It’s no surprise that Mbappe is the favourite to pick up the Golden Boot at the World Cup in the summer, France are one of the favourites for the competition and Mbappe’s record on the international stage is nothing short of ridiculous.

Mbappe has netted 55 goals across his 94 caps for France which is such a strong record at international level. He’s had his issues with Didier Deschamps over the last few years, but those seem to have settled now - and it’s not uncommon for a player of Mbappe’s talent to fall out with players and staff around him, usually due to frustration and the workings of player power.

Mbappe netted five goals across four starts in France’s qualifying campaign for the World Cup, and is notably on penalty duties for his nation. This is particularly significant as it isn’t usual for a player to run away with the top scorer award, it is usually decided by the odd goal so Mbappe’s penalties may be enough to take him over the line.

Mbappe finished ahead of Messi to win the Golden Boot in the 2022 World Cup, netting eight goals in the competition. I don’t think there are many players that can keep pace with Mbappe, especially seeing as France are expected to go deep in the tournament which is also a factor you have to consider when looking at this market.

This is likely to be the last World Cup where Harry Kane leads the line for England, adding a bit of extra motivation for the Bayern Munich forward. Kane has netted 78 goals across his 112 caps for England and has enjoyed another fruitful season in Germany with 39 goals across his 37 appearances for Vincent Kompany’s side.

It’s also pretty significant that Thomas Tuchel will be leading England into this World Cup. The head coach has an excellent relationship with Kane, and managed him during his first season in Germany - where Kane netted 44 goals across his 45 appearances. He will find goals a bit harder to come by on this stage, but Kane still crucially has the quality to pick up the Golden Boot.

Kane netted eight goals across his eight appearances for England during the qualifying campaign, and will also be on penalties for the Three Lions which could end up being the decisive factor when it comes to the destination of the Golden Boot. England are also 2nd in the running according to bookmakers to lift the trophy, so we can expect Kane and England to stay in the tournament long enough for Kane to be amongst the top scorers in America.

Joao Pedro looks like he’s ready to take on a stage as big as the World Cup. His performances in the Club World Cup really caught my eye, and I think he can replicate those displays at the World Cup.

Brazil’s squad isn’t the strongest at the World Cup, but the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti could prove to be significant - as could the vast amount of support that Brazil are likely to get from the stands in this tournament.

Joao Pedro netted three goals across just two appearances at the Club World Cup, adapting to the environment with ease after joining from Brighton. He’s a player that is capable of brilliant moments, as he showed with his brilliant strike from distance against Fluminense, and goal against PSG in the final of the Club World Cup.

He’s also kicked on for Chelsea this term, which will make him a more appealing option to lead the line for Brazil at the World Cup. Joao Pedro is on track for his best scoring season since joining the Premier League, with the forward already just five goals away from matching the 20-goal tally he registered for Brighton in the 23/24 season.

I think Netherlands could surprise a few people at the World Cup, they aren’t really being spoken about as contenders despite the fact that they reached the semi-finals of the European Championship in 2024 - and have a stacked squad with options in every area of the pitch.

Gakpo seems to thrive on the international stage, he’s netted 19 goals across his 46 caps for Netherlands, and ended the European Championship as the joint top scorer with three goals to his name. I think he’ll need a few more than that to be in the discussion for the Golden Boot at the World Cup, but it’s certainly true that Gakpo saves his best performances for the international stage.

Gakpo netted four goals and registered four assists across his eight starts for Netherlands during their qualifying campaign. He’s clearly trusted by Ronald Koeman and has that left-hand side pretty much locked down, so he should get adequate minutes to end up amongst the top scorers in the competition should Netherlands be able to put together a convincing run.