The 2022 World Cup Golden Boot odds leave a lot of room for debate as the tournament sees Ballon d'Or finalists like Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappé, Robert Lewandowski, Harry Kane, Vinícius Júnior and Sadio Mané all vying for the prestigious individual award that awaits the competition's top scorer.
Some big names won't be with us in Qatar after qualifying failure (Norway's Erling Haaland, Egypt's Mohamed Salah, Sweden's Zlatan Ibrahimović), but we've also got the usual suspects like Neymar, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to consider.
How will a first World Cup in the Arab world/in late-November to mid-December/in a reduced timeframe play out? There's zero precedent for anything like this before, so your guess is as good as mine. Now let me give you some betting advice.
2022 World Cup Golden Boot Odds, Betting Advice, Predictions
Four potential options to consider:
#1. Neymar (Brazil) = 12/1
Why: Neymar's started the 2022-23 season like a man possessed for PSG, scoring 11 goals and providing eight assists in 11 games across all competitions. That's a sign of incredible things to come with Brazil since the Seleção's attack is built around Neymar.
The 30-year-old is also Brazil's designated penalty taker, and we certainly wouldn't be surprised to see him convert a couple from the spot in a group with Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon.
There is a question of Brazil spreading the wealth with the likes of Vini Jr, Richarlison and Raphinha in the Golden Boot conversation themselves, but Neymar only finished behind Bolivia's Marcelo Moreno in CONMEBOL qualifying and is desperate to put his tumbling ghost of 2018 to rest.
#2. Memphis Depay (Netherlands) = 22/1
Why: In 2018, Harry Kane showed that a weak group can lead to the Golden Ball. Kane only played in two of England's group games but scored five of his six total goals against Tunisia and Panama.
Depay has a good record with Holland — 42 goals in 81 caps — and although Senegal is a difficult opening match, it gets easier from there with Ecuador followed by Qatar. Alongside Kane, Depay was the leading scorer in UEFA qualifying with 12 goals.
24-year-old Ajax attacker Steven Bergwijn is the Dutch wild card at 60/1.
#3. Aleksandar Mitrović (Serbia) = 50/1
Why: During Mitrović's first three years with the national team (2013-15), he scored two goals in 18 appearances. In the seven years since, the 28-year-old Fulham striker has a remarkable 48 goals in 58 caps.
He fired Serbia past Ronaldo's Portugal and directly to Qatar with eight in qualifying, and Serbia certainly has a chance at second-place against Switzerland and Cameroon in Group G with Brazil winning it.
That would lead to a last-16 matchup with the Group H winners — potentially Portugal.
#4. Son Heung-min (South Korea) = 80/1
Why: A long shot in a difficult group with Portugal, Ghana and Uruguay, but Son scored twice in 2018 (Mexico and Germany), takes the penalties and has added an extra edge to his play in the final third.
Bonus: Christian Pulisic also comes in at 80/1 if you're looking for some heartbreak.
2022 World Cup Golden Boot Odds
All odds according to Bovada Sportsbook
#1. Harry Kane = 8/1
#2. Kylian Mbappé = 9/1
#3. Lionel Messi = 12/1
#3. Neymar = 12/1
#5. Karim Benzema = 14/1
#6. Cristiano Ronaldo = 16/1
#7. Romelu Lukaku = 20/1
#8. Memphis Depay = 22/1
#9. Lautaro Martínez = 25/1
#9. Vinícius Júnior = 25/1
#11. Richarlison = 28/1
#12. Diogo Jota = 30/1
#13. Pedro = 35/1
#13. Raheem Sterling = 35/1
#13. Robert Lewandowski = 35/1
#16. André Silva = 40/1
#16. Antoine Griezmann = 40/1
#16. Julián Álvarez = 40/1
#16. Raphinha = 40/1
#16. Serge Gnabry = 40/1
#16. Timo Werner = 40/1
#22. Aleksandar Mitrović = 50/1
#22. Álvaro Morata = 50/1
#22. Bruno Fernandes = 50/1
#22. Darwin Núñez = 50/1
#22. Dušan Vlahović = 50/1
#22. Ferran Torres = 50/1
#22. Gabriel Jesus = 50/1
#22. Kai Havertz = 50/1
#22. Kevin De Bruyne = 50/1
#22. Luis Suárez = 50/1
#22. Olivier Giroud = 50/1
#22. Paulo Dybala = 50/1
#22. Phil Foden = 50/1
#22. Rafael Leão = 50/1
#22. Roberto Firmino = 50/1
#37. Leroy Sané = 60/1
#37. Steven Bergwijn = 60/1
#39. Ansu Fati = 65/1
#39. Arnaut Danjuma = 65/1
#39. Donyell Malen = 65/1
#39. Eden Hazard = 65/1
#39. Karim Adeyemi = 65/1
#39. Thomas Müller = 65/1
#45. Christian Pulisic = 80/1
#45. Dries Mertens = 80/1
#45. Edinson Cavani = 80/1
#45. Gareth Bale = 80/1
#45. Son Heung-min = 80/1
#45. Jack Grealish = 80/1
#45. Mikel Oyarzabal = 80/1
#45. Sadio Mané = 80/1
