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World Cup 2022 Top Scorer Predictions, Odds, Picks

Written by: Greg Lea
Updated December 14, 2022
5 min read
  • The World Cup 2022 gets under way on November 20 and will end on December 18
  • Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are among those chasing the top scorer prize
  • We take a look at the history of the World Cup Golden Boot over the last 92 years

The World Cup 2022 is on the horizon, with the action set to get underway on November 20. 

This will be a unique tournament in several ways: it is the first World Cup to be held in the Arab world, the first to be staged in the northern hemisphere’s winter, and the last to feature 32 teams ahead of a planned expansion to 48 in 2026.

There is plenty of focus on which team will lift the trophy in Qatar on December 18, but that is not the only prize worth fighting for at the upcoming competition. 

Indeed, several high-profile attackers will also have designs on the Golden Boot, the award that will be given to the World Cup 2022 top scorer. This guide contains everything you need to know about that particular race. 

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World Cup 2022 Top Scorer Odds

The odds for the World Cup 2022 top scorer are provided by the DraftKings sportsbook, where you can get a deposit bonus of $1000 if you sign up using the link above.

World Cup 2022 Top ScorerOdds

Kylian Mbappe (France)

-165

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Lionel Messi (Argentina)

+185

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Olivier Giroud  (Brazil)

+750

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Julián Álvarez (Argentina)

+1800

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Harry Kane, the Golden Boot winner four years ago, is the favorite to finish as the top scorer this time around too. The England captain is a guaranteed starter and his team has high hopes of going deep in Qatar.

Kylian Mbappe will be an integral part of the France team, but it will be interesting to see whether he or Karim Benzema emerges as the defending champions’ chief goal-getter.

Brazil are the favorites to triumph and their talisman Neymar is not too far off becoming the country’s all-time record goalscorer. His Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Lionel Messi will be leading the charge for Argentina, and his old rival Cristiano Ronaldo will hope to keep up his excellent scoring record for Portugal.

Belgium are potential outsiders to win the tournament and they will rely on Romelu Lukaku for goals, even though the Inter striker has had an injury-hit season so far. Lautaro Martinez and Richarlison could rival Messi and Neymar for goals respectively. 

In nine of the last 10 World Cups, a return of six goals has been enough to finish as the tournament’s top scorer. That is the magic number to look out for this winter.

If you would like to check out more betting options available to you for World Cup 2022, check out our guide on how to bet on soccer.

World Cup 2022 Top Scorer

Who Has the Highest Goals in World Cup?

Player and CountryGoals

Miroslav Klose (Germany)

16

Ronaldo (Brazil)

15

Gerd Muller (West Germany)

14

Just Fontaine (13)

13

Pele (Brazil)

12

Sándor Kocsis (Hungary)

11

Jurgen Klinsmann (West Germany/Germany)

11

Helmut Rahn (West Germany)

10

Gary Lineker (England)

10

Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina)

10

Teofilo Cubillas (Peru)

10

Grzegorz Lato (Poland)

10

Thomas Muller (Germany)

10

Which Players Have Finished as World Cup Top Scorer?

Player(s), Country and GoalsWorld Cup

Guillermo Stabile (Argentina) - 8

1930

Oldrich Nejedly (Czechoslovakia) - 5

1934

Leonidas (Brazil) - 8

1938

Ademir (Brazil) - 9

1950

Sandor Kocsis (Hungary) - 11

1954

Just Fontaine (France) - 13

1958

Garrincha (Brazil), Vava (Brazil), Leonel Sanchez (Chile), Florian Albert (Hungary), Valentin Ivanov (Soviet Union), Drazan Jerkovic (Yugoslavia) - 4

1962

Eusebio (Portugal) - 9

1966

Gerd Muller (West Germany) - 10

1970

Grzegorz Lato (Poland) - 7

1974

Mario Kempes (Argentina) - 6 

1978

Paolo Rossi (Italy) - 6

1982

Gary Lineker (England) - 6

1986

Salvatore Schillaci (Italy) - 6

1990

Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria), Oleg Salenko (Russia) - 6

1994

Davor Suker (Croatia) - 6

1998

Ronaldo (Brazil) - 8

2002

Miroslav Klose (Germany) - 5

2006

Thomas Muller (Germany), David Villa (Spain), Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands), Diego Forlan (Uruguay) - 5

2010

James Rodriguez (Colombia) - 5

2014

Harry Kane (England) - 6

2018

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When Is the World Cup 2022 Top Scorer Announced?

What if Two or More Players Score the Same Number of Goals?

Who Has Won the Most Golden Boots in the World Cup?

Who Has More Goals in the World Cup, Messi or Ronaldo?

How Can I Watch the World Cup 2022 on TV?

Greg Lea WSN Contributors

Greg Lea

Soccer Betting Analyst

Expertise:
Premier League
Champions League
Bundesliga
La Liga
Betting Picks
Greg Lea is a freelance soccer journalist from London. He is the former editor of The Set Pieces, and has contributed to the Guardian, FourFourTwo, and ESPN. A Crystal Palace fan, he is a long-time subscriber to the belief that it's the taking part that counts.
Email: [email protected]
Nationality: American
Education: Bachelor of Arts in Politics
Favourite Sportsbook: bet365 Sportsbook
Favourite Casino: BetMGM Casino
Experience: 10 years
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