It is a record that few thought would ever be broken. Just Fontaine was a French striker who scored 13 goals at the 1954 FIFA World Cup, and no one has really come close in the 72 years since. Even with modern legends of the game, such as Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, and Harry Kane on top form, no one thought that any of them could score as many goals this summer.
Some of the big names have gotten off to the best possible starts at this year’s World Cup, however. Messi threw down the gauntlet in Argentina’s opening game of the tournament, scoring a hat-trick against Algeria. But there are others who have also already recorded multiple goal hauls, and now fans are checking the latest trusted sportsbook reviews to find the best betting site for Golden Boot odds.
Even after only one game played by all teams, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, and Harry Kane had all scored two goals, with the promise of many more to come. Other strikers have also bagged a brace, and now there is real excitement for this year’s Golden Boot winner not only taking home the award but the record too. These top strikers have major tournament experience and tend to be the focal point of their teams, but even the greats have struggled to get more than a handful of goals in recent times. No Golden Boot winner since 2002 had managed more than six before Mbappé scored eight in Qatar four years ago.
One caveat to the goal-fest we have already begun to see at this tournament is that Just Fontaine managed his record tally in just six games. A team that goes all the way to the final this year will have played eight. That gives the likes of Lionel Messi an even better chance of smashing the record. An expanded tournament has also meant that some of the best strikers in the world may come up against weaker teams than normal. Although a performance like Cape Verde’s against Spain shows that nothing is guaranteed at the World Cup.
One big name who seems unlikely to claim the Golden Boot this year, however, is Cristiano Ronaldo. He has won just about everything in the game, aside from a World Cup, and still commanded a place in the starting line-up for Portugal in its opening game against DR Congo. But the Saudi-based icon of the game looked out of sorts, and many pundits and fans have now said that he should make way for a younger player if his team is to have any chance of winning the World Cup this year.
Ronaldo may be out of the running, but there are a whole host of other big names looking like they may finish the tournament with a lot of goals to their name. We might just be about to see one of the unbreakable records in football finally broken.