The World Cup is nearly here, with the competition set to kick off on the 20th of November. Aside from the big question of which team will win, people are also starting to speculate about which players will shine throughout the tournament. There are various honours awarded to players based on their excellent performances. We’ve taken a look at the ones-to-watch ahead of Qatar to help you with your football bets at NetBet for the upcoming tournament.
Ones-to-Watch: Golden Boot
Also known as the Golden Shoe, this award is won by the player who scores the most goals throughout the tournament. Veterans such as Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo are strong contenders for the Qatar World Cup, with both having won the European Golden Shoe many times. Yet, some would argue that Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé or Neymar are among the ones-to-watch in Qatar.
Harry Kane – 7/1
The captain of England’s national team and the star of Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur is one of the most favoured to win this award after having won the Golden Boot in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. With 195 goals, Harry Kane is currently third on the list of players who have scored the most goals in Premier League history. With 13 goals scored for his club in all competitions so far, Harry Kane is going into the World Cup in strong form and cannot be ignored.
Kylian Mbappe – 9/1
With 19 goals so far in all competitions for his club Paris Saint-German, Kylian Mbappe, is another player to keep an eye out for. Mbappe managed to score 4 goals in the last edition of the World Cup, finishing two goals behind Harry Kane. Mbappe did, however, lead his team to glory, where he scored once in the famous 4-2 victory versus Croatia. Mbappe will be looking to carry his fine form into the World Cup and do something very special and win the World Cup back-to-back.
Ones-to-Watch: Golden Glove
While the Golden Boot is an award for talented strikers, the Golden Glove, on the other hand, is an award won by the one position often overlooked by fans, the goalkeeper. In football games, when a goalkeeper manages to prevent the opposing team from scoring a single goal in the entire match, it is called ‘keeping a clean sheet’.
The keeper who keeps the most clean sheets throughout the competition will be the recipient of this reward. Brazil’s Alisson Becker and Germany’s Manuel Neuer are perhaps the two keepers with the greatest chance of picking up this reward.
Alisson Becker – 9/2
Alisson Becker seems to be the favourite and for a good reason. In addition to Alisson Becker’s polished goalkeeping, Brazil boasts a strong defence thanks to talented and experienced players such as Thiago Silva and Casemiro who each play an important role in preventing the opposing team from scoring.
Ones-to-Watch: Golden Ball
The Golden Ball is won by players with the best overall performance in the tournament. Luca Modric won the award in 2018 for his overall performance in that tournament despite his team losing in the final. Unlike the other two awards, there are no specific criteria on the number of goals scored or the number of clean sheets for a player to get this award. The winner is decided by a group of representatives from the media.
Kylian Mbappé – 10/1
At 23, Mbappe has already achieved a lot in football and is a contender for both the Golden Ball and the Golden Boot. In 2018, he managed to score four goals in the competition. He scored twice versus Argentina in the Round of 16 which made him the second teenager to score twice in a World Cup match after the legendary Pele.
Lionel Messi – 8/1
The Qatar World Cup is to be Messi’s last tournament, and so many are hoping that he will leave the world stage, proving that he is the best player of all time. Judging by Messi’s excellent form this season, it may well be possible. He does boast the most Golden Boot wins in Europe – a total of 6, but he has yet to win one in the World Cup. Messi notably won the Golden Ball in 2014. This was a small consolation to him however as his team lost in the final against Germany.
Karim Benzema – 12/1
Benzema is another player who has been in top form for the past couple of years, with his performances last year leading him to win the Ballon d’Or. Benzema’s reputation as a world-class striker grew when Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid and more focus was placed on him. unfortunately, missed the last World Cup because he had problems with his National team’s manager based on an unfortunate scandal he was involved in many years ago now.
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