Here’s Martin with an article about the race for individual honours at the 2018 World Cup
The race for individual honours at the 2018 World Cup
There’s no doubt that when many of us were picking our fantasy teams and placing our bets for the 2018 World Cup, the most popular choices will have been players who consistently excel for their club sides, given the wealth of data available to back up their performance ratings. However, the tournament in Russia isn’t quite panning out as expected for certain star players, who have yet to reproduce the same kind of form for their national teams – some of whom were odds-on favourites.
2018 World Cup Golden Boot
Ahead of the World Cup, inevitably, much of the focus was on Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as being amongst the clear favourites to win the Golden Boot. Both players have a host of individual honours to their name, thanks to producing dazzling performances for Real Madrid and Barcelona, but club records and form go out the window when we’re talking about an international tournament.
While the debate continues to rage about who is the GOAT or ‘Greatest of All Time’, only one of this dynamic duo of superstars is actually proving his credentials on the World Cup stage. Cristiano Ronaldo has already banged in four goals for Portugal, including a memorable hat-trick against Spain. Meanwhile, Argentina have drawn against Iceland and were soundly beaten by Croatia, with Lionel Messi failing to register even a single goal or assist.
Image Source: @FIFAWorldCup via Twitter
Cristiano is clearly the favourite now with bookmakers to claim the Golden Ball and we can likely forget about Messi now, but for anyone who prefers to bet on football with the help of experts, tipsters at 101greatgoals.com have already seen Harry Kane leapfrog the Argentine playmaker after the South American team’s two defeats
Thanks to their surprisingly good start to the tournament, host nation Russia have made a strong case that they could go far on home soil, with Denis Cheryshev emerging as a solid Golden Boot candidate – although, his 33/1 odds show that his side aren’t expected to go far. The 27-year-old winger has already struck 3 goals in 2 games, which has caught many by surprise. Likewise, Diego Costa has seemingly blown away any doubts about his leading the line for Spain, banging in 3 goals in 2 games as they remain one of the World Cup favourites.
2018 World Cup Golden Ball
This award is all about individual brilliance and, of course, key performances that make the difference for teams competing at the World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo is undoubtedly the clear
betting favourite in this category, thanks to his virtuoso displays for Portugal. His hat-trick earned a 3-3 draw against Spain, while his goal against Morocco was also decisive.
Nevertheless, there are plenty of other strong candidates who can stake their claim to this individual World Cup honour. Despite a frustrating draw against Switzerland in their opening game, pre-tournament favourite Neymar could still make the difference for Brazil, although Philippe Coutinho was the hero in that particular match and could outshine his fellow countryman.
Image Source: @ChampionsLeague via Twitter
History suggests that attacking players are the most frequent Golden Ball winners, as goals and assists are clearly decisive factors. This puts Harry Kane in strong contention for England, while Diego Costa has been pivotal with his scoring contribution for Spain.
That said, even though they’re not amongst the favourites with bookmakers, Paul Pogba has been essential in midfield for France, with Luka Modric also demonstrating his finesse behind the strikers for Croatia. The creative vision of Kevin De Bruyne could also be a strong factor, if Belgium upset the betting forecasts and reach the final stages of the World Cup
Geek World Cup Leagues
It’s too late to join the telegraph league btw. I’m not sure what the rules are in joining the other leagues now but here’s the details anyway
McDonalds FIFA Official
or League code:
ZKD1IBZR
Sun Dream Team
Fantasy Football Geek
League PIN: WCW6UFM9
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