What do Alan Shearer, Milan Baros and Cristiano Ronaldo have in common? They are all European Championship Golden Boot winners.
The fact that none of the aforementioned trio went on to win the competition in the year they topped the goalscoring charts shows that claiming the Golden Boot at a major tournament is no guarantee of team success, but it certainly doesn’t hinder a nation’s chances of glory.
At Euro 2024 this summer, some of the world’s greatest forwards will be vying for the accolade, hoping that their ruthlessness in front of goal can fire their country to the crown.
Here are the favourites for the Euro 2024 Golden Boot award.
Having crowned a remarkable debut season at Real Madrid with the Champions League title, England fans are praying Jude Bellingham can pack his incredible performances in his suitcase before departing for Germany this summer.
The midfielder, who will likely operate as a number 10 for the Three Lions, is among the bookies’ favourites to claim the Golden Boot award despite not playing as a centre-forward.
The fact Bellingham has managed just three goals for his country so far suggests this may be slightly wishful thinking, but his red hot form and technical brilliance means it’s tough to bet against him.
He seldom featured at Euro 2020 as England suffered heartbreak in the final at Wembley, but he did pop up with a goal and an assist at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Despite regularly facing criticism for his technical ability, Romelu Lukaku has never struggled putting the ball in the net for Belgium. Well, maybe a little during his cameos at the 2022 World Cup, but he is generally ruthless.
He has produced over 80 goals for Belgium during a prolific international career, often finding himself in the right place at the right time. Of course, it helps having Kevin De Bruyne conjure up chance after chance.
His record in Euro 2024 qualifying was truly astonishing. He netted 14 times in just eight matches – a new record for a Euros qualifying campaign. At Euro 2020, he also found the net regularly, bagging four goals in five matches.
Belgium’s ‘golden generation’ may be fading, but Lukaku is still a machine up top.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been a Golden Boot winner in the past. He won the accolade at Euro 2020 despite Portugal only reaching…
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