World Cup preview: The battle for the Golden Boot

The 2018 World Cup in Russia will be a month-long feast of football, with numerous nations in with a genuine chance of lifting the trophy.

The world’s best forwards also have an opportunity to claim personal glory as they battle to be the top goalscorer and win the Golden Boot.

The top scorer betting market is one of the most popular both before and during the World Cup, as punters try to predict who will be the most prolific player at the tournament.

Lionel Messi – Argentina

Messi is one of the most popular World Cup tips at odds of 9/1 to finish as the top goalscorer this summer.

Argentina have drawn Croatia, Nigeria and Iceland in the opening stage and the Barcelona star will fancy his chances of getting on the scoresheet in each game.

The 30-year-old has enjoyed another stunning personal season with Barcelona, scoring 45 goals in 54 appearances in all competitions and helping them win the league and cup double in Spain.

Messi has scored 64 goals in 124 international appearances and he is going to be difficult to stop in Russia this summer.

Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal

Portugal’s all-time leading goalscorer is undoubtedly their most important player, but he has scored just three goals at previous World Cup tournaments.

Spain will be their toughest opponents in the group stage, but games against Iran and Morocco offer Ronaldo the opportunity to rack up some goals during the early part of the tournament.

The Real Madrid star has bagged 81 goals in 149 appearances for his country and this latest edition of the World Cup is his last chance of shining on football’s biggest stage.

Neymar – Brazil

Neymar has battled back from injury to take his place in Brazil’s squad and he looked sharp in a recent warm-up game against Croatia.

The 26-year-old has notched 54 goals in 84 appearances for his country and he should get plenty of chances to get on the scoresheet with the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Gabriel Jesus alongside him.

The Paris Saint-Germain star has a point to prove having been criticised for moving from La Liga to Ligue 1 last summer and he seems sure to be a contender for the Golden Boot.

Antoine Griezmann – France

Griezmann has had another stunning season with Atletico Madrid, scoring 29 goals in 49 appearances in all competitions and helping the club win the Europa League.

He has bagged 19 goals in 52 matches for his country, including six goals at the European Championships in 2016.

France have a vast array of attacking talent to call upon, but if Griezmann gets off the mark early in the tournament he is the sort of player who could easily finish up as top goalscorer.