The 2024 European Championship is almost upon us, and football fans are counting down the days for the most anticipated tournament of the summer. England have one of their best sides in years and arrive as one of the favourites alongside France and the hosts Germany.Â
The Three Lions came painstakingly close at Wembley last time out, beaten on penalties in the final by Italy. If they are to go one better in Germany, they will need to find their shooting boots, but do Gareth Southgate’s men have enough goals in them?
In this article, we look at the early favourites to win the Golden Boot at Euro 2024, assessing each player’s chances of finishing as the top scorer.
Romelu Lukaku – BelgiumÂ
We start with the top scorer in Euro 2024 qualifying, Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku bagged four goals against Azerbaijan to finish with 14 overall as the Chelsea man, who spent last season on loan at Serie A side Roma, looks to fire his side to glory.Â
The 31-year-old has been a figure of inconsistency since sealing a big-money move back to Stamford Bridge but Lukaku has always managed to find the back of the net for his country, with 83 goals in 114 games for The Red Devils, who have one last shot at winning a trophy with their golden generation under Domenico Tedesco.
Kylian Mbappe – FranceÂ
France have an abundance of attacking talent in their squad, and after reaching the final of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, it is no surprise that those looking to make a bet on the Euros are backing Les Blues to go all the way in Germany. A large part of that is down to Kylian Mbappe.
The top scorer at the World Cup, Mbappe announced he will leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer after six years at the Parc des Princes and is destined for Real Madrid. But, there is business to attend to before he can dream of a debut at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.
Firing his country to another international trophy at the age of 25 will surely establish the forward as one of the best players of his generation.Â
Harry Kane – EnglandÂ
When Harry Kane left Tottenham Hotspur and the Premier League this summer to join Bayern Munich, few were surprised when he topped the Bundesliga scoring charts in his debut season. Kane finished the 2023-24 season with 44 goals in all competitions and England fans will be hoping their captain can deliver the same results in the homeland of his current employers.
With a supporting cast that includes Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, and Bukayo Saka, Kane is the experienced man in this England side and will be hoping to atone for his penalty miss that proved costly against France in the World Cup. He arrives in red-hot form and looks to add to his 62 international goals while ending the long wait for a first career trophy.  Â
Cristano Ronaldo – PortugalÂ
It must not be overlooked that Portugal have one of the most experienced teams at Euro 2024, with the core of the side, including Cristiano Ronaldo, winning the tournament in 2016 and many a Euro 2024 betting offer tip the five-time Ballon d’Or winner to finish as top scorer in Germany.Â
Ronaldo now plies his trade in Saudi Arabia, but after the dismissal of former manager Fernando Santos, who benched him at the World Cup, Ronaldo has once again been entrusted with leading the line by former Everton manager Roberto MartÃnez, and with 10 goals in qualifying it’s easy to see why he can win the Golden Boot.Â
Portugal boast plenty of attacking impetus and in a group with the Czech Republic, Turkey, and Georgia, there is every chance Ronaldo can wrack up the goals before the competition reaches the business end.
