Sport Question

We’re just a few months away until the World Cup gets underway in Qatar, and we are set for a footballing extravaganza. Over the tournament, we will find out a lot about who could win it and expectation levels will naturally soar.

While some teams will come into sharp focus, there is also an emphasis placed upon individual displays. The race to win the Golden Boot will be fiercely contested, and there are a plethora of strong candidates.

We have given you the lowdown on five of the top runners and riders who we think could walk off with the prize.

Lionel Messi (Argentina)

For some reason, it hasn’t quite clicked for Lionel Messi at the World Cup. Despite his glittering club record, it hasn’t quite transpired on the club stage.

This could well be Messi’s swansong and he would love to surpass his side’s efforts at the 2014 World Cup where he struck four times en route to the final, and he was awarded the Golden Ball by virtue of being the best player of the tournament.

If this is to be Messi’s last World Cup, he would undoubtedly like to go out with a bang and lift the most treasured prize in international football.

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)

The metronomic Cristiano Ronaldo is single-minded in his pursuit of success, and he will still be hoping to break a hatful of records before he hangs up his boot.

Ronaldo has netted a staggering 117 times, and in 2020, he became the first European to clock up a century of goals. Ronaldo has scored an extraordinary rate of knots and he will be desperate to make his mark.

With Ronaldo, nothing is impossible and if he can come flying out of the blocks, he will be in contention.

Robert Lewandowski (Poland)

Falling into the category just behind Ronaldo and Messi, Robert Lewandowski is one of the most prolific strikers in the game, and earlier in the summer, he completed a move to Barcelona.

Of course, Poland’s chances of having a deep run at the World Cup will rest with Lewandowski, but we all know that he only needs a sniff as he can punish teams.

Harry Kane (England)

The current holder of the Golden Boot, Harry Kane was ruthless four years ago in plundering six goals as England reached the semi-finals before they suffered at the hands of Croatia. Kane has become the complete striker and he has shown at Tottenham that he can pick up deeper positions and create assists.

Kane is a fan’s favourite and when it comes to the Golden Boot, he will attract serious interest from some of the biggest bookmakers in the world. Many of the top operators in Australia, for example, will have shared their FIFA World Cup predictions, and this includes Unibet who has already posted odds for the Golden Boot section. Currently, Kane is priced as the joint favourite at 8/1 with Unibet to clinch the accolade.

Kylian Mbappe (France)

While Kylian Mbappe may have had a rather unforgettable European Championships with France, he is still one of the hottest properties in the game and he has plenty of pace to burn.

Mbappe will be looking to form a telepathic relationship with Karim Benzema, and if he’s given a sighter in front of goal, he’s hardly one to turn it down. While he’s not talked up as much as Ronaldo and Messi, Mbappe will still be a dangerman.

 

In April, Arsenal’s Leah Williamson was announced as the next captain of the England national team. She had worn the armband before, but now it was made official. To the surprise of many, Williamson was little more than a squad player under Phil Neville, but Sarina Wiegman set her stall out early, emphasising Williamson’s importance to the team as she inherited the armband from Steph Houghton.

Arsenal managing to convince Williamson to extend her contract was seen as just as important for their future as extending superstar striker Vivianne Miedema’s, so well regarded is the new England skipper. Aside from being an uncompromising defender, Williamson’s ability on the ball is second to none, and her willingness to look for progressive passes, or carry the ball into midfield, makes her an exceptionally important player for both club and country.

A versatile footballer, Williamson was a midfielder earlier in her career and, since starting regularly under Wiegman, she has often found herself featuring in the middle of the park for England. While there’s no doubting that her presence in the side greatly increases England’s football betting odds, the question on everyone’s lips is whether she should feature in the centre of defence, or in midfield.

Chelsea’s Millie Bright and Manchester City’s Alex Greenwood have been the defensive partnership that Wiegman has opted for most often. The pair are in their late 20s, and are experienced internationals. Millie Bright’s distribution has improved over time, lessening the loss of Williamson from the defence, while Greenwood’s transformation in recent years from left-back to centre-back has gone as well as could be hoped, with the Man City defender looking a natural fit.

The strong partnership of Bright and Greenwood suggests that playing Williamson in midfield is the right approach, it’s been difficult for England to find the right balance in midfield. Wiegman tends to operate with a pair that play relatively deep, with a more attacking midfielder further forward.

The most natural partner for Williamson looks to be Kiera Walsh. At 25, the Man City midfielder is the same age as Williamson, and they know each other well after coming through England youth squads together. The duo look to be Wiegman’s default choice, although there are concerns in some quarters that the partnership is a little too defensive, with England essentially lining up with two more defensively-minded midfielders.

While Walsh offers a threat going forward, England are finding it difficult to find a truly dynamic midfield partnership, often settling for a stable base that doesn’t offer too much in attack, with a reliance on the likes of Ella Toone further forward to link play and support the attack.

Jill Scott is England’s most natural option to offer the midfield more dynamism but, now 35 years old, she’s likely too old to be considered as a key player in the middle of the park. In truth, if England had a natural partnership in midfield, as they do at the back, then Williamson would find it harder to break into the midfield, and Wiegman would likely look at breaking up her defensive pairing.

But, with no real combination standing out, it makes sense for Wiegman to put Williamson in the centre of the park, and build around one of her key players in midfield. The pairing of Williamson and Walsh should make England difficult to play through, and the duo’s work rate means they’re able to shield the defence effectively. Perhaps the area of the pitch where England look weakest, Wiegman’s decision to play Williamson further forward could be crucial in making sure that England are able to control the midfield.