Soccer
Premier League legend makes his pick for World Cup Golden Boot winner
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Among the many predictions that precede a World Cup tournament, the Golden Boot is one of the most hotly debated subjects.
Over the years, icons such as Gary Lineker and Ronaldo have picked up the top scorer gong, along with some unlikely names including Russia's Oleg Salenko in 1994 and 1998's breakout performance from Davor Suker.
This year, there seem to be more heavy hitters than ever vying to take home the shiny shoe and add their name to the famous roll call of goal getters.
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Harry Kane will look to be the first man to win the Golden Boot on two separate occasions, while Erling Haaland would love to add another award to his collection of individual honours.
However, according to a man who knows all about top scorer awards, there's only one name he's picking to take home the prize.
Dutch legend Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink won a Premier League Golden Boot during his time at Chelsea, and from his vantage point, he can only see one winner at 2026's finals.
"The thing is, there are not that many out-and-out strikers in the tournament, are there?" Hasselbaink exclusively told DAZN News, thanks to 10bet, the home of online football betting.
"So you have to look more at a winger or whatever. I think it's going to be Mbappe.
"Last season was not good for his standards. For somebody else, it would have been good, but for his standards, not good - he may have scored plenty, but he didn’t win anything. I think that will fire him up even more and that he will be looking to prove people wrong."
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Away from the award, however, the former striker believes that this year's World Cup will be a platform for many of the game's biggest-ever names to showcase their talent on the grandest stage one more time.
With the competition expected to be a final hurrah for some of the leading lights, it's a final chance to cement a legacy.
"As much as anything, I see this as the world’s best players, or the icons of football, Messi, Ronaldo, and then you have Neymar that's carrying an injury," he added.
"I think all of those players will be looking to prove who is the best player in the world. Let’s throw Kane into that equation, because he’s such an incredible player. I think it's an individual battle as well between all of them."
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