Golden Boot 2022 FIFA World Cup: Who Will Win 2022 Golden Boot?

Lautaro Martinez – Argentina

Martinez, who leads the Serie A in goals, is poised to make up for losing the opportunity at the 2018 FIFA World Cup by scoring in his first World Cup. Martinez is an underappreciated striker who will provide Argentina with the final product it has been lacking in past years from South Americans. The 25-year-old is nearing his 50th appearance and will want to make a significant impression in Qatar on the big stage.

Robert Lewandowski – Poland

While the 34-year-goalscoring old’s record speaks for itself, and as we all know, funny things have occurred in the World Cup, the Polish superstar still has a remote chance of winning the golden boot despite his country’s dismal tournament record and Group C opponents Argentina and Mexico.

The European nation’s all-time greatest scorer has been collecting goals like crazy since his summer transfer to Barcelona after 12 outstanding seasons in the Bundesliga. He scored nine goals in his first seven league games and three goals in as many UEFA Champions League outings.

Although the striker has only scored twice for Poland this year and has yet to significantly contribute at a major competition—he failed to score at the 2018 World Cup and has only netted four times over the past three European tournaments—the record-rapid breaker’s rise at Barcelona and his 11 goals for his country in 2021 suggest that he is very likely to outperform his group stage rivals this time around and contend for the coveted golden boot.

Karim Benzema & Kylian Mbappe – France

Rarely do two of the world’s top strikers also happen to represent the same nation on the field. However, the defending champions France, who have both Real Madrid veteran Karim Benzema and Paris Saint-Germain prodigy Kylian Mbappe at their disposal, are exactly in that situation.

The latter, who is 34 years old, is the overwhelming favorite to win the Ballon d’Or this month after a remarkable 44-goal 2021–22 season across all competitions. Before the 2020 Euros, Benzema, who had previously served a six-year suspension from international football, was called back up to the French team. Since then, he has scored 10 goals in 14 games, evidencing his victorious comeback.

Mbappe’s exceptional play for club and country, which includes scoring eight goals in as many games in Ligue 1 to start the current season and scoring four goals in his six appearances for France this year, has been largely overshadowed by a dispute with the national team governing body regarding image rights amid France’s numerous ongoing controversies.

Lionel Messi & Lautaro Martinez – Argentina

There isn’t much that can be written about Lionel Messi ahead of his final World Cup that hasn’t already been said. The Argentine captain has scored an astonishing 10 goals for his nation in just six international matches this year. He has also opened his account for Paris Saint-Germain with eight goals from 13 games played in all competitions.

Martinez, a fellow countryman, has established himself as a formidable force since joining Inter Milan, scoring 58 goals in his first four seasons there, including 21 goals in his most recent campaign. As a result, Martinez came in third in the battle for Serie A’s golden boot.

Martinez will play in his first World Cup in Qatar, but he has experience in other important competitions, having scored five goals in each of the 2019 and 2021 Copa America tournaments.

Alvaro Morata – Spain

Following a two-season loan to Juventus, Morata has had an excellent start to his Atletico Madrid comeback with four goals in his first seven league games, emulating his form from the 2019–20 season, when he scored 12 goals.

Morata, the captain of the Spanish line in recent internationals, scored the game-winning goals in both of Spain’s UEFA Nations League victories over Portugal. When La Roja competes in Group E against other European heavyweights in Germany, Costa Rica, and Japan in November, he appears poised to maintain his starting spot.

Harry Kane – England

Kane’s prodigious goalscoring record would once again be the center of attention if it weren’t for Haaland’s unheard-of 15-goal start to the Premier League season. Following his previous 17-goal campaign and his 23-goal, Golden Boot-winning 2020–21 season, the England captain has scored eight goals in his first nine games this season.

Kane has continued his outstanding club performance with Tottenham Hotspur in international play, where he has never shied away from the significant competition. The three-time EPL Golden Boot winner scored three goals in both the postponed 2020 UEFA Euro tournament and the 2018 FIFA World Cup, including a critical goal against Denmark in extra time in the latter competition’s semifinal.

The 29-year-outstanding old’s record for club and country—16 goals from as many international games last year—is undoubtedly only the beginning in Qatar.

Romelu Lukaku – Belgian

This will be Belgium’s last chance to win a major championship because their golden generation has regularly fallen short of expectations. At the 2022 World Cup, Lukaku, De Bruyne, and Eden Hazard will all have major roles. And Lukaku will hope that his World Cup performance would convince fans to forget about his time at Chelsea. However, after being loaned out to Inter, Lukaku has found his form and is eager to prove that he still poses a danger to scoring.

Neymar & Vinicius Jr. – Brazil

Neymar’s prolific goalscoring record speaks for itself, notably in his ability to rise to the occasion in key events, matching his French colleague Mbappe’s eight goals in Ligue 1 this season. The 30-year-old narrowly fell behind Marcelo Moreno of Bolivia in goals scored for the Qatar qualifying matches, tying Luis Suarez on eight, after scoring four and two goals in the previous two World Cups, respectively.

Vinicius Jr., who had a breakthrough 17-goal 2021–22 La Liga season, was only edged out in the battle for the golden boot by French colleague Benzema (27) and Celta Vigo’s Iago Aspas (18), and he has already added five more goals to his career total to begin the current La Liga season.

Although he has only scored once for Brazil thus far, the 22-year-stellar old’s recent club play means that he may very likely face off against his teammate from Ligue 1 as they try to penetrate the stout defenses of Serbia, Switzerland, and Cameroon in the group stage.

Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal

The greatest player in history may be competing in his last World Cup, and Portugal is one of the favorites this time around. Portugal has one of the strongest squad depths in the world, thus it would be unfortunate if they did not proceed to the competition’s championship round. But Ronaldo, their best player, has struggled this year, scoring only once.

The 37-year-old hasn’t scored in open play before, so it would be disappointing if he didn’t do well in the World Cup. This time, expectations will be quite high, therefore Ronaldo and the team must perform on the field.

To make matters worse, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s lack of game time at United this season may make his match fitness a problem for his selection in Qatar. However, Ronaldo might once again disprove the skeptics and advance his career, even if he has nothing more to show if he can suddenly stop the form of his 18-goal 2021–22 season in his fifth World Cup.

Memphis Depay – Netherlands

The Dutchman, who was viewed by many as a Manchester United failure after scoring just two goals in 33 Premier League games from 2015 to 2017, regained the form of his youth team PSV after moving to Lyon in January 2017. At Lyon, he managed an astounding 76 goals in 178 games across all competitions.

This includes two 22-goal seasons, which drew the attention of Barcelona and resulted in his impending transfer ahead of the 2021–22 season, where he has amassed an equally amazing 13 goals from 30 La Liga matches.

The 28-year-old, who scored 17 goals in 16 international matches last year and added four more to his total in 2022, was developing into a goalscoring machine for his nation at the same time. If Depay’s previous international performance is any indication, he might have a field day at the World Cup given that the Netherlands is the highest-ranked team in Group A and is expected to face other teams with similar rankings in the Round of 16.