The European Championships are one of the biggest and most prestigious competitions in international football. Every four years 24 European nations converge for a month-long event culminating with an overall continental champion being crowned.
Europe is blessed with some of the most talented players on the planet, especially when it comes to offense-oriented stars. The vast majority of the soccer world’s most prolific forwards hail from European nations which means the award for the top scorer at the EUROs is always hotly contested.
Here we will look at the top contenders to win the Golden Boot award at this summer’s headline soccer event, as well as the factors that could impact the battle for the accolade.
Harry Kane
Any player looking to win the Golden Boot at EURO 2024 will realistically need to play for a tournament frontrunner and have a strong goalscoring record – Harry Kane satisfies those requirements perfectly.
England is the outright favorite in the EUROs betting odds ahead of the tournament at +300 which suggests Kane’s team could go all of the way which would allow him to play the maximum amount of matches.
Paddy Power’s guides for betting on football contain all of the details about the competition’s format and the markets and bet types that will be available this summer. Kane could potentially have as many as seven games to mount a claim for the top-scorer award if England goes all the way to the final.
Kane is the Three Lions’ all-time leading goalscorer which is a record he will be expected to extend further at the major tournament. Kane will go into the event off the back of a fine season for Bayern Munich – he netted 32 goals in his opening 29 appearances – which will set him up perfectly to continue scoring in abundance for his nation.
When predicting the potential Golden Boot winner of EURO 2024 it is tough to look beyond the man that is destined to win the European Golden Shoe for his club heroics over 2023/24.
Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe is in a similar situation to Kane as he will play for one of the tournament frontrunners in France and his club form has been impressive ahead of the competition.
Les Bleus narrowly trail England in the pre-tournament winner odds at +350, although Mbappe will still be expected to lead his country to the final.
— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) September 4, 2023
The Frenchman netted 30 times and added six assists in his first 35 appearances of the 2023/24 season in Ligue 1 and the UEFA Champions League for Paris Saint Germain. Mbappe’s inevitable influence will likely be the strongest weapon in France’s European Championship charge and it should put him firmly in the running for the Golden Boot too.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo is certainly far beyond his prime now, but his will and determination should ensure he is an effective frontman for his nation at the age of 39 this summer.
He has been a consistent goalscorer for Al Nassr over the past 18 months and has shown little signs of physical regression. This season he has averaged comfortably more than a goal per game in the Saudi Pro League, although the Asian top-flight competition is not quite at the level of a top European league yet.
Ronaldo is probably a slight outsider for the award compared to his younger competitors who are in the primes of their careers. However, Portugal has a strong overall squad that could seriously challenge for glory at EURO 2024. With Ronaldo on set pieces and penalties, he could cause a small shock in forcing himself into the top scorer battle.
The battle for the Golden Boot is ultimately set to be fought between the biggest names in European football this summer, but reputation alone will not guarantee any awards.
