The world cup is just around the corner, and everyone is taking their shot at making predictions. The top goal scorer is one of the most difficult things to call when it comes to this prestigious competition. First off, you need an idea as to who’s going to be in the competition long enough to allow their striker to reap enough goals, and then make a call on who the most effective striker is on that side.
So, let’s take a look at who are favourites for the Cup. Bookies seem to like Brazil the most, with the majority placing them at the number one spot, with most bookies placing them at 3/1 to take the cup. Argentina and Germany take the bookies’ predictions for positions two and three, respectively, with bookies placing Argentina at 5/1 and Germany at 11/2. Spain takes position four in the bookie predictions, with odds of 7/1.
Totemic Strikers
Who are the key strikers on each of these sides? Brazil has the young, exciting striker Neymar (full name Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior) striking for them. He had a wonderful streak in the 2013 Confederations Cup (which Brazil won) in which he scored four goals. Although he wasn’t top goal scorer in that competition, his striking prowess has only grown, showing a lot of that skill in his goals for Barcelona FC. Hulk is his striking partner, but if the top goal scorer odds are anything to go by (with most putting Neymar at 14/1 and Hulk at 33/1), Neymar’s your boy to back in Brazil’s side.
Even if Brazil wins the Cup, Argentina are close second favourites, and their striking potential is enormous in the goal-scoring machine that is Lionel Messi. Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain are two more frightening strikers in Argentina’s squad, but they don’t quite hold a candle to this year’s runner up to the Balon d’Or. Although he hasn’t scored quite as many goals as Ronaldo in the Spanish La Liga, his Argentinian team is likely to go further than Portugal, which is why Messi’s odds for top goal scorer are generally the highest, coming in at 8/1. As far as the bookies are concerned, Ronaldo comes in third with odds of 15/1.
Luis Suarez also has a shot at being this year’s most dangerous striker, leading the Premier League top goal scorer after 26 games with 23 goals scored, seven goals clear of position 2, his Liverpool teammate Daniel Sturridge. Bookies rate Suarez as the fourth most likely, with odds ranging from 12/1 to 16/1.
The Dark Horse
The striker who may well be unexpectedly featured in this 2014 World Cup top goalscorer prediction is Radamel Falcao, the prolific goal scorer for Colombia. Although Colombia aren’t in the top five in most peoples’ Tournament winner predictions (they usually come in somewhere between 7th and 8th with odds between 20/1 and 25/1), he’s been scoring so many goals of late for AS Monaco that even if Colombia only make it to the quarter finals, he may still have a shot at having netted the most goals by the end of the tournament.
So, after all this postulating, take a look at this particular pundit’s shot at predicting the 5 top goal scorers in the 2014 World Cup.
- Lionel Messi
- Neymar
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Suarez
- Falcao
