that free bet sign-up offers are backing the French to win the lot in Germany, with Mbappe topping the leaderboard for the Golden Boot.
Having finished as the top scorer at the previous World Cup, Mbappe announced he will leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer after six years at the Parc des Princes and is destined for Real Madrid. But, there is business to attend to before he can dream of a debut at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.
Firing his country to the Euros at the age of 25, especially with how poor France performed last time out, will surely make the forward go down as one of the best French players of all time.
Romelu Lukaku – Belgium
Moving onto Euro 2024 qualifying’s top goal scorer, Romelu Lukaku.
The Belgium striker managed to snatch the award in the final group game, scoring four goals against Azerbaijan to finish with 14 overall. Having spent last term on loan at Serie A side Roma, Lukaku will want to impress Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, with a hope of getting into the Italian’s plans, while also attempting to finally win a trophy with this Belgium Golden generation.
The 31-year-old has struggled for form domestically, but always been a figure of his consistency at international level. Struggles in a second spell at Inter, in which he missed big chances in the Champions League final against Manchester City, as well as a stint in Rome have been overshadowed by 83 goals in 114 games for The Red Devils, who could be a dark horse under Domenico Tedesco.
Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal
It must not be overlooked that Portugal have one of the most experienced teams at Euro 2024, with the core of the side, and while he is 39 years old, Ronaldo was only just pipped to the top scorer in Euro 2024 qualifying, grabbing 10 goals as Portugal confirmed their place.
Ronaldo, now playing his football in Saudi Arabia, still has an eye for goal and after earning back his place in a Portugal side that also includes Diogo Jota, Rafael Leao, Bruno Fernandes, and Bernanrdo Silva amongst others, Portugal have potential to go far in the competition.
Roberto Martinez has experience in the international game and should be able to navigate this side through a relatively straightforward group with the Czech Republic, Turkey, and Georgia. The relative lack of experience from the rest of the group, particularly at the back, may grant Ronaldo the opportunity to grab some early goals and form, which he can carry into the tournament’s business end, hoping to atone for the big final moment he craves and missed out when Portugal won this competition in 2016.
Harry Kane – England
No one was really shocked when Harry Kane topped the Bundesliga scoring charts in his debut season.
Kane left Tottenham Hotspur at the end of 2022-23 season, joining Bayern Munich and scoring 44 goals in all competitions. England fans will be hoping that the Three Lions skipper can deliver the same results in the homeland of his current employers. Ollie Watkins had a great season for Aston Villa, providing reinforcement from the bench, but in his lone role Kane is deadly, and can fire them home from any angle.
With a creative trio behind him that includes any of Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, or even Newcastle’s Antony Gordon, Kane is a senior figure within this England team and will hope to amend his penalty miss that proved costly against France in the World Cup.