5 contenders to win Euro 2024 Golden Boot including Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe

The European Championships begin on Friday when Germany kick-off against Scotland and the race for this summer’s Golden Boot will be fiercely contested

A summer of major tournament football is upon us, which of course means the onset of Very Bad Football Predictions™. Who will win? Who will crash out? Who will return home a hero and who will return a farce?

And then there’s the matter of the Golden Boot. Who will hoist that beauty into the German sky this summer?

The list of contenders is both familiar and curious, testament to a tournament that feels both inevitable in its ending yet totally unpredictable in its conclusion, provoked by the sheer amount of football that is set to bombard our lives over the next month.

Kylian Mbappe

The favourite with the bookies and social media. Mbappe, fresh off signing for Real Madrid, is all summer vibes, the usual drama that accompanies the French phenom’s forays onto the biggest stages now officially out of sight and out of mind.

There has gurgled some worry that Mbappe might be carrying a back injury. Yet, the former PSG star also carries with him the Golden Boot from Qatar. And having become only the second person in history to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final, it’s not difficult to imagine Mbappe is on a mission to eclipse that audacious feat this summer.

Les Bleus are tipped as one of the favourites for the tournament, and Mbappe will have plenty of supply lines to . Which is a terrifying prospect for any opposition defenders out there.

Harry Kane

England’s all-time top scorer also has a Golden Boot to his name, having scored six goals at the 2018 World Cup and rightfully seizing the laurel. Kane will once again spearhead England’s attack, arguably the strongest at the tournament when considering the individual quality manager Gareth Southgate has at his disposal.

A favourable group stage draw will provide ample opportunity for that attack to gel and revel. Penalties will also be his domain.

This season, Kane has shattered records with Bayern Munich, having scored 36 goals in 32 Bundesliga appearances. That tally lifts to 44 across all competitions. All of which means Kane is in his ultimate comfort zone out in Germany.

Cristiano Ronaldo

You can’t really have this discussion without the greatest goalscorer in history. The reigning European Golden Boot winner might be spending most of his football smashing shots into less prestigious goals in Saudi Arabia, but that doesn’t mean the threat he poses in front of goal is any less lethal, nor the confidence any less confident.

Ronaldo boasts a staggering 128 international goals, and in Portugal’s qualifying campaign was often selected to lead the line ahead of Goncalo Ramos. This is likely his last Euros, meaning Ronaldo has a Last Dance halo cavorting around him, plus plenty of #Haters to disavow again.

Romelu Lukaku

The Belgian cut an emotional figure after the Qatar World Cup, an exhibition defined by the not-fully-fit Chelsea forward’s determination to spurn chance after chance. After crashing out of the group stages, Lukaku voiced his despair at doing so, declaring that he “let his country down”.

The next four weeks offer a shot at redemption. In 2023, the Belgian striker scored 15 times in nine international matches. His overall record now reads a quite ludicrous 85 in 115 caps. A lot of pressure remains on Kevin De Bruyne to be the creative force behind Lukaku, while Arsenal ’s Leandro Trossard and Manchester City ’s Jeremy Doku will need to provide from the flanks.

Dusan Vlahovic

A dark horse but a good one. Google the Serbian’s name and YouTube will shout at you that Vlahovic is a ‘LETHAL goalscorer’ courtesy of a series of videos posted in recent weeks, after a rampaging season in Serie A from the 24-year-old.

Vlahovic managed an impressive 16 goals across 33 league appearances. His national team return is similarly laudable: 13 goals in 27 appearances, just under a goal in every two games.

Serbia will need to be sharp and clinical if they are to get out of the groups. Vlahovic will be hugely important in that.