The race for the World Cup 2018 Golden Boot is hotting up.
In 2014 Colombia’s James Rodriguez went home as the top scorer with just six goals – but his tally is likely to be well beaten in Russia.
Some of the best forwards in the world – from Cristiano Ronaldo, to Romelu Lukaku to England’s very own Harry Kane – are all in goal-scoring form, with records likely to be broken.
So far, the top goal scorer in Russia is England’s Harry Kane.
Kane is on course to become England’s first winner of the Golden Boot since Gary Lineker in 1986, after his hat-trick against Panama took his tally this tournament to five goals.
The Tottenham striker scored twice from the penalty spot in the first half before Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s shot ricocheted off his heel to loop into the net to complete his hat-trick.
Those goals moved Kane ahead of Ronaldo and Lukaku, who are tied on four goals each with the Real Madrid man having scored a hat-trick of his own in Portugal’s opening game against Spain before scoring again against Morocco.
Lukaku has scored two in each of Belgium’s games so far, the first time that had happened for 32 years before Kane repeated the feat 24 hours later.
Kane’s five goals would have been enough to win the Golden Boot in two of the last three World Cups (Diego Forlan in 2010 and Miroslav Klose in 2006) with six goals being the winning tally in every tournament except three since 1974.
Race for the Golden Boot
Top goal scorers
5 goals: Harry Kane (England)
4: Romelu Lukaku (Belgium)
4: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
3: Denis Cheryshev (Russia)
3: Diego Costa (Spain)
