Golden Boot

One of the more popular markets during a World Cup has proven to be the ‘Top Goalscorer‘ market, which in it’s simplest form means; who, as in player, will finish the 32 team tournament with the highest amount of goals. The ‘Golden Shoe’ (aka ‘Golden Boot’) is the official name for the award given to the player with the most amount of goals at the end of the tournament, and is second best only to winning the World Cup itself.

Some great names over the years have won the award, the likes of Brazil’s Ronaldo, Portugal’s Eusebio, even our own Gary Lineker, whom will be presenting coverage of the finals live on the BBC during the summers event, has a Golden Shoe in his trophy cabinet, while the current owner of the Golden Shoe belongs to Miroslav Klose of Germany. However, Klose didn’t have strain too much to land the award as his tally of just 5 goals was the joint-second lowest goal tally to have claimed the overall prize in the World Cup’s 80 year history.

So who will claim 2010’s Golden Shoe? Well, we’ve not had much luck predicting some of the previous years winners, with Klose not even on our radar back in 2006, but with some big names representing their countries over the summer, we’re fairly confident we’ll get closer this time around. Below is our brief assessment of some of the frontrunners in the betting market to win the 2010 FIFA Golden Shoe.

During the World Cup tournament we will update in regular intervals the World Cup 2010 Top Goalscorer Ranking and quote their best odds to win the trophy.

In the End quite surprisingly the winner was Thomas Muller of Germany because Fifa took the number of assists as decisive criterion as 4 players had all scored 5 goals. Thomas Muller won the golden shoe for the best goalscorer of the World Cup 2010.

5 Goals: Thomas Muller (Germany), David Villa (Spain), Wesley Sneijder (Holland), Diego Forlan (Uruguay)

4 Goals: Miroslav Klose (Germany), Gonzalo Higuain (Argentina), Robert Vittek (Slovakia)

3 Goals: Luis Suarez (Uruguay), Luis Fabiano (Brazil), Asamoah Gyan (Ghana), Landon Donovan (USA)

2 Goals: Carlos Tevez (Argentina), Brett Holman (Australia), Elano (Brazil), Lukas Podolski (Germany), Keisuke Honda (Japan), Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon), Javier Hernandez (Mexico), Kalu Uche (Nigeria), Tiago (Portugal), Lee Chung Yong (South Korea), Lee Jung Soo (South Korea), Arjen Robben (Holland), Edinson Cavani (Uruguay), Alvaro Pereira (Uruguay), Maxi Pereira (Uruguay)

World Cup 2010 Top Goalscorer (Golden Boot, Golden Shoe) Betting Odds

And here an always up-to-date goal scorer odds comparison table

More information on some of the favourites …

David Villa

Country: Spain

Club: Valencia

International Apps: 55

International Goals: 37

Club Form: 28 Goals in 42 Appearances

Odds: 11/1 Bet365

Ah, David Villa. One the most wanted strikers on the planet, and up their with the very best with a stunning goal return for both club and country. A fully fit David Villa is a scary thought for any opponent and he’ll be keenly watched over the course of the World Cup by every defender, although very few manage to keep the 2008 European Championship’s top goalscorer at bay for the entire length of a 90 minute game. He’s quick, skilful and so damn clinical in front of goal. You give him even the slightest whiff at goal and he’ll punish you with aplomb – This guy is deadly in and around the box and chances are you’ll see why.

Despite lacking in height (5ft 9in), Villa has this predatory presence in the opposing box, with any half-chance or defensive mistakes immediately snapped up by the little Spaniard. He also has so much to his game. An unlimited inventory if you like. He can take on a defender, weave in between the tightest of defences, take free-kicks and penalties under pressure, score from 30 yards… score from 2 yards; the man is a menace and it’s no wonder the bookies are no taking no prisoners by quoting Villa as the early favourite for the Golden Shoe award, although his price looks extremely generous considering he’s one of many world class players in the Spain squad. A team which will create plenty of chances during the course of the tournament, so Villa will get his fair amount of opportunities to score in South Africa and bolster his already mean International tally.

Fernando Torres

Country: Spain

Club: Liverpool

International Apps: 71

International Goals: 23

Club Form: 22 Goals in 32 Appearances

Odds: 13/1 Expekt

Liverpool’s No.9 is one half of a deadly striking duo for Spain. The name ‘Torres’ is now a household name around Europe after properly announcing himself on the scene after two prolific seasons in a tough and often gruelling English Premier League. In two seasons in England with Liverpool, Torres has built up a stunning goalscoring CV of 54 goals in just 77 appearances for the Reds, although his exploits for Spain are a tad more confined. Even so, the sheer sight of Torres on the starting sheet scares the living daylights out of defenders and he’s one of just a few who are almost guaranteed a starting berth for Spain in South Africa, that is providing he’s fully fit.

For all Torres’ amazing attributes; his lightening like acceleration and pace, his quick feet and skills, his composure in the final and his ability to position himself in the goalscoring areas… amongst others traits, he does seem prone to knocks and scrapes. Since joining Liverpool in 2007, Torres has endured a handful of injuries, some of which have kept him sidelined for several weeks at a time, and he’s had to deal with a stop-start season in England this year which will have affected his preparations for the World Cup somewhat. However, Liverpool’s talismanic forward appears to be back to his goalscoring best and if he keeps up his goalscoring form until the end of the season, his confidence should be sky-high, and so, Torres will surely be thereabouts on the top goalscorers list in South Africa.

Wayne Rooney

Country: England

Club: Manchester United

International Apps: 58

International Goals: 25

Club Form: 34 Goals in 44 Appearances

Odds: 12/1 SportingBet

One of the most energetic and enthusiastic players around is Wayne Rooney, of which he’s now added ‘Goalscoring Machine’ to his forte after a sublime season for his club in the Barclay’s Premier League. The Liverpool born forward has been enjoying his best ever seen for Manchester United, already lending a helping in hand in landing the Carling Cup trophy for the Manchester based club by scoring their winner at Wembley. Rooney will be hoping more trophies are still to come, with the biggest of them all being the Jules Rimet trophy in South Africa, but Rooney hasn’t faired too well on the big stage for his country in past events; suffering a tournament ending injury in the 2004 European Championships before later seeing Red in the 2006 World Cup. On both occasions his country went out in the same encounter, so while many back home in England are pinning their hopes on the fiery, ginger faced Scouser, the omens aren’t heavily stacked in his favour.

What Wayne Rooney does have to offer though is some stunning form, both from his club and international duties. Rooney was pivotal during England’s World Cup qualifying campaign, finishing as their top goalscorer with 9 goals after 9 qualifiers. However, it’s his form at Manchester United which has catapulted him into Golden Boot contention after a blistering season in the Premiership. After 38 competitive games with man Utd, Rooney has netted on 32 occasions averaging nearly a goal every-other-game. He’s not just about goals though, far from it. Rooney’s model like work ethic is something for our kids back home in England to aspire to. We’ve yet to see a game yet where Rooney just hasn’t turned up and performed, especially for England. He’s rapidly becoming one of the most consistent players around and he’ll set the bar in South Africa for the rest of the England players to follow– Let’s hope the rest match his high standards.

Luis Fabiano

Country: Brazil

Club: Sevilla

International Apps: 36

International Goals: 25

Club Form: 21 Goals in 34 Appearances

Odds: 13/1 bWin

Surprise-Surprise, Brazil have a nifty goalscorer, although this one isn’t exactly your stereotypical showboating Brazilian striker like those preceded him. Don’t get me wrong, Fabiano does have plenty of skill and wit in his locker, but he’s not as bumptious as say a Ronaldo or a Romario, yet his record for his country is second to none and on course to be up their with the very best in Brazil. That is providing he gets enough games in the forthcoming few years as Fabiano was a late bloomer and has only recently come into the limelight at the age of 29

While Fabiano took a while to really make a name for himself, with one reason perhaps being the ultra competitive forward competition he’s had to face in previous years, the Sevilla forward has shown his worth for Brazil despite his country only recently demanding his regular services. His tally of 25 goals in 36 Internationals is just breathtaking, while his form during qualifying put him firmly in the hat for the summers Golden Boot award. That was until injury put his season on hold, with an ankle injury restricting his pitch time for Sevilla of late. Even so, he’s been averaging a goal every-other-game in Spain, and should he be fit and raring to go by the summer time, Fabiano will definitely pose a threat to those craving a Golden Boot – While this could be Fabiano’s last chance to claim the prize with age clearly not on his side any more.

Lionel Messi

Country: Argentina

Club: Barcelona

International Apps: 43

International Goals: 13

Club Form: 47 Goals in 53 Appearances

Odds: 16/1 Boylesports

Where do we even begin to describe the Golden Boot credentials of thee best player on the planet according to FIFA, and just about every honest footballing pundit. The lad is still just 22 years-of-age yet he’s already known worldwide for his footballing exploits. Messi not only has the potential to be the players of the tournament in South Africa but he could very well end up as the greatest ever player to embrace the beautiful game if he continues at this pace. The little Argentine has been in scintillating form for his club, Barcelona, in Spain, racking up a staggering 29 goals in just 31 appearances. He’s already on track to land the Golden Boot award in Spain, which would be some feat for a winger, but does he have the making of a Golden Shoe winner? Some would say perhaps not.

While there is so much to love about Messi; his silky touches, his mazy runs, the sublime pieces of skill and the downright audacious goals, the criticism with Messi, especially back home, has been that he doesn’t quite emulate his club form at International level, with some journalists back in Argentina claiming Messi only really produces his best for his club, Barcelona. His average goal return while on International duty is perhaps the evidence to back up these claims but we mustn’t forget that Messi is still very young, with his best years still ahead of him, and yet the pressure on the lad from fans and pundits back home must be enormous. He’s done extremely well not to over burn, yet he poured his heart and soul into a lacklustre Argentina qualifying campaign. It would have been a huge blow had Messi and Argentina not made the finals, but they are there and the FIFA World Player of the Year will set out to make a real impact in just his second World Cup finals appearance.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Country: Portugal

Club: Real Madrid

International Apps: 69

International Goals: 22

Club Form: 33 Goals in 35 Appearances

Odds: 20/1 bWin

Despite claiming the 2008 FIFA Player of the Year award, the bookies don’t fancy the cheeky Portuguese star with Cristiano Ronaldo looking rather tasty at 20/1 to finish this summers finals as the most prolific player on the planet. The charismatic forward will certainly be eager to land the Golden Shoe award as it’s about the only accolade the Portuguese superstar, and captain, hasn’t won in what has been a glistering career up till now. There isn’t an awful lot Ronaldo can’t brag about, especially after his £80Million pound move to Real Madrid last summer from Manchester United after two very impressive years in England, even ending the 2007/2008 season as England’s deadliest forward with a sublime return of 42 goals in all competitions. Ronaldo now lays claim to being the most expensive footballer, not only on the planet, but to have ever lived.

Why is Ronaldo such big odds? Well, to put it bluntly, he will be spearheading one of Portugal’s poorest national sides in it’s history in South Africa and they’ll do well just to make it past the group stages. In a group consisting of Brazil and the Ivory Coast, Ronaldo will need to show some of his magic in order to drive Portugal deep into the competition. However, Ronaldo is another big name who hasn’t quite lived up to expectations when playing for his country, yet the burden of success upon his shoulders will be huge this summer as he will head into South Africa as the Portugal captain – God knows why as I couldn’t respect a player who spends a large portion of his game diving and winging, although the other half is usually spent scoring goals, so that’s probably why.

