No other player has found the net more than three times in Qatar than Kylian Mbappé.
Mbappé has lit up the tournament, cementing his status as the best player on the planet.
There are, however, seven players still in the competition with three goals scored who are all in contention for top goal-scorer honours.
Mbappé is aiming to become the first Frenchman to finish with the most goals at a World Cup since Just Fontaine’s historic tally of 13 in 1958.
Kylian Mbappé (France)
The leader in non-penalty expected goals, and with the most shots per game, Mbappé has been a menace for every defence he has faced in Qatar.
Picking up where he left off with PSG, the Frenchman has a two-goal lead and has a good chance of winning the Golden Boot even if France don’t progress any further.
Of course, if Les Bleus get past England and potentially reach another final, it is likely Mbappé adds multiple goals to his tally.
Six goals has been enough to finish as top scorer at the last 12 World Cups.
Richarlison (Brazil)
Richarlison has three goals, and only two players remaining in the competition have amassed a higher non-penalty expected goal mark. He is the focal point of this talented Brazil attack, benefiting from the creative genius of Neymar, and direct dribbling from Raphinha and Vinicius.
Where Mbappé was scoring at a prolific rate for PSG, Richarlison arrived in Qatar having had a slow start to his Tottenham career. He broke out of that with a brace in the first match.
Brazil face a Croatia defence in the last eight which has shown signs of weakness despite keeping a couple of clean sheets in the group stage.
There’s some value here, particularly with Richarlison expected to play at least two more matches.
Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Despite scoring three goals so far, Lionel Messi is at something of a disadvantage in the Golden Boot race due to one of his goals coming from the penalty spot.
If two players are tied, non-penalty goals are used as the tiebreaker, and none of the other frontrunners have converted an open-play spot kick yet.
Messi has the second-highest expected goals mark in the tournament, but that is boosted considerably by a couple of penalties.
He has been operating from a midfield position for most of the World Cup so far.
Only two behind Mbappé, it would be foolish to write off Messi, but this price is still a bit short considering his role in Qatar.
Gonçalo Ramos (Portugal)
Ahead of Portugal’s match against Switzerland, Gonçalo Ramos was a non-factor in the Golden Boot race.
The 21-year-old was given a surprise start over Cristiano Ronaldo, though, and made World Cup history with a hat-trick, putting him joint-second in the goal scoring charts.
There is a case to be made for Ramos on form here.
Portugal face Morocco next, who could be fatigued after their gruelling clash with Spain, and he was absolutely deadly in front of goal on Tuesday.
Portugal looked much more fluid without Ronaldo, too. With Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva behind him, Ramos is going to receive plenty of goal-scoring opportunities.
Bukayo Saka (England)
Gareth Southgate has picked Bukayo Saka ahead of several other good forward options, and even reinstated the Arsenal youngster after Marcus Rashford netted a brace against Wales.
Saka will be starting for the remainder of this World Cup, and has already found the net on three occasions.
Saka does not have the goal-scoring pedigree of others in this market. Backing him is dependent on England beating France to give him further opportunities to close the gap to Mbappé.
If you fancy the Three Lions’ chances on Saturday, though, this is a decent longshot option given Saka’s role in the England attack.
Julián Álvarez (Argentina)
Julián Álvarez has two goals in two matches since replacing Lautaro Martinez as Argentina’s number nine.
Álvarez has scored 0.7 goals per 90 for Manchester City this season, and has five shots on target in four appearances at this World Cup.
He might be at a three-goal deficit to Mbappé, but if Argentina are to go all the way, Álvarez has a big role to play with Martinez looking devoid of confidence.
Álvarez has proven to be a sharp finisher for club and country. With Messi supplying him, he should have plenty of chances if La Albiceleste progress past the Netherlands.
All odds are subject to change
