How To Find The World Cup Top Scorer

Betting on the World Cup top scorer is one of the most fun bets that can be had at a World Cup. Not only are you cheering your selection every time he scores but it gives an interest in every other game where punters will be willing other top players not to score. The draw is going to have a huge bearing on the likely top scorers but what are the golden rules for picking your bets?

Games Mean Goals

The more opportunities a player gets the more he is going to score. It is very rare for a team to get knocked out early in a World Cup and one of their players still win the Golden Boot. In the history of the World Cup a single player has won the Golden Boot without anyone else being tied at the top of the scoring charts and on seven of those occasions the player played in the World Cup Final. Really you want to be looking for players that play for teams that will reach the semi-final. Even if they lose in the semi-final, they go into the Third Place Playoff which is a blessing in disguise as there are always goals in that game whereas there are very few goals in the World Cup final itself.

Team Tactics Make The Difference

Even the greatest strikers won’t score too many goals if a team doesn’t play to their strengths or plays negative tactics that won’t result in many goal scoring opportunities. Don’t just look at a player’s goal scoring record, look at the team’s goal scoring record. The teams that score the most goals are usually likely to provide the World Cup top scorer.

Look At The Whipping Boys

There are normally three or four teams at the World Cup finals that are almost guaranteed to lose all three group games. These ‘whipping boys’ can provide opposition strikers with an opportunity to get an early head start in the scoring charts. It usually pays to have a shortlist of two or three players who should be the team top scorer for a team that is likely to reach the latter stages of the World Cup. Then, once the draw has been made, the player who plays for the team with the easiest draw should be backed.

Know The Rules

There are often ties at the top of the scoring charts. Only one Golden Boot will be awarded and that goes to the player who has played the fewest minutes out of those at the top of the scoring table. That doesn’t matter for betting purposes though, the bet will be on the top scorer at the World Cup unless the individual bookmaker specifically states otherwise. If there is a dead heat, divide the stake by the number of players involved in the dead heat and you’ve got your revised returns.

List of FIFA World Cup goalscorers