Top Scorer World Cup 2014 Predictions
Predictions for who will take home each of the individual awards at the 2014 World Cup. Taking home awards for the tournament’s top goal-scorer and best player in the process. 2014 World Cup Scorers Prediction World Cup Totally free Predictions. FIFA- World - Cup - world -battleAs it is acknowledged that football is played by maximum number of countries & it is world 's most common athletics game. Next this is a world cup right after-all. Away from the lavish air conditioning and hand-manicured turf of Qatar's World Cup Stadiums, two of which will host the world's best clubs from Thursday, sits Doha Sports Stadium.
Probably the most exciting betting markets for just about any football World Cup may be the Golden Boot winners with numerous aspiring players competing to be awarded as the player that scored the most goals within the tournament.
For 2014, Argentina’s Lionel Messi is the bookmakers’ favourite at 8/1 with Winner Sports but there are plenty of tangible contenders such as Brazil’s Neymar or Germany’s veteran Miroslav Klose.
Another way to approach this difficult betting market is to look at the opening rounds of fixtures. Grzegorz Lato’s seven strikes in West Germany in 1974 were aided by two goals against a very poor Haiti side. Similarly, when Gerd Muller bagged 10 for the Germans four years earlier, his cause was helped by a relatively easy group. Muller scored eight of his ten in three matches against Morocco, Peru and Bulgaria.
If you take those facts into account then it’s worth considering the favourite – Argentina’s mercurial Lionel Messi. The Argentines are red hot favourites to win their group which contains relative minnows in Iran, Bosnia and Nigeria and if Messi can finally take his club form to the international stage, he may well have won the top scorer market before the knockouts even begin.
Contrast those early games with those of Brazil who have the second favourite in their squad. Neymar is quoted at 14/1 with Stan James to take the Golden Boot but his team have a tougher group that includes Mexico, Cameroon and Croatia.
Those prices are relatively short in a market with so many possibilities so where is the value in the lead up to this summer’s tournament?
The best outside picks
South American players dominate the market and while there is a theory that you should look to those who are comfortable in the conditions, there are some outstanding options further down the list.
Germany have provided three Golden Boot winners in the past and as we already know, Gerd Muller achieved the feat in South America back in 1970. Joachim Low’s team have been drawn in Group G and while their opening clash against Portugal shouldn’t provide too many goal scoring opportunities for Miroslav Klose and Thomas Muller, the country’s remaining fixtures look to be relatively straightforward.
Ghana and the United States, managed by former German striker Jurgen Klinsmann, are tricky opponents but Low’s men should win quite comfortably and if the games go with form, there should be a wide winning margin.
That definitely brings Germany’s strike pair into contention and their odds are very striking. Thomas Muller is quoted at 33/1 with Winner Sports while Miroslav Klose is even further back at 50/1 with Boylesports. Remember, both men have either won or shared the Golden Boot in the past and are therefore outstanding choices.
Overhyped contenders?
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo looks far too short at 14/1 with Winner Sports. The striker is another man who has a prolific record at club level without really making an impact at major tournaments and he should probably be avoided at that figure.
Manchester City’s Argentinian international Sergio Aguero does look a better bet at an odds of 18/1 with Paddy Power but he has suffered with a number of injuries in the second half of the English domestic season. Luis Suarez will tempt many at that same 18/1 price with Paddy Power but his Uruguay side start with a tough qualifying group that includes Italy and England.
Elsewhere, a lot of attention will be focussed on Romelu Lukaku who is part of a strong Belgian side but the Chelsea man only scored twice in qualifying and isn’t necessarily a potent force at this level of the game. Lukaku is on offer at 33/1 with Winner Sports.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi holds the key to this bet and if he can take advantage of a weak qualifying section, the Barcelona man will justify his tag as pre-tournament favourite for the Golden Boot. Meanwhile, there is a host of tempting alternatives but the most eye catching prices are the ones placed next to the names of German pair Thomas Muller and Miroslav Klose.
Lionel Messi Odds for Golden Boot Top Goal Scorer at 2014 World Cup
by Trevor Whenham - 3/13/2014
You wouldn't have to work too hard to make the argument that Lionel Messi is the greatest active soccer player in the world right now. He holds the record for being named winner of the Ballon d'Or (best player in the world) with four. After winning four years in a row, he fell short in 2013 - and then he finished second. Not bad for a player who is only 26. It also makes sense that he is favored here. In 2012 he set the record for the most goals scored in a calendar year with 91. In that year - and throughout his career, really - he was remarkably consistent. There were only seven different minutes during that season - 1st, 2nd, 10th, 14th, 15th, 46th and 69th - that he didn't score at least once. That means that he is ready to play early in games, in the middle, or at the end. He's just a gamer and an all-time legend.
But can he outscore every other player in the 2014 World Cup?
World Cup Goalscorers
Lionel Messi2014 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot Top Goal Scorer Storylines
Despite only being 26 (he'll turn 27 the day before his third World Cup round-robin game), Messi is playing in his third World Cup. You might think, then, that he would have had plenty of experience scoring in the World Cup. The truth is much different, though. He scored in every game he played as an 18 year old in 2006, and he hasn't scored since. He played very well in 2010, setting up much of Argentina's offense, but never put one in himself.
Messi hasn't exploded at the World Cup yet, but he did perform admirably in qualifying this time around. He had 10 goals in 16 games - second in CONMEBOL behind only Luis Suarez of Uruguay, who had 11.
In order for a player to have a good chance to be the leading goal scorer and win the golden boot, he needs to be likely to score a lot of goals. On that front, Argentina is in good shape. Their opening group is very soft. They not only are all but certain to win the group, but they will have plenty of opportunities to score. If the tournament goes to form then they won't have to face Spain until the semifinals, and they wouldn't face Germany or Brazil until the finals. Those are the three strongest teams outside of Argentina, so the path is as smooth for the Argentinians as it could be.
Lionel Messi2014 World Cup Golden Boot Top Goal Scorer Betting Odds and Key Stats
At Bovada , Messi is favored to be the leading Golden Boot top goal scorer at 8/1. He's the only player in single-digits.
Messi has not scored at the same rate this season in league play as he has recently. In each of the previous two complete seasons, he has scored at least 1.2 goals per appearance. He played 110 games over those two years, so the sample size is significant. This year he has made 32 appearances and has 28 goals - a rate of 0.875 goals per game. That's hardly a poor number - it would be the envy of most players in the world - but it is a noticeable decline, and it has to lead you to question how sharp he will be at this point.
Lionel Messi2014 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot Top Goal Scorer Picks and Predictions
The biggest issue for Messi could be competition within his own team. While he is favored to be the top goal scorer and win the Golden Boot, Sergio Aguero is the fourth choice at 14/1, and Gonzalo Higuain is the seventh choice at 22/1. That's three legitimate top-level scoring threats on one team, and it's a real question as to whether there will be enough goals to go around. While I obviously have nothing but respect for Messi and his skills, and wouldn't be even remotely surprised if he was the top goal scorer, I just don't see any value in betting on him here.
Get free picks from any of Doc's Sports Advisory Board of expert handicappers - and with no obligation or credit card. You can use these free picks for any sport, and you will never deal with a salesman. Click here for your free Doc's Sports picks.
Read more articles by Trevor Whenham