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Touchline • Issue 18 • 17
genuine superstar in Brazil from a very young age, his slow
acclimatisation may be down to no longer being the main
man of the team. That said, some of his nine La Liga goals
this season were beauts, and he can be counted to lift his
game on home soil. And in the Brazilian team, he will once
again be the Number One forward. Fred, a willing and grafting
centre forward, will make room for him, while on the other
side, Hulk will batter down defences. It is time for Neymar to
reach the next level.
Luis Suarez
/ Uruguay
(Golden Boot odds 16/1)
Injury has put the Uruguayan’s World Cup in doubt, but such
is his importance to the hopes of his country that they will
take him to Brazil anyway. Even though he may miss the
early matches, his presence in the knockout stages could be
definitive. Suarez is a polarising force, but his most recent
season at Liverpool saw him playing such accomplished
football and scoring such wonderful goals that his diving,
complaining and bad attitude have been largely over looked.
He sweats blood for his team, and seems to instil confidence
in those around him. He reads the game like few others, has
speed and the deadly confidence that marks him out as a
genuine contender for the Golden Boot.
Diego Costa
/ Spain
(Golden Boot odds 20/1)
While it is touch and go whether he plays this World Cup
due to injury, Costa could be the player that gives Spain their
best chance to win this summer. Like many players who hit
the top level comparatively late, Costa relies on plenty of
heart to match his skills. His goals were one of the main
reasons for Atletico Madrid’s astonishing, duopoly shattering
La Liga win. By choosing the Spanish team over his native
Brazil he has ensured that he gets plenty of stick from the
crowds, but Costa revels in a scrap. He also gives Spain an
extra dimension. In a season that saw tika-taka found out to a
certain extent, Costa’s inclusion means that Spain can adopt a
more direct approach if things are tight.
6.
Thomas Müller
/ Germany
(Golden Boot odds 28/1)
Despite the long odds, many will be putting a few C notes on
Muller this summer. Germany is always competitive in a World
Cup, and it is foolish to discount their ability to get a few
goals. Muller is in many ways the opposite of showmen like
Neymar and Ronaldo: he is not flashy and does not beguile
with tricks. But his understanding of movement and space are
preternatural. He will pop up at the far post to slide the ball
home or apply the final touch to a silky move more than once
this summer.
Mario Balotelli
/ Italy
(Golden Boot odds 33/1)
Let’s skip over the controversial aspects: on his day, Balotelli
is one of the most feared strikers in the world. There is every
chance he will start from the bench, as his season for Milan
has hardly been a barnstormer: only 14 goals in 30 Serie A
matches. But cometh the moment. . .the more TV cameras,
the better Balotelli is. His skill and raw ability is frightening,
and he is a big game player. Whether he plays as an impact
substitute or starts, playing in a World Cup will be all the
motivation he needs to get on with it.
Arjen Robben
/ Holland
(Golden Boot odds 40/1)
Robben has been doing what he does for over a decade now.
He is at his best running at defenders, his left foot pinging
the ball towards the net. He was integral for Bayern this
season, cutting in from the right and setting up as many goals
as he scored. He will fulfil a similar role for the Dutch this
time. A proven big match player, Robben also opens space for
others, as panicking defenders back peddle away from the
pacey dribbler.
Wayne Rooney
/ England
(Golden Boot odds 50/1)
Wayne Rooney could be seen as the ultimate symbol for
Manchester United’s disastrous season: it just didn’t click
for him. Seventeen goals in 29 Premier League matches is
not a stat to sniff at, but he will be looking forward to this
World Cup, seeing it as an opportunity to straighten up his
somewhat crooked halo. Rooney may be assisted, ironically,
by the form of Liverpool, a club he dislikes intensely. As many
as six players from his rival team are playing the football of
their lives, giving England a spine and dynamism not seen in
a decade. With better players around him, his combative style
and flamboyance might just be better supported than in the
past.
Eden Hazard
/ Belgium
(Golden Boot odds 66/1)
England’s young player of the year always had talent,
but sometimes his attitude to tracking back infuriated
management and supporters alike. Enter Jose Mourinho as
Chelsea’s manager, and Hazard has moved onto the next level.
This new-found discipline has been allied to more belief in
his own potential as a scorer. Fourteen goals in the Premier
League season explains the long odds for him getting the
Golden Boot, but this is the best Belgian team in years –
possibly ever- and it is just possible that they will have a
great run to the knock out stages. And if they do, it will surely
be on account of Hazard’s vicious left-foot shots.
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