The FIFA World Cup hasn’t even started yet, and there have already been twists and turns to keep us on our feet.
From the beginning of the Premier League season, Erling Haaland stole the spotlight from legendary Harry Kane, by scoring 15 goals before anyone could blink an eye. We were all ready to start writing predictions about Haaland and the Golden Boot, but in a shocking turn of events, Norway didn’t make the cut this year.
Well, we say “shocking”, but looking at the statistics, Norway has only qualified for the FIFA World Cup 3 times. We should have seen this coming.
Still, sometimes one player can change a team’s luck, which is why sports betting can be so intense.
But enough with the “what if”’s. Let’s see who is really a contender for the Golden Boot 2022.
What Is The Golden Boot Award?
If you already know about this prestigious award, keep scrolling to find out the 2022 contenders. But, if you’re a little lost about the shiny shoes, let us explain.
Also known as the Golden Shoe, the Golden Boot award praises the top goalscorer during the FIFA World Cup. In the event of a tie, the top goalscorer with the fewest number of minutes on the pitch wins the trophy. This creates the highest goal average.
This is why Erling Haaland was stirring up competition for Harry Kane, as Kane is the current Golden Boot champion. We thought this young player might bring down the older English hero.
Golden Boot Contenders
With all this talk of Harry Kane, you know that this England player will show up on our list. In fact, he is still number one in our eyes.
Harry Kane – England
At the start of the Premier League season, Kane netted 8 goals in 9 games. This time last year, Kane more than doubled that figure with 17 goals, and in the World Cup, he scored 23 goals earning him the 2020-2021 Golden Boot Award.
Granted these numbers are lower than expected, but Kane has won the trophy 3 times in total, which has to count for something.
Looking at his most recent interactions, Kane scored 16 goals during his international matches, which brought a record to his team. As the stats keep coming in, Kane is proving that he is still a contender for the Golden Boot.
Robert Lewandowski – Poland
Poland might seem like an odd choice for the Golden Boot award, as the team has only qualified for the World Cup 8 times in its 22 playable years. The team is normally kicked out in the group stage, but twice they managed to finish in 3rd place. Those golden years were in 1974 and 1982, which means 9 playable years have passed since those encounters. Again, this puts some question marks around our suggestion.
But if we ignore ancient history and instead look at the present day. Robert Lewandowski has been described as “scoring for the fun of it”. He put 9 balls in the net during his first 7 league matches, and when he moved on to the UEFA Champions League that number tripled without playing more games in comparison.
Lewandowski has proven he has the talent to score by any means possible, but can Poland last long enough to let him attempt the shot? That’s the real question.
Kylian Mbappe – France
The French team is a force of nature. They are the current reigning champions and have only not qualified for 7 FIFA World Cups out of 22. The idea of a French team member taking the Golden Boot is almost expected at this point, but as we said before, history shouldn’t determine the present.
This year, Mbappe has scored 4 times in just 6 appearances for this country, while in the Ligue 1 current season he has scored 8 times in 8 matches.
Mbappe is a steady player, and if France reaches the finals again, Mbappe could use that stead foot to earn the Golden Boot.
Karim Benzema – France
We said that France was a force of nature, and we stand by it! From one French contender to another, Benzema scored an outstanding 44 goals in every league or competition throughout the 2021-2022 season.
Although Benzema was banned from the French team due to a scandal around blackmail, he has been allowed to take part in this competition and the added skills could bring France their victory.
Sadio Mane – Senegal
Although Mane is 30 now, he doesn’t seem to be “ageing away” his talent. In fact, as the years keep going by, Mane seems to be getting stronger. In this year alone, Sadio Mane has scored 8 goals in 13 matches for his country and 23 goals across the season.
Summary
Each of these players could win the Golden Boot award this year, but it all comes down to how much play time they receive. Historically, France is the most likely to stay in the World Cup for the longest time, but if the others keep up their momentum, then time might not be a factor.
