The delayed Euro 2020 finals occur between June 11th – July 11th, with 24 nations battling it out to become champions of Europe. Alongside team glory, players will be striving for individual honours, including the much-coveted Euro 2020 – Golden Boot.
Here at Bettingpro.com, we look at who is likely to be in contention for this major goalscoring prize. Give our tip for the Top Scorer market, alongside some key trends and stats, to help narrow down the shortlist, plus how to bet on the Euro 2020 – Golden Boot market.
What is The Euro 2020 Golden Boot?
The Euro 2020 – Golden Boot is awarded to the tournament’s top scorer and was first awarded in 1960, which was shared between five players. Since the 2012 tournament, organisers UEFA have added a Silver and Bronze boot to signify the players that finish second and third in this category, while players that have scored the same amount of goals are now separated by “tiebreakers” with goal assists and the least amount of minutes played factored into the decision.
This is good knowledge if betting on the Euro 2020 – Golden Boot market, as those tiebreakers could make or break a winning bet.
Euro 2020 - Golden Boot: Trends and Stats
Generally, when selecting a player to win the Golden Boot, forwards and strikers are the prime candidates, with those most likely to get the chance to find the net. Legendary player, Michel Platini, was arguably the last non-forward/striker player to win the title, back in 1984, when he scored a record nine goals as an attacking midfielder. In eight tournaments since a forward or striker has won the Golden Boot.
As obvious as it may sound, getting deeper into a tournament offers players a better chance of winning the Golden Boot by simply playing more games. In fact, of the last twelve European Championships, eight winning Golden Boot players have come from the tournament winners, along with one from runners-up and three from losing semi-finalists. The current champions France, who won in 2016, also supplied the leading scorer, with Antoine Griezmann scoring six goals, three ahead of the next highest player, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Club form can throw a red herring into the mix, too, with some star names unable to carry their nation to glory due to a difference in quality that a club side has, compared to the national team. Bayern Munich and Poland’s Robert Lewandowski is a prime example. The striker set a Bundesliga record this season, with 41 goals for Bayern Munich. Still, even with an impressive 66 goals in 118 games for Poland, he has been unable to taste glory with his national team due to the lesser players around him.
Contenders For The Euro 2020 - Golden Boot
In terms of Euro 2020 – Golden Boot contenders, the group stage draw is an essential barometer for potential chances of success. An “easy” draw is likely to offer star strikers a chance of scoring a few early goals. For instance, in Group F, we have France, Germany and Portugal drawn together. These games are likely to be tense, tight affairs, with few chances, so as much as Kylian Mbappe, Timo Werner, and Cristiano Ronaldo are all great players and available at short prices with bookmakers, they may struggle initially to find goals.
Elsewhere, England’s Harry Kane (8/1) will be heavily fancied, with the Three Lions having a kind group draw as they face Croatia, Czech Republic and rivals Scotland. The Tottenham man was the highest scorer and assist-maker in the Premier League, totalling 33 goals in all competitions; however, if Gareth Southgate’s side were to win the group, they could meet France, Portugal or Germany in the next round. England have a genuine chance this year, but can Kane continue to find the net the deeper England go?
Both Italy and Spain have what would be classed as comfortable group draws, with both sides facing a potentially winnable last sixteen contest, if they were to win their respective groups. Main goal-getters, Ciro Immobile (22/1) hit 25 goals this season for Lazio, while Alvaro Morata (25/1) scored 20 goals for Juventus, and both could be worthy outside selections, especially with each-way markets available (see below for further details)
Elsewhere, the aforementioned Kylian Mbappe (10/1) and Cristiano Ronaldo (14/1) also offer value potential in each-way markets. At the same time, the returning Frenchman Karim Benzema at 20/1 could surprise, having been brought back into the international fold after years in the wilderness.
Euro 2020 - Golden Boot Top Tip
With all that said and done, who is Bettingpro.com‘s top tip for the Euro 2020 – Golden Boot? Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku (7/1) is arguably in the form of his life, having hit 34 and 30 goals in two seasons at Inter and winning the Serie A title this season gone. Lukaku’s strength on the ball and ability in the air has always been a massive plus for the Belgian, but his finishing was constantly under scrutiny until now. In a group that consists of Denmark, Finland and Russia, the Red Devils should progress with relative comfort to the knockout stages, where the side can quite literally beat anyone on their day.
This Belgium team have been full of promise for some time, without quite reaching the heights expected, but if they go deep into the tournament, expect Romelu Lukaku to play a significant role on the way.
How To Bet on the Euro 2020 Golden Boot
Betting on the Golden Boot winner is simple. Nearly all bookmakers will have the market available in the relevant Football or Euro 2020 section of their respective website, with the Top Scorer usually featuring prominently. Visit the market, select the player you think will win the Euro 2020 – Golden Boot and place your bet.
For those looking for a bit of value, with more significant priced players, the each-way option creates two bets under the one selection. If we were to use the aforementioned Alvaro Morata, for example, who is currently 25/1, the two bets would be to win outright and place in the first four places.
If the Spaniard were to win the Golden Boot, the first part of the bet would be paid at 25/1 odds, while the second part payout at one-quarter of the initially marked price, as the bettor has more chances of winning. So a quarter of the above odds would payout at roughly 6.25/1.
Please remember, when placing an each-way bet, it is multiplied by two, so if you select a £10 stake, the total bet would be £20.