5 favorites to win the Golden Boot Award

The race for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot is shaping up nicely. The Golden Boot is awarded to players who score the most goals at a FIFA World Cup.

Some of the greatest strikers in the history of the sport have won this prestigious award. The accolade was first introduced in 1982 and has been awarded retrospectively to the top scorers in earlier FIFA World Cups.

If there are multiple players with the same number of goals, the award will go to the player who has scored fewer goals from penalties. If that doesn't separate the players, the individual with more assists at the tournament will win the award.

If there are still multiple candidates, the award will be given to the player who has played the least amount of time among the top scorers. Without further ado, let's take a look at the five favorites to win the Golden Boot Award at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

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#5 Cody Gakpo (Netherlands)

Netherlands v USA: Round of 16 - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

Cody Gakpo is the breakout star of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. His dynamic center-forward play proved to be the key to the Netherlands’ progression into the knockout stages of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The PSV Eindhoven forward scored in all three of the Netherlands' group stage games.

Gakpo has three goals to his name from four appearances so far. He is a credible threat every time the Dutch side break into the attacking realms. The tall, strong attacker is not only good at finding the back of the net but is also pretty good at setting up his teammates to score.

Gakpo will be one of Louis van Gaal's chief weapons as the Dutchmen try to navigate the knockout stages of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

#4 Marcus Rashford (England)

Wales v England: Group B - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

Marcus Rashford's goalscoring rate at the 2022 FIFA World Cup is quite impressive. The Manchester United forward has returned to form in recent times and the Three Lions have benefitted greatly from his dominant displays so far.

Rashford has three goals to his name from four appearances in this competition. He has only started one game so far for England, which came against Wales and the striker bagged a brilliant brace as the Three Lions registered a 3-0 win over their neighbors.

Rashford scored a spectacular free-kick before putting the game to bed with a sensational solo effort just 18 minutes later. England will rely on Rashford to produce the goods in the knockout stages and if he can keep this going, he will finish as one of the top scorers at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

#3 Alvaro Morata (Spain)

Japan v Spain: Group E - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

After his unconvincing displays at Euro 2020, Alvaro Morata was not viewed as a reliable goalscoring outlet for Spain. In fact, the lack of a prolific goalscorer has been seen as one of Spain’s major weaknesses in recent times. However, Morata has done his best to allay such concerns so far at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Morata has only made one start so far for Spain in the tournament. He has only played 126 minutes but has scored three goals and provided one assist for La Roja so far.

Spain are expected to have a deep run at the World Cup and if they do, Morata is likely to add more goals to his tally and be a top contender for the Golden Boot.

#2 Lionel Messi (Argentina)

Argentina v Australia: Round of 16 - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

The 2022 FIFA World Cup is likely to be Lionel Messi's last and he looks set on making the most of it. Messi has been in scintillating form for Argentina and as expected, he has been their shining light in Qatar.

Messi has scored three goals and provided one assist in four appearances so far at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Had he not missed a penalty in La Albiceleste's 2-0 win over Poland, he'd be near the top of the goalscorers' chart right now.

Messi has won the Golden Ball previously at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. This time, he has a good chance of going home with the Golden Boot.

#1 Kylian Mbappe (France)

France v Poland: Round of 16 - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

Kylian Mbappe has had a massive impact at the 2022 FIFA World Cup already and we're not surprised. The crown prince of football was always expected to light up the World Cup and he has done a pretty stellar job already for Les Bleus.

Mbappe has scored five goals and provided two assists in four appearances for France so far at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He is a force to be reckoned with in attack for Didier Deschamps' side and if France go deep into the tournament, Mbappe is likely to add more goals to his tally.

The Paris Saint-Germain hitman is currently the odds-on favorite to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot.