Sport
Euro 2020 Golden Boot contenders
Iconic players including Gerd Muller, Michel Platini, Alan Shearer and Marco van Basten all won the Golden Boot at the European Championship during their glittering football careers, who will add their name to that prestigious list at Euro 2020?
It isn’t always a big name that takes home the prize. Five goals at Portugal 2004 earned Czech Republic’s Milan Baros the Golden Boot, while Sweden’s Tomas Brolin and Denmark’s Henrik Larsson were among those to share the award with Dennis Bergkamp back in 1992.
We’ve already published our huge Euro 2020 preview and here are seven of the leading contenders to win the Golden Boot at Euro 2020 this summer.
7 contenders to win the Golden Boot at Euro 2020
Harry Kane (England)
Kane is naturally among the favorites for the Golden Boot at Euro 2020, with England widely predicted to go far. The Three Lions skipper fired six goals in Russia to win the Golden Boot at the last World Cup.
The striker might be slightly distracted by transfer talk after going public about his desire to leave Tottenham, however, while the state of his ankles might give Gareth Southgate a headache.
Kane takes England’s penalties, which is always handy for a possible Golden Boot winner.
Kylian Mbappe (France)
France forward Antoine Griezmann won the Golden Boot at Euro 2016 and he could compete again but it seems likelier that Les Bleus will lean heavier on Mbappe for their goals this time.
As a teenager, Mbappe was the joint second-highest goalscorer at Russia 2018 after netting in the final defeat of Croatia. Three years on, the PSG star is now even more dangerous.
A complication for Mbappe may be the return of Karim Benzema to the France fold. It is unclear how coach Didier Deschamps intends to fit all of his attacking talents into the same side.
Timo Werner (Germany)
Stop laughing at the back. Despite the Blues’ Champions League glory in Porto, it was a somewhat difficult first season at Chelsea for Werner – he only scored six times in the Premier League – but an international record of 15 goals in 38 Germany games demands a lot of respect.
Being drawn in a tough Group F – Joachim Low’s are set to face fellow title contenders Portugal and France – might restrict Werner’s chances of winning the Golden Boot at Euro 2020, however.
But it feels like he is the type of striker that just needs one goal to go in (and not be ruled out for offside by VAR) for many more to follow. Werner was prolific for both Stuttgart and RB Leipzig. It will click for the 25-year-old again at some point and that could well happen this summer.
Ciro Immobile (Italy)
Immobile has yet to crack international football and, at 31, this might be his last chance to do it.
The Lazio forward arrives at Euro 2020 on the back of another superb Serie A season. He hit 20 goals in 2020-21, a landmark he has reached in four of the past five years in the Italian top-flight.
Having failed to qualify for the last World Cup, Italy have been rebooted by Roberto Mancini. The Azzurri have a relatively simple draw against Turkey, Wales and Switzerland in Group A. Italy are under the radar but they have not lost since September 2019 and Immobile will lead the line.
Joao Felix (Portugal)
Portugal were not exactly free-scoring when they won both Euro 2016 and the inaugural Nations League. Felix will be competing with Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes for goals as well.
But after a tricky start to life at Atletico Madrid, Felix enjoyed something of a breakthrough campaign as he helped Diego Simeone’s Rojiblancos to lift the La Liga title this season. The 21-year-old’s massive talent is not in doubt. Euro 2020 could be his stage to show it by landing a surprise Golden Boot.
Romelu Lukaku (Belgium)
Another league champion who is among the potential winners of the Euro 2020 Golden Boot, Lukaku has developed into one of Europe’s hottest strikers since leaving Manchester United.
Lukaku’s 24 goals fired Inter to Serie A glory and the 28-year-old is in his prime. Belgium, the top team in FIFA’s world rankings, are among the Euro 2020 favourites. Being placed in Group B with Russia, Denmark and Finland should provide Lukaku with plenty of chances to score, too.
One sticking point is the serious facial injuries that playmaker Kevin De Bruyne sustained in the Champions League final. Lukaku’s threat will be compromised if De Bruyne is not at his best.
Robert Lewandowski (Poland)
The most lethal striker in the world, Lewandowski could not go into Euro 2020 in better form. He broke Gerd Muller’s long-standing Bundesliga record by battering home 41 goals in 2020-21.
Poland got to the quarter-finals five years ago and, now under Paulo Sousa, they should feature in the latter stages again, having been drawn alongside Spain, Sweden and Slovakia in Group E.
Lewandowski scores at a rate better than a goal every two games at international level. His supply line might not be the best, but Poland’s captain simply has to be considered a contender.
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