Analysing The Race For The World Cup Golden Boot

The race for the golden boot at this year’s Women’s World Cup is extremely close and with six of the seven top scