Who do you think will win the Golden Boot this World Cup???

[avinash.nektan]

Here is a nice article from Guardian on some good outside bets to win the coveted title!

http://www.theguardian.com/football/...2014-world-cup

[Casino Online Rating]

I would bet on Messi, Neymar or Ronaldo

[avinash.nektan]

I would bet on Messi, Neymar or Ronaldo

naah..leave aside them...and give me other hopefuls?

[Casino Online Rating]

haha I'm not a big fan of football so these are the only names that come to my mind when I think of World Cup

[tryme]

Generally, you'll need 6 goals to win the Golden Boot. The trick is to look at the Group Games and see where someone might score 4 (or even more) in the three Group matches.

Once you've got that list - which will be pretty short as the standard of teams is higher all the time - then research who they might line up against in the Second Round and beyond. If you think someone from your short list might get 2 goals out of the knockout stages, then that's who you should back.

So, do your own research! So there. Hint: the Group containing Iran and a very poor looking Nigeria side has plenty of possibilities.

[DanHorvat]

If the top goalscorer is coming from Argentina it won't be Messi, it will be Kun Aguero or Higuain.
If he's coming from Brazil it won't be Neymar but Hulk.

You need 7 matches (and 6 goals) to win the Golden Boot, and the 7th should be the bronze medal match. Most of the goals are scored in the group against inferior opponents. But not in the first round as that's the defensive one.

Very rarely has the best striker in the tournament won the Golden Boot, and very rarely the winner wasn't European.

I'd go with Thomas Muller as I think Germany will play the bronze medal match and win it. He's also taking spot kicks for Germany.

[sweetbet]

I recently read a new story about an injury that is posing a serious threat to Ronaldo's performance in the World Cup.

Then there is this weird story about a witch doctor putting a hex on Ronaldo.

xhttp://nypost.com/2014/06/05/witch-doctor-i-injured-ronaldo-before-world-cup/

Bizarre stuff.

[TheGooner]

Great analysis Dan - here is a table I put together ...

1986 in Mexico Argentina beat Germany 3-2 - Gary Lineker (England) 6 goals - Q/F
1990 in Italy Germany beat Argentina 1-0 - Salvatore Schillaci (Italy) 6 goals - 3rd
1994 in USA Brazil beat Italy 0-0 (pens) - Oleg Salenko (Russia) 6 goals - Three group games only.
1998 in France France beat Brazil 3-0 - Davor Šuker (Croatia) 6 goals - 3rd
2002 in SK/Japan Brazil beat Germany 2-0 - Ronaldo (Brazil) 8 goals - Winner
2006 in Germany Italy beat France 1-1 (pens) - Miroslav Klose (Germany) 5 goals - 3rd
2010 in S.Africa Spain beat Netherlands 1-0 - Thomas Müller (Germany) 5 goals - 3rd


(Muller tied with Villa (Spain) and Sneijder (Netherlands) but had more assists)

You can see that Dan had a great point ... with 4 of the last seven golden boot winners playing in the 3rd/4th playoff .. and three of those getting a vital goal in that game.

Interestingly, apart from the Brazilian Ronaldo in 2002, none of the other Golden Boot winners have been in the top five names tipped to lift the trophy before the start. The real roughy was Oleg Salenko who only played 3 games - scoring FIVE times against Cameroon and six in total - as Russia took advantage of a weak group opponent but still failed to qualify.

I think that this time around the group draw is noticeably unbalanced, and that Argentina (Bosnia, Iran, Nigeria) and France (Switzerland, Ecuador and Honduras) both have chances to score perhaps 7-8+ group goals and their lead scorer may be on 4 (or more?) after the group games.

So Lionel Messi (Argentina) is an obvious favourite at 8.50, but maybe Karim Benzema (France) at 32.00 is one to consider as a real roughy?

[DanHorvat]

I really wouldn't go with Messi. He's playing on the right wing in Argentina and is making assists.

Neymar - have faith in him I do not. He's just a boy, and this is how old were the Golden Boot winners:

Gary Lineker 25
Toto Schillaci 25
Oleg Salenko 24
Davor Šuker 30
Ronaldo 25
Miroslav Klose 28
Thomas Muller 20
David Villa 28
Wesley Sneijder 26

My point being you got to be a man to win the Golden Boot. There were plenty of talented teenagers on these seven tournaments.

Messi is 26, Neymar 22, Benzema 26.

[avinash.nektan]

Generally, you'll need 6 goals to win the Golden Boot. The trick is to look at the Group Games and see where someone might score 4 (or even more) in the three Group matches.

Once you've got that list - which will be pretty short as the standard of teams is higher all the time - then research who they might line up against in the Second Round and beyond. If you think someone from your short list might get 2 goals out of the knockout stages, then that's who you should back.

So, do your own research! So there. Hint: the Group containing Iran and a very poor looking Nigeria side has plenty of possibilities.

Yeah...you are right! Argentina is in a pretty easy group!

[avinash.nektan]

I recently read a new story about an injury that is posing a serious threat to Ronaldo's performance in the World Cup.

Then there is this weird story about a witch doctor putting a hex on Ronaldo.

xhttp://nypost.com/2014/06/05/witch-doctor-i-injured-ronaldo-before-world-cup/

Bizarre stuff.

A witch doctor? Really? He he thats weird!

[avinash.nektan]

Lionel Messi (Argentina)[/B] is an obvious favourite at 8.50, but maybe Karim Benzema (France) at 32.00 is one to consider as a real roughy?

Karim Benzema yes an outside chance other than obvious favourites....