The Euro 2020 (even though held in 2021) will officially kick off today, June 11. Covid-19 has disrupted many sporting events, and the tournament was postponed, but here we are finally, after waiting for 12 months.
Even though some teams and players had a slow start after the ban on sports was lifted, we can now see that action is almost back to normal.
Antoine Griezmann was the lucky man to win the Golden Boot at Euro 2016. But is he up to the task of defending the title? We take a look at some of the best players who will be in the race for the Golden Boot in this year’s Euro.
Harry Kane
Harry Kane won the 2018 World Cup Golden Boot and will be looking forward to winning the Euro 2020 Golden Boot. The English striker had six goals, and his hat trick when playing against Panama in the group stages was a big boost. Kane’s performance was also impressive during the qualifying stages, where he scored 12 times in just eight games. Kane scored 23 Premier League goals for Tottenham Hotspur this season.
Romelu Lukaku
The Belgian striker is also in the race for Euro 2020 Golden Boot. Lukaku’s record while playing for his national team has been impressive, having netted 59 goals in 91 appearances; 38 of those appearances have been in competitive matches. Lukaku scored 24 Serie A goals in the 36 matches he played for Inter Milan in the 2020-21 season. He also scored 7 goals in 5 matches for Belgium during the UEFA Euro qualifiers in 2019-20.
Kylian Mbappe
The young French star is a worthy contender for the title. Even though he only played five out of the 10 qualifying matches for his team due to an injury, Mbappe still scored in three games. His four goals in the overall campaign when France won the 2018 WorldCup were also impressive. Playing for PSG, Mbappe netted 27 League 1 goals in 31 appearances in the 2020-21 season. He also managed 8 goals in UEFA Champions League in the same season out of 10 matches.
Karim Benzema
Benzema has been out of the national team since 2015, and his comeback with a Golden Boot can be a blessing. The Real Madrid forward scored 29 times this season for Real Madrid, and the French national team had to recall him. Karim Benzema made his national debut for France in 2007 and has 27 goals out of the 81 appearances. He will be competing against his countrymen Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann.
Cristiano Ronaldo
We cannot talk about modern football and fail to mention Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese forward won the Silver Boot in Euro 2016 and will be looking forward to gold this year. He is currently at level with Michel Platini as the all-time goal scorer in this tournament so far. Ronaldo made 33 Serie A appearances for Juventus and scored 29 times in the 2020-21 season. He also netted two goals in Copa Italia. There are rumors that he will retire from the national team after the tournament, and a Golden Boot will be a good sendoff.
Memphis Depay
The Netherlands international is among the underdogs with high chances of clinching the title. 2020-21 has been his best scoring season since 2015 as he netted 20 goals in 37 matches for Lyon. He also scored 6 goals for Lyon in the UEFA Champions League 2019-20 campaign. In addition, Depay scored netted six goals on the national front in the six matches he played in UEFA Euro Qualifiers.
Robert Lewandowski
The Polish striker scored 41 times in 29 Bundesliga games and will be looking forward to winning the Euro Golden Boot this year. However, Lewandowski’s stats on the national team haven’t been that impressive as he has only netted twice in 11 major competitions.
Alvaro Morata
The Spanish striker was in the best form this season after scoring 20 times for Juventus. Morata scored four goals for Spain during the UEFA EURO Qualifiers in 2020-21 in six appearances.
Ciro Immobile
The Italian striker is another underdog who is up to the task of the coveted trophy. Ciro made 35 appearances for Lazio in Serie A and scored 20 goals last season. He also scored 5 times in the 5 matches when he played in the UEFA Champions League. On the national front, Ciro netted three goals in the UEFA EURO Qualifiers in 4 appearances. He also made 3 appearances and scored 3 times during the World Cup Qualifiers.
Football is among the major sports featured on JustBet and other sportsbooks due to the huge following and money involved. Even though the above players have shown impressive performance this season, it is still early to determine who will win the Golden Boot. We can only wait and see who will win as anything can happen on the football pitch.
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