Previewing Potential Top Goal Scorers at Euro 2024
All roads lead to Germany this summer as football fans around the world ready themselves for the start of Euro 2024. It’s one of the biggest sporting events, so it’s no surprise that Euro 2024 tickets have continued to sell out as we approach kickoff.
Each of the qualified teams and their players will be gearing up for the big tournament as they hope to write their names in the history books forever. The stars will also be ready to put on a show as they seek to make their marks on the big stage as the legends before them have done. The football world will be privileged to see some of the finest attackers in the world battle it out to help their teams win the coveted European Championship.
Aside from the big prize, the Golden Boot will also be one of the top individual honours up for grabs, with legendary players like Gerd Muller, Alan Shearer, and Cristiano Ronaldo among the recipients of this award in the past. Top goal scorers like Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, and even Ronaldo will be gunning for this individual award in addition to their team’s success. Here, we give a detailed analysis of the players likely to clinch the Euro 2024 Golden Boot award.
Harry Kane
England is considered the top favorites to win the championship this summer, and Harry Kane is without a doubt their most important player heading into the tournament. Kane began the season last summer with a big move to Bayern Munich after a successful individual spell at Tottenham Hotspur and has been on a tear all year round. Kane finished the season with 44 goals in 45 games, claiming the Bundesliga top scorer award convincingly. He will also claim the UEFA Champions League top scorer award this year, along with Kylian Mbappé and Luuk de Jong.
Kane already holds the record for most goals in England’s history, with 68 goals scored in 89 appearances. He was England’s top scorer in two of their last three competitive tournaments, winning the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot in 2018, and is on pace to do it again at the Euros. The 30-year-old played a key role in the Euro qualifiers, scoring 8 goals, and England will hope his fine-scoring form continues as they aim to clinch their first-ever Euro trophy.
Kylian Mbappé
Mbappé has arguably been the best player in Europe for some years now and is widely regarded as one of the best finishers in this generation. The soon-to-be former PSG player has pace and can create scoring opportunities in the most unlikely situations, which sets him apart from his peers.
We all saw what the French talisman did in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Final. He inspired one of the most memorable comebacks in World Cup history, scoring a hat trick and forcing Argentina to a penalty shootout, which France eventually lost. Mbappé claimed the Golden Boot in Qatar ahead of Lionel Messi and has gotten better ever since. The 25-year-old has seen the back of the net 44 times this season in 48 appearances for PSG. He has also scored eight goals in his last eight appearances for France, helping Les Bleus secure the top spot in the Euro qualifiers, ahead of the Netherlands and Greece.
The Euros are the only tournament Mbappe has featured in and failed to score, and he will be hungry to break the deadlock in Germany. With France poised to go far in this year’s competition, Mbappé will have many opportunities to score as many goals to secure the Golden Boot award.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo may not be the lethal goal scorer he once was but has continued to show that class is permanent. The Portuguese forward, who recently turned 39 in February, has already claimed the top goalscorer honor in the past when he scored five goals at Euro 2020. This was his first-ever international Golden Boot award, and his goal-scoring form has not dipped since.
Ronaldo has 33 goals for Al Nassr and has scored 10 goals for Portugal this season. He was the second-highest goalscorer in the Euro 2024 qualifiers, proving that he can still score goals when given the opportunity.
This will undoubtedly be Ronaldo’s last Euros, and we expect him to be fired up to make this a memorable farewell. Portugal is a team littered with defensive firepower, so it remains to be seen if Ronaldo will be given the starting spot throughout the tournament. But if he does get the nod, expect to see him score several goals.
Romelu Lukaku
Belgium find themselves in what many consider the weakest group on paper, and one man who will be rubbing his hands throughout the early rounds of the Euros is their all-time leading goalscorer, Romelu Lukaku. The 31-year-old has already netted 89 goals for his country and will look to add to his tally this summer when Belgium face Slovakia, Romania, and Ukraine in the group stage.
By his standards, Lukaku had a low-scoring campaign with AS Roma this season, yet he was able to score 21 goals for the Italian side. Thankfully for Belgium, his meagre form at the club level has not affected his performances on the international stage. He was the leading goalscorer in the Euro qualifiers, scoring 14 goals to help Belgium secure a spot in Germany.
Should Lukaku claim this award, he will become the first Belgian to win the Euro Golden Boot. Considering Belgium’s easy group and Kevin De Bruyne’s elite playmaking, Lukaku has a decent shot at edging out his competitors.
Jude Bellingham
Jude Bellingham could become the youngest player to win the European Championship Golden Boot at the age of 20. This record is currently held by Netherlands legend Patrick Kluivert, who clinched the award in 2000 at 23 years old.
Bellingham will face stiff competition from his fellow England teammate, Harry Kane, who has been England’s go-to player for goals, so it is unlikely he will win it this year. However, the English sensation has shown that he can score goals this season when he is not the main target man. Despite playing predominantly in midfield, he has 23 goals in all competitions for Real Madrid so far this season and could rack in goals for England when the chances show up at Euro 2024.