Harry Watkinson
Analysing the Golden Boot favourites at the Women’s Euros
The Women’s European Championships are now underway and it looks like we’re in for a fascinating tournament with plenty of exciting teams and players to watch.
We’ve broken down the domestic performance of the current top five favourites to win the Golden Boot, analysing their goal record for their respective clubs, to give you an idea of who is in the best form heading into the tournament.
If you fancy a flutter on this market, choosing one of these five prolific names is a smart move.
Beth Mead (England and Arsenal) – 6/1
Beth Mead has become the Golden Boot favourite after netting an impressive goal in England’s opening game of the season against Austria, but she would have been a strong contender for the accolade regardless after a good season for Arsenal.
A versatile player who can play either on the left wing or as a striker, Mead netted 11 goals for the Gunners this season, firing them to a second-place finish, just one point behind Chelsea who have now won three consecutive titles. She also has the ability to create chances for her team-mates, with eight assists across the 2021-22 campaign, so will be a vital player for the Lionesses as they look to push for their first trophy in a major competition.
With an average of 0.38 goals per game and a goal every 199 minutes she plays, she has a real chance of winning the Golden Boot if she can continue her great start to the Euros.
Played: 29
Assists: 8
Goals: 11
Goal contributions per game: 0.66
Minutes per goal: 199’
Goals per game: 0.38
Marie-Antoinette Katoto (France and Paris Saint Germain) – 7/1
Marie-Antoinette Katoto has had nothing short of a remarkable season, scoring a staggering 25 goals in 28 appearances in all competitions for Paris Saint-Germain in the 2021-22 season. The 23-year-old is one of the most prolific strikers in the world at the moment and it’s unsurprising to see her among the favourites in the betting.
Incredibly, she averages a goal every 87 minutes and 0.89 goals per game for PSG, so if she can keep those numbers up for France then she is a shoo-in for the Golden Boot. She is really exciting to watch too with pace, the ability to dribble past players, to score headed goals and just generally always being in the right place at the right time to put away chances.
The only thing that might limit her chances is whether France will progress far in the competition, with Belgium and Italy being tough opponents in their group. You’d think though that if France can get to the semi-finals at least Katoto has a very good chance of winning the Golden Boot.
Played: 28
Assists: 4
Goals: 25
Goal contributions per game: 1.04
Minutes per goal: 87’
Goals per game: 0.89
Ellen White (England and Manchester City) – 7/1
England Women’s all-time leading goal scorer Ellen White is rightfully up there with the favourites for the Golden Boot, given her fantastic scoring record for her country, with 50 goals so far in her career.
However, it’s fair to say that she was somewhat below par in her performances for Manchester City in 2021-22, with just four league goals in a season which saw City struggle to keep up with Chelsea and Arsenal in the table. She averaged 0.25 goals per game in all competitions, considerably less than her England team-mate Beth Mead and far behind Marie-Antoinette Katoto, so it seems unlikely she will better their goal tallies in the tournament.
But big players show up in big matches and as England’s all-time top scorer she certainly warrants that title. It will be interesting to see if she can recapture her prolific scoring form for the Lionesses in the upcoming fixtures.
Played: 28
Assists: 5
Goals: 7
Goal contributions per game: 0.43
Minutes per goal: 305’
Goals per game: 0.25
Vivianne Miedema (the Netherlands and Arsenal) – 8/1
Another great shout for the Golden Boot, Vivianne Miedema has had a fantastic season for Arsenal, with 16 goals and nine assists.
Averaging a goal every 142 minutes and 0.53 per game, if she can be as prolific as that for the Netherlands, she may just be the one to get the accolade. She is excellent in the air, scoring plenty of headers and she is also a great finisher with her feet too.
The Netherlands have a huge opening game against Sweden on Saturday, which could ultimately decide who qualifies from Group C, so if the Dutch can win that fixture, then Miedema would be a solid option for this market. But the odds will only get shorter if they do win that match, so it could also be worth taking a punt sooner rather than later.
Played: 30
Assists: 9
Goals: 16
Goal contributions per game: 0.83
Minutes per goal: 142’
Goals per game: 0.53
Esther Gonzalez (Spain Real Madrid) – 10/1
The fifth most likely player to be the top scorer at the Euros is Esther Gonzalez, who currently has a very generous price of 10/1. She is arguably Spain’s most important player after Alexia Putella picked up a disastrous ACL injury in training, ruling her out of the tournament, so she will have to be on top form to give the Spaniards a chance at lifting the trophy.
For Real Madrid, Gonzalez scored 15 goals in 33 appearances in all competitions, averaging an impressive 149 minutes per goal and 0.45 goals per game. But, by her standards, this is actually quite low, as in the previous season she scored an amazing 29 goals in 34 matches for Levante.
She is certainly capable of banging in the goals so if she gets off to a good start, perhaps with a goal and a win against the Swedes on Saturday, then she would be another great option on this market and at great odds too. It also helps her chances that Spain are slim favourites to win the Euros, so if they can go the distance in the competition, she is likely to score plenty.
Played: 33
Assists: 2
Goals: 15
Goal contributions per game: 0.52
Minutes per goal: 149’
Goals per game: 0.45