The Portuguese are now a one man team and if they are to go through, we have no doubts that Ronaldo will be to blame – and blame is the correct word as the inevitable will happen somewhere down the line where the winking, take my shirt off whenever possible, Ronaldo breaks English hearts for the third time in a row.

We will try to add others as we go along… But here are few other names, including their respective odds, that could challenge some of the more obvious selections at more appealing odds.

Gonzalo Higuain

Country: Argentina

International Apps: 4

International Goals: 2

Odds: 25/1 PaddyPower

Didier Drogba

Country: Ivory Coast

International Apps: 68

International Goals: 43

Odds: 33/1 bWin

Even we were caught off guard by FIFA’s recent ruling that should their be two or more players on the same amount of goals come the end of the finals that the player then with the most assists would walk away with arguably the most sought after personal accolade a World Cup has to offer, certainly for a forward. The strange thing about this year, even though there were two forwards in the shake-up, was that a midfielder would win the award. Thomas Mueller of Germany ousted the likes of David Villa, Diego Forlan and Wesley Senijder, whom all scored five goals in South Africa, to get his hands on the Golden Boot after adding three assists to the three goals he collectively amassed through his stay with Germany.

Thomas Mueller is a midfielder/winger by trade and by winning the 2010 Golden Boot in South Africa became the first player since Grzegorz Lato, Poland, to win the prestigious award without playing in a forward role. Closely followed in second place was Spain’s David Villa, who missed several glorious opportunities to grasp the award in the final but will now have to settle for silver instead of Gold. In third place was another midfielder, Wesley Sneijder. The Dutch schemer did get fortunate with two of his goals in that one definitely wasn’t his and the other took a wicked deflection, but he should be proud of his achievements nonetheless considering he plays in a deeper position than that of Villa or Mueller. There was another player which scored five goal in that of Uruguay’s Diego Forlan but he unfortunately didn’t collect any scoring honour and had to settle for fourth place. All three (Villa, Sneijder & Forlan) had 1 assist but the decision then went on goals per minute, and with Forlan playing almost every minute of every one of Uruguay’s games, he missed out.

It would have taken a shrewd punter to have predicted beforehand that Germany’s Thomas Mueller would pick up the 2010 FIFA Golden Boot. We’ve seen him on plenty of occasions for Bayern Munich and can honestly say we thought nothing of him, in fact we even thought he was a load of rubbish, but he surprised us all with his scoring antics in these finals and at just 20 years-old will now be highly sought after in the summer transfer market.

Final Scoring Standings:

Thomas Mueller – 5 Goals (3 assists)
David Villa – 5 Goals (1 assist)
Wesley Sneijder – 5 Goals (1 assist)
Diego Forlan – 5 Goals (1 assist)
Gonzalo Higuain – 4 Goals
Robert Vittek – 4 Goals
Miroslav Klose – 4 Goals

The World Cup is less than a fortnight away for Chile, who kick-off their South Africa adventure against Honduras on June 16th in Nelspruit. Preparations are well under way and Marcelo Bielsa has already seen his players in action on several occasions in recent friendly internationals against Mexico, Zambia, Northern Ireland and Israel. Ironically, though, it was the last of the four against Israel where their star man, the play which scored a large proportion of their goals during qualifying, picked up a hamstring injury which looks likely to keep him out of action for Chile’s opening Group H encounters against Honduras and Switzerland.

Humberto Suazo is 29 years-old, just 5ft 7incs tall and spent the remainder of last season on loan with Real Zaragoza in Spain while the Mexico Primera was on a break. Suazo notched six goals in seventeen appearances while at Zaragoza, but it was his prolific scoring form during Chile’s eighteen qualifiers which impressed everyone, with Suazo netting ten times during qualifying and finishing as the joint-leading goalscorer in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying, an honoured shared with Greek forward Theofanis Gekas.

Chile were never going too many huge wagers on them to win South Africa’s edition of the World Cup in 2010, but their forward aggression combined with some talented individuals does mean they will be a popular E/W selection in South Africa. After all, they finished second only to Brazil in the amount of goals scored during qualifying, racking up a more than impressive tally of 33 goals in just 18 qualifiers. Chile were also done a massive favour by being drawn in arguably the weakest group in terms of qualifying competition. EURO 2008 winners Spain are in their group and remain the strong favourites to win the group, but the Spanish are the only team Chile will fear this summer, as Honduras and Switzerland aren’t huge footballing nations. Progression into the knock-outs will be the objective and it’s one they really should achieve.

Many, including us, were pinpointing Humberto Suazo as a possible Golden Boot contender at big odds. In a team which focuses all it’s forward impotence on Suazo, with Fernandez and Sanchez on the wings providing a constant stream of passes, through-balls and crosses, a side which knows only one way to play football and that’s attacking. And with the group Chile are in, Suazo was expected to score a couple in games with Honduras and Switzerland. However, the irony now is he will miss both leaving his opportunity to score in the 2010 FIFA World Cup against Spain, and without his presence and eye for goal up front, that could actually be Chile’s final game of the tournament. Either way, a tasty outsider for the 2010 FIFA Golden Boot has gone sour, and it’s a shame because we genuinely had high hopes for Suazo springing a surprise.

Humberto Suazo will miss Chile’s games against Honduras and Switzerland.

Full Name: Miroslav Klose
Date of Birth: 9th June, 1978
Position: Striker

Current Club: Bayern Munich (Germany)
2009/2010 Apps/Goals: 25-10

International Appearances: 94
International Goals: 48

International Accolades: 2006 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot winner. 2002 FIFA World Cup Silver Shoe winner.

Klose Article

By the time the 2010 FIFA World Cup kicks into life in South Africa on June 11th, Germany’s first-choice striker will turn 32 years-old. Miroslav Klose has been at the forefront of the German attack for nearly a decade now, racking up a decent goal return in a relatively successful decade spell with the German national side. Since 2001 when Klose made his début for Germany despite originating from Poland, the Bavarian forward has been capped on 94 occasions and has scored no less than 48 goals – Averaging a goal every-other-game. Moreover, his record in World Cup finals is impeccable and South Africa 2010 could see Klose make history were he beat to his previous bests goal returns.

Miroslav Klose first genuine impression on the international scene was back in 2002 when Germany travelled to Japan and Korea for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Under the management of Rudi Voller at the time, Germany progressed all the way to the finals where they met a classy Brazil team. A brace from Ronaldo, the all-time leading scorer in the finals of World Cup’s, was enough to see that Klose and Germany went home disgruntled and deflated after an impressive World Cup campaign up till then. However, Klose’s five goals in the tournament, his first ever World Cup, was enough to ensure he left the Asian continent with the Silver Shoe for finishing the tournament with the second highest amount of goals, two behind one of the greatest ever forwards, Ronaldo.

In 2006 however, back on home soil in Germany, the Germans did quite make the finals for the second successive occasion but instead faltered at the semi-final stage, although they defied the odds just to get that far. Klose was once again the preferred striking option up front, this time under Jurgen Klinsman, and was once more Germany’s brightest and prolific outlet, notching up another five goal haul in a World Cup. On this occasion, however, Klose’s scoring exploits was enough to ensure he went home with the 2006 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot award after scoring two more than any other player in the tournament. Collectively, though, it took Klose’s tally in World Cup’s to 10 goals meaning, should he earn a place in the starting eleven in South Africa, Klose could rise up the ranking of elite goalscorers in World Cup finals. Currently, Ronaldo of Brazil leads the way with 15 goals. Klose, were he to continue his trend of scoring exactly five goals in World Cup’s, would at least equal Ronaldo’s record and would put his name amongst the forward greats.

It’s a massive incentive for a player which probably won’t see pitch time in another final after South Africa 2010, a huge personal objective that should lead to a big tournament for Miroslav Klose, as the German centre-forward goes on the prowl for goals in South Africa, and plenty of them.

Miroslav Klose 2010 FIFA World Cup Bet: Golden Boot winner – 33/1 WilliamHill

After hearing news from Liverpool’s medical staff that Fernando Torres is a doubt for Spain’s opening game in South Africa, is Torres, who remains one of the market frontrunners to land the Golden Shoe award in South Africa, really any value?

Torres has endured a troublesome season, with injuries plaguing his 2009-2010 campaign with his club in England, Liverpool, throughout. Torres missed 15 of Liverpool’s 38 Premier League games, while he also missed some crucial European ties as well, so understandably questions are beginning to filter through about whether Fernando Torres can handle the naturally physical style of the English Premier League.

Torres has confirmed his own doubts over his condition, exoressing his concerns that English football could hamper his career. If the current season is anything to go by, picking up three high profile injuries within th space on one season, there is certainly enough evidence to suggest Torres could be right. His latest injury was in his knee of which he recently had surgery to repair a torn meniscus. It’s the latter injury and operation which is delaying Torres’ return to the Spanish fold, but club doctors at Liverpool have advised Torres to take it easy and to put common sense above his eagerness to play for Spain in South Africa.

Spain’s opening Group H encounter will be against Switzerland, so considering the stature of the opponent, the likelihood is Torres won’t feature, as Spain should sew up three points in their first outing. Their second Group H game will be against Honduras, arguably the weakest of four nations in the group, so Vicente Del Bosque might be forgiven for restricting Torres’ pitch time in the second Group H match as well. The key game for Spain will be the last one with Chile, as we expect that final group fixture to be the table-topping decider.

This is us purely speculating, but we’re making our own assumptions and guessing Torres won’t feature in the first group encounter with Switzerland, while a commanding display against the Swiss could lead to Bosque opting against using Torres from the off against Honduras in their second group game. In the finals, where the maximum games any team can play is 7, Torres looks very likely to miss at least one, possibly even two, matches for Spain of which both would have been games you would have fancied Torres to score in leaving the Spaniard, who in his own right is a gifted forward, with two game less to grab the goals needed to win FIFA’s Golden Shoe award for the player with the most goals in the tournament.

Fernando Torres is a best priced 14/1 currently with BetFred, but with the news slowly filtering through to punters, bookies may let Torres drift sooner or later. On Betfair, however, Torres was around a 12/1 shot around a month ago but has now drifted out to 15/1. That’s actually not a huge drift, to our dismay, so perhaps punters are keeping the faith and praying Torres does make a speedy recovery.

Fernando Torres Top Goalscorer in South Africa – 14/1 BetFred

One of the more popular markets during a World Cup has proven to be the ‘Top Goalscorer‘ market, which in it’s simplest form means; who, as in player, will finish the 32 team tournament with the highest amount of goals. The ‘Golden Shoe’ (aka ‘Golden Boot’) is the official name for the award given to the player with the most amount of goals at the end of the tournament, and is second best only to winning the World Cup itself.

Some great names over the years have won the award, the likes of Brazil’s Ronaldo, Portugal’s Eusebio, even our own Gary Lineker, whom will be presenting coverage of the finals live on the BBC during the summers event, has a Golden Shoe in his trophy cabinet, while the current owner of the Golden Shoe belongs to Miroslav Klose of Germany. However, Klose didn’t have strain too much to land the award as his tally of just 5 goals was the joint-second lowest goal tally to have claimed the overall prize in the World Cup’s 80 year history.

So who will claim 2010’s Golden Shoe? Well, we’ve not had much luck predicting some of the previous years winners, with Klose not even on our radar back in 2006, but with some big names representing their countries over the summer, we’re fairly confident we’ll get closer this time around. Below is our brief assessment of some of the frontrunners in the betting market to win the 2010 FIFA Golden Shoe.

During the World Cup tournament we will update in regular intervals the World Cup 2010 Top Goalscorer Ranking and quote their best odds to win the trophy.

In the End quite surprisingly the winner was Thomas Muller of Germany because Fifa took the number of assists as decisive criterion as 4 players had all scored 5 goals. Thomas Muller won the golden shoe for the best goalscorer of the World Cup 2010.

5 Goals: Thomas Muller (Germany), David Villa (Spain), Wesley Sneijder (Holland), Diego Forlan (Uruguay)

4 Goals: Miroslav Klose (Germany), Gonzalo Higuain (Argentina), Robert Vittek (Slovakia)

3 Goals: Luis Suarez (Uruguay), Luis Fabiano (Brazil), Asamoah Gyan (Ghana), Landon Donovan (USA)

2 Goals: Carlos Tevez (Argentina), Brett Holman (Australia), Elano (Brazil), Lukas Podolski (Germany), Keisuke Honda (Japan), Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon), Javier Hernandez (Mexico), Kalu Uche (Nigeria), Tiago (Portugal), Lee Chung Yong (South Korea), Lee Jung Soo (South Korea), Arjen Robben (Holland), Edinson Cavani (Uruguay), Alvaro Pereira (Uruguay), Maxi Pereira (Uruguay)

World Cup Top Goalscorer (Golden Boot, Golden Shoe) Betting Odds

And here an always up-to-date goal scorer odds comparison table

More information on some of the favourites …

David Villa

Country: Spain

Club: Valencia

International Apps: 55

International Goals: 37

Club Form: 28 Goals in 42 Appearances

Odds: 11/1 Bet365

Ah, David Villa. One the most wanted strikers on the planet, and up their with the very best with a stunning goal return for both club and country. A fully fit David Villa is a scary thought for any opponent and he’ll be keenly watched over the course of the World Cup by every defender, although very few manage to keep the 2008 European Championship’s top goalscorer at bay for the entire length of a 90 minute game. He’s quick, skilful and so damn clinical in front of goal. You give him even the slightest whiff at goal and he’ll punish you with aplomb – This guy is deadly in and around the box and chances are you’ll see why.

Despite lacking in height (5ft 9in), Villa has this predatory presence in the opposing box, with any half-chance or defensive mistakes immediately snapped up by the little Spaniard. He also has so much to his game. An unlimited inventory if you like. He can take on a defender, weave in between the tightest of defences, take free-kicks and penalties under pressure, score from 30 yards… score from 2 yards; the man is a menace and it’s no wonder the bookies are no taking no prisoners by quoting Villa as the early favourite for the Golden Shoe award, although his price looks extremely generous considering he’s one of many world class players in the Spain squad. A team which will create plenty of chances during the course of the tournament, so Villa will get his fair amount of opportunities to score in South Africa and bolster his already mean International tally.

Fernando Torres

Country: Spain

Club: Liverpool

International Apps: 71

International Goals: 23

Club Form: 22 Goals in 32 Appearances

Odds: 13/1 Expekt

Liverpool’s No.9 is one half of a deadly striking duo for Spain. The name ‘Torres’ is now a household name around Europe after properly announcing himself on the scene after two prolific seasons in a tough and often gruelling English Premier League. In two seasons in England with Liverpool, Torres has built up a stunning goalscoring CV of 54 goals in just 77 appearances for the Reds, although his exploits for Spain are a tad more confined. Even so, the sheer sight of Torres on the starting sheet scares the living daylights out of defenders and he’s one of just a few who are almost guaranteed a starting berth for Spain in South Africa, that is providing he’s fully fit.

For all Torres’ amazing attributes; his lightening like acceleration and pace, his quick feet and skills, his composure in the final and his ability to position himself in the goalscoring areas… amongst others traits, he does seem prone to knocks and scrapes. Since joining Liverpool in 2007, Torres has endured a handful of injuries, some of which have kept him sidelined for several weeks at a time, and he’s had to deal with a stop-start season in England this year which will have affected his preparations for the World Cup somewhat. However, Liverpool’s talismanic forward appears to be back to his goalscoring best and if he keeps up his goalscoring form until the end of the season, his confidence should be sky-high, and so, Torres will surely be thereabouts on the top goalscorers list in South Africa.

Wayne Rooney

Country: England

Club: Manchester United

International Apps: 58

International Goals: 25

Club Form: 34 Goals in 44 Appearances

Odds: 12/1 SportingBet

One of the most energetic and enthusiastic players around is Wayne Rooney, of which he’s now added ‘Goalscoring Machine’ to his forte after a sublime season for his club in the Barclay’s Premier League. The Liverpool born forward has been enjoying his best ever seen for Manchester United, already lending a helping in hand in landing the Carling Cup trophy for the Manchester based club by scoring their winner at Wembley. Rooney will be hoping more trophies are still to come, with the biggest of them all being the Jules Rimet trophy in South Africa, but Rooney hasn’t faired too well on the big stage for his country in past events; suffering a tournament ending injury in the 2004 European Championships before later seeing Red in the 2006 World Cup. On both occasions his country went out in the same encounter, so while many back home in England are pinning their hopes on the fiery, ginger faced Scouser, the omens aren’t heavily stacked in his favour.

What Wayne Rooney does have to offer though is some stunning form, both from his club and international duties. Rooney was pivotal during England’s World Cup qualifying campaign, finishing as their top goalscorer with 9 goals after 9 qualifiers. However, it’s his form at Manchester United which has catapulted him into Golden Boot contention after a blistering season in the Premiership. After 38 competitive games with man Utd, Rooney has netted on 32 occasions averaging nearly a goal every-other-game. He’s not just about goals though, far from it. Rooney’s model like work ethic is something for our kids back home in England to aspire to. We’ve yet to see a game yet where Rooney just hasn’t turned up and performed, especially for England. He’s rapidly becoming one of the most consistent players around and he’ll set the bar in South Africa for the rest of the England players to follow– Let’s hope the rest match his high standards.

Luis Fabiano

Country: Brazil

Club: Sevilla

International Apps: 36

International Goals: 25

Club Form: 21 Goals in 34 Appearances

Odds: 13/1 bWin

Surprise-Surprise, Brazil have a nifty goalscorer, although this one isn’t exactly your stereotypical showboating Brazilian striker like those preceded him. Don’t get me wrong, Fabiano does have plenty of skill and wit in his locker, but he’s not as bumptious as say a Ronaldo or a Romario, yet his record for his country is second to none and on course to be up their with the very best in Brazil. That is providing he gets enough games in the forthcoming few years as Fabiano was a late bloomer and has only recently come into the limelight at the age of 29

While Fabiano took a while to really make a name for himself, with one reason perhaps being the ultra competitive forward competition he’s had to face in previous years, the Sevilla forward has shown his worth for Brazil despite his country only recently demanding his regular services. His tally of 25 goals in 36 Internationals is just breathtaking, while his form during qualifying put him firmly in the hat for the summers Golden Boot award. That was until injury put his season on hold, with an ankle injury restricting his pitch time for Sevilla of late. Even so, he’s been averaging a goal every-other-game in Spain, and should he be fit and raring to go by the summer time, Fabiano will definitely pose a threat to those craving a Golden Boot – While this could be Fabiano’s last chance to claim the prize with age clearly not on his side any more.

Lionel Messi

Country: Argentina

Club: Barcelona

International Apps: 43

International Goals: 13

Club Form: 47 Goals in 53 Appearances

Odds: 16/1 Boylesports

Where do we even begin to describe the Golden Boot credentials of thee best player on the planet according to FIFA, and just about every honest footballing pundit. The lad is still just 22 years-of-age yet he’s already known worldwide for his footballing exploits. Messi not only has the potential to be the players of the tournament in South Africa but he could very well end up as the greatest ever player to embrace the beautiful game if he continues at this pace. The little Argentine has been in scintillating form for his club, Barcelona, in Spain, racking up a staggering 29 goals in just 31 appearances. He’s already on track to land the Golden Boot award in Spain, which would be some feat for a winger, but does he have the making of a Golden Shoe winner? Some would say perhaps not.

While there is so much to love about Messi; his silky touches, his mazy runs, the sublime pieces of skill and the downright audacious goals, the criticism with Messi, especially back home, has been that he doesn’t quite emulate his club form at International level, with some journalists back in Argentina claiming Messi only really produces his best for his club, Barcelona. His average goal return while on International duty is perhaps the evidence to back up these claims but we mustn’t forget that Messi is still very young, with his best years still ahead of him, and yet the pressure on the lad from fans and pundits back home must be enormous. He’s done extremely well not to over burn, yet he poured his heart and soul into a lacklustre Argentina qualifying campaign. It would have been a huge blow had Messi and Argentina not made the finals, but they are there and the FIFA World Player of the Year will set out to make a real impact in just his second World Cup finals appearance.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Country: Portugal

Club: Real Madrid

International Apps: 69

International Goals: 22

Club Form: 33 Goals in 35 Appearances

Odds: 20/1 bWin

Despite claiming the 2008 FIFA Player of the Year award, the bookies don’t fancy the cheeky Portuguese star with Cristiano Ronaldo looking rather tasty at 20/1 to finish this summers finals as the most prolific player on the planet. The charismatic forward will certainly be eager to land the Golden Shoe award as it’s about the only accolade the Portuguese superstar, and captain, hasn’t won in what has been a glistering career up till now. There isn’t an awful lot Ronaldo can’t brag about, especially after his £80Million pound move to Real Madrid last summer from Manchester United after two very impressive years in England, even ending the 2007/2008 season as England’s deadliest forward with a sublime return of 42 goals in all competitions. Ronaldo now lays claim to being the most expensive footballer, not only on the planet, but to have ever lived.

Why is Ronaldo such big odds? Well, to put it bluntly, he will be spearheading one of Portugal’s poorest national sides in it’s history in South Africa and they’ll do well just to make it past the group stages. In a group consisting of Brazil and the Ivory Coast, Ronaldo will need to show some of his magic in order to drive Portugal deep into the competition. However, Ronaldo is another big name who hasn’t quite lived up to expectations when playing for his country, yet the burden of success upon his shoulders will be huge this summer as he will head into South Africa as the Portugal captain – God knows why as I couldn’t respect a player who spends a large portion of his game diving and winging, although the other half is usually spent scoring goals, so that’s probably why.

The Portuguese are now a one man team and if they are to go through, we have no doubts that Ronaldo will be to blame – and blame is the correct word as the inevitable will happen somewhere down the line where the winking, take my shirt off whenever possible, Ronaldo breaks English hearts for the third time in a row.

We will try to add others as we go along… But here are few other names, including their respective odds, that could challenge some of the more obvious selections at more appealing odds.

