National teams gear up for the return of Euro 2020 after being postponed in the previous year because of the pandemic. All eyes are on the championship trophy, but fans are also rooting to see their favorite players breaking goal score records and holding up the golden boot.
On the one hand, there are obvious favorites like Harry Kane and Cristiano Ronaldo. On the other hand, we have dark horses like Antoine Greizmann. If there is a tie, we would be looking at the number of assists and the number of minutes taken if unresolved even then. Let us look at some of the top names in line to bag this title. We will discuss their achievements and recent performance before they enter Euro 2020.
- Harry Kane- won the golden boot in the Premier League and the 2018 World Cup at Russia, is well rested to enter Euro 2020 with refreshed vigor.
- Romelu Lukaku- recent track record is promising, the Belgian team is counting on him to perform well, so he will have opportunities to find the net in Euro 2020.
- Christiano Ronaldo-he has earned the silver boot in 2016, has been the top scorer in five major leagues and has powerful aid from his team.
- Antoine Greizmann- won the golden boot in 2016 over Ronaldo.
- Memphis Depay- his record of scoring goals in the last five championships has been broken only by Greizmann.
- Kylian Mbappe- narrowly missed the golden boot in 2018 World Cup at Russia, has been called successor to Ronaldo and Messi.
- Burak Yilmaz- he is an underdog but shows promising form in recent games.
As the tournament day draws closer, speculation runs wild in football fan circles. If you are rooting for your favorite player or an instinctual dark horse to bag the golden boot, why not throw in some personal stakes? Put your intuition to use and place your bets through these betting sites in Ireland.
1. Harry Kane
English captain and top striker Harry Kane is returning after a disheartening season with Tottenham. But he managed to be the top scorer in the qualifying games in England, so he is gaining his confidence back. He will get all the help he needs from his teammates like Mason Mount, Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford.
Kane already holds the Premier League Golden Boot from his game against Liverpool and another one from the 2018 World Cup in Russia. He is the third player to have won it thrice in the Premier League after Thierry Henry and Alan Shearer. He wasn’t around in England’s final game against Romania, so he will enter Euro 2020 refreshed and ready.
2. Romelu Lukaku
A record scorer back home, Belgian star Romelu Lukaku has scored 59 goals in a total of 91 appearances. He has played an excellent season at Inter Milan, making 24 goals in 36 games. His average in the European qualifiers has been 1.56 goals per 90 minutes; we hope to God he brings this rigor with him in Euro 2020.
Things didn’t work out for him in Manchester United, but in just two campaigns at Inter Milan, he made 64 goals in 87 appearances. The Belgian team has greatly benefited from his moves against Croatia in Brussels. He will have several opportunities to find the net in their games against Russia, Finland and Denmark on the group stage.
3. Christiano Ronaldo
International sensation Christiano Ronaldo might be entering one of his last few European championships in Euro 2020. He earned the Silver Boot and led Portugal to victory in Euro 2016. He has been the top scorer in five different leagues, playing for Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus.
He has been the top scorer in three major leagues- England, Spain and Italy. Even back home, he is on 134 strikes on the goal scoreboard. He has reliable aid by his side in the form of Bernardo Silva, Pedro Neto, Diogo Jota and Ricardo Pereira. Some might say the 36-year-old legend is on a descending wave, but he is poised to touch the golden boot before he even thinks of slowing down.
4. Antoine Greizmann
Greizmann, though considered an outsider, made his way to the golden boot by six goals in the Euro 2016 when France finished as runners-up to Portugal. He beat Ronaldo in the race to win the highest number of goals!
His deviated bike kick against Romania has won hearts. He ranked eighth in the scoring tally in La Liga. When he started the 2020 season, nobody expected him to hit 20 goals in 50 games for Barcelona, but he never fails to surprise.
5. Memphis Depay
Dutch forward Memphis Depay earned his goals while playing against Scotland and Georgia, sowing hope that the Netherlands team will emerge victorious from the group stage. Their group has them pitted against Ukraine, North Macedonia and Austria.
If the Dutch make it to Euro 2020, Depay will have a good shot at the golden boot. Depay’s record is only broken by Greizzman in the last five European championships. Depay is an excellent team player, too; he has 12 assists to his name in the Ligue 1 campaign.
6. Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe has shown spectacular moves while playing for PSG; he scored eight goals in eight Champion Leagues this season. Three years ago, he scored four goals in seven games in the World Cup in Russia. He missed the golden boot there but came in second after Ronaldo, Lukaku, Greizmann and Cheryshev.
The only hope is that he gets an attacking position on the France team to facilitate close encounters. Defeating Portugal and Germany is no easy feat, and the team will be extremely picky on who gets the hot spots. But Mbappe is a well-deserved candidate for the golden boot. Take David Trezeguet’s word for it; he called Mbappe the rightful successor to stalwarts like Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
7. Burak Yilmaz
35-year-old Turkish underdog Burak Yilmaz scored 16 goals in 28 appearances at the Ligue 1 and claimed that title after trumping the formidable PSG. He has scored a hattrick in their victorious game against the Netherlands in March and played to a 2-0 win against Moldova. Moreover, he scored 15 goals in 26 appearances for Lille OSC. Backed by his promising form, Yilmaz can put up stern resistance to his more popular rivals.