Gonzalo Higuain

Country: Argentina

International Apps: 4

International Goals: 2

Odds: 25/1 PaddyPower

Didier Drogba

Country: Ivory Coast

International Apps: 68

International Goals: 43

Odds: 33/1 bWin

One of the more popular markets during a World Cup has proven to be the ‘Top Goalscorer‘ market, which in it’s simplest form means; who, as in player, will finish the 32 team tournament with the highest amount of goals. The ‘Golden Shoe’ is the official name for the award given to the player with the most amount of goals at the end of the tournament, and it’s second best only to winning the World Cup itself.

Some great names over the years have won the award, the likes of Brazil’s Ronaldo, Portugal’s Eusebio, even our own Gary Linekar, whom will be presenting coverage of the finals live on the BBC during the summers event, has a Golden Shoe in his trophy cabinet, while the current owner of the Golden Shoe belongs to Miroslav Klose of Germany. However, Klose didn’t have strain too much to land the award as his tally of just 5 goals was the joint-second lowest goal tally to have claimed the overall prize in the World Cup’s 80 year history.

So who will claim 2010′s Golden Shoe? Well, we’ve not had much luck predicting some of the previous years winners, with Klose not even on our radar back in 2006, but with some big names representing their country’s over the summer, we’re fairly confident we’ll get closer this time around. Here’s our brief assessment of some of the frontrunners in the betting market to win the 2010 FIFA Golden Shoe.

David Villa

Country: Spain

Club: Valencia

International Apps: 55

International Goals: 37

Club Form: 24 Goals in 40 Appearances

Odds: 11/1 Bet365

Ah, David Villa. One the most wanted strikers on the planet, and up their with the very best with a stunning goal return for both club and country. A fully fit David Villa is a scary thought for any opponent and he’ll be keenly watched over the course of the World Cup by every defender, although very few manage to keep the 2008 European Championship’s top goalscorer at bay for the entire length of a 90 minute game. He’s quick, skilful and so damn clinical in front of goal. You give him even the slightest whiff at goal and he’ll punish you with aplomb – This guy is deadly in and around the box and chances are you’ll see why.

Despite lacking in height (5ft 9in), Villa has this predatory presence in the opposing box, with any half-chance or defensive mistakes immediately snapped up by the little Spaniard. He also has so much to his game. An unlimited inventory if you like. He can take on a defender, weave in between the tightest of defences, take free-kicks and penalties under pressure, score from 30 yards… score from 2 yards; the man is a menace and it’s no wonder the bookies are no taking no prisoners by quoting Villa as the early favourite for the Golden Shoe award, although his price looks extremely generous considering he’s one of many world class players in the Spain squad. A team which will create plenty of chances during the course of the tournament, so Villa will get his fair amount of opportunities to score in South Africa and bolster his already mean International tally.

Fernando Torres

Country: Spain

Club: Liverpool

International Apps: 71

International Goals: 23

Club Form: 18 Goals in 35 Appearances

Odds: 13/1 Expekt

Liverpool’s No.9 is one half of a deadly striking duo for Spain. The name ‘Torres’ is now a household name around Europe after properly announcing himself on the scene after two prolific seasons in a tough and often gruelling English Premier League. In two seasons in England with Liverpool, Torres has built up a stunning goalscoring CV of 54 goals in just 77 appearances for the Reds, although his exploits for Spain are a tad more confined. Even so, the sheer sight of Torres on the starting sheet scares the living daylights out of defenders and he’s one of just a few who are almost guaranteed a starting berth for Spain in South Africa, that is providing he’s fully fit.

For all Torres’ amazing attributes; his lightening like acceleration and pace, his quick feet and skills, his composure in the final and his ability to position himself in the goalscoring areas… amongst others traits, he does seem prone to knocks and scrapes. Since joining Liverpool in 2007, Torres has endured a handful of injuries, some of which have kept him sidelined for several weeks at a time, and he’s had to deal with a stop-start season in England this year which will have affected his preparations for the World Cup somewhat. However, Liverpool’s talismanic forward appears to be back to his goalscoring best and if he keeps up his goalscoring form until the end of the season, his confidence should be sky-high, and so, Torres will surely be thereabouts on the top goalscorers list in South Africa.

Wayne Rooney

Country: England

Club: Manchester United

International Apps: 58

International Goals: 25

Club Form: 32 Goals in 38 Appearances

Odds: 12/1 SportingBet

One of the most energetic and enthusiastic players around is Wayne Rooney, of which he’s now added ‘Goalscoring Machine’ to his forte after a sublime season for his club in the Barclay’s Premier League. The Liverpool born forward has been enjoying his best ever seen for Manchester United, already lending a helping in hand in landing the Carling Cup trophy for the Manchester based club by scoring their winner at Wembley. Rooney will be hoping more trophies are still to come, with the biggest of them all being the Jules Rimet trophy in South Africa, but Rooney hasn’t faired too well on the big stage for his country in past events; suffering a tournament ending injury in the 2004 European Championships before later seeing Red in the 2006 World Cup. On both occasions his country went out in the same encounter, so while many back home in England are pinning their hopes on the fiery, ginger faced Scouser, the omens aren’t heavily stacked in his favour.

What Wayne Rooney does have to offer though is some stunning form, both from his club and international duties. Rooney was pivotal during England’s World Cup qualifying campaign, finishing as their top goalscorer with 9 goals after 9 qualifiers. However, it’s his form at Manchester United which has catapulted him into Golden Boot contention after a blistering season in the Premiership. After 38 competitive games with man Utd, Rooney has netted on 32 occasions averaging nearly a goal every-other-game. He’s not just about goals though, far from it. Rooney’s model like work ethic is something for our kids back home in England to aspire to. We’ve yet to see a game yet where Rooney just hasn’t turned up and performed, especially for England. He’s rapidly becoming one of the most consistent players around and he’ll set the bar in South Africa for the rest of the England players to follow– Let’s hope the rest match his high standards.

Luis Fabiano

Country: Brazil

Club: Sevilla

International Apps: 36

International Goals: 25

Club Form: 11 Goals in 21 Appearances

Odds: 13/1 bWin

Surprise-Surprise, Brazil have a nifty goalscorer, although this one isn’t exactly your stereotypical showboating Brazilian striker like those preceded him. Don’t get me wrong, Fabiano does have plenty of skill and wit in his locker, but he’s not as bumptious as say a Ronaldo or a Romario, yet his record for his country is second to none and on course to be up their with the very best in Brazil. That is providing he gets enough games in the forthcoming few years as Fabiano was a late bloomer and has only recently come into the limelight at the age of 29

While Fabiano took a while to really make a name for himself, with one reason perhaps being the ultra competitive forward competition he’s had to face in previous years, the Sevilla forward has shown his worth for Brazil despite his country only recently demanding his regular services. His tally of 25 goals in 36 Internationals is just breathtaking, while his form during qualifying put him firmly in the hat for the summers Golden Boot award. That was until injury put his season on hold, with an ankle injury restricting his pitch time for Sevilla of late. Even so, he’s been averaging a goal every-other-game in Spain, and should he be fit and raring to go by the summer time, Fabiano will definitely pose a threat to those craving a Golden Boot – While this could be Fabiano’s last chance to claim the prize with age clearly not on his side any more.

Lionel Messi

Country: Argentina

Club: Barcelona

International Apps: 43

International Goals: 13

Club Form: 29 Goals in 31 Appearances

Odds: 16/1 Boylesports

Where do we even begin to describe the Golden Boot credentials of thee best player on the planet according to FIFA, and just about every honest footballing pundit. The lad is still just 22 years-of-age yet he’s already known worldwide for his footballing exploits. Messi not only has the potential to be the players of the tournament in South Africa but he could very well end up as the greatest ever player to embrace the beautiful game if he continues at this pace. The little Argentine has been in scintillating form for his club, Barcelona, in Spain, racking up a staggering 29 goals in just 31 appearances. He’s already on track to land the Golden Boot award in Spain, which would be some feat for a winger, but does he have the making of a Golden Shoe winner? Some would say perhaps not.

While there is so much to love about Messi; his silky touches, his mazy runs, the sublime pieces of skill and the downright audacious goals, the criticism with Messi, especially back home, has been that he doesn’t quite emulate his club form at International level, with some journalists back in Argentina claiming Messi only really produces his best for his club, Barcelona. His average goal return while on International duty is perhaps the evidence to back up these claims but we mustn’t forget that Messi is still very young, with his best years still ahead of him, and yet the pressure on the lad from fans and pundits back home must be enormous. He’s done extremely well not to over burn, yet he poured his heart and soul into a lacklustre Argentina qualifying campaign. It would have been a huge blow had Messi and Argentina not made the finals, but they are there and the FIFA World Player of the Year will set out to make a real impact in just his second World Cup finals appearance.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Country: Portugal

Club: Real Madrid

International Apps: 69

International Goals: 22

Club Form: 22 Goals in 24 Appearances

Odds: 20/1 bWin

Despite claiming the 2008 FIFA Player of the Year award, the bookies don’t fancy the cheeky Portuguese star with Cristiano Ronaldo looking rather tasty at 20/1 to finish this summers finals as the most prolific player on the planet. The charismatic forward will certainly be eager to land the Golden Shoe award as it’s about the only accolade the Portuguese superstar, and captain, hasn’t won in what has been a glistering career up till now. There isn’t an awful lot Ronaldo can’t brag about, especially after his £80Million pound move to Real Madrid last summer from Manchester United after two very impressive years in England, even ending the 2007/2008 season as England’s deadliest forward with a sublime return of 42 goals in all competitions. Ronaldo now lays claim to being the most expensive footballer, not only on the planet, but to have ever lived.

Why is Ronaldo such big odds? Well, to put it bluntly, he will be spearheading one of Portugal’s poorest national sides in it’s history in South Africa and they’ll do well just to make it past the group stages. In a group consisting of Brazil and the Ivory Coast, Ronaldo will need to show some of his magic in order to drive Portugal deep into the competition. However, Ronaldo is another big name who hasn’t quite lived up to expectations when playing for his country, yet the burden of success upon his shoulders will be huge this summer as he will head into South Africa as the Portugal captain – God knows why as I couldn’t respect a player who spends a large portion of his game diving and winging, although the other half is usually spent scoring goals, so that’s probably why.

The Portuguese are now a one man team and if they are to go through, we have no doubts that Ronaldo will be to blame – and blame is the correct word as the inevitable will happen somewhere down the line where the winking, take my shirt off whenever possible, Ronaldo breaks English hearts for the third time in a row.

We will try to add others as we go along… But here are few other names, including their respective odds, that could challenge some of the more obvious selections at more appealing odds.

Gonzalo Higuain

Country: Argentina

International Apps: 4

International Goals: 2

Odds: 25/1 PaddyPower

Didier Drogba

Country: Ivory Coast

International Apps: 68

International Goals: 43

Odds: 33/1 bWin

Nicolas Anelka

Country: France

International Apps: 64

International Goals: 14

Odds: 40/1 SkyBet

Alexandre Pato

Country: Brazil

International Apps: 8

International Goals: 1

Odds: 50/1 WilliamHill

Andrea Pierre Gignac

Country: France

International Apps: 10

International Goals: 4

Odds: 66/1 Boylesports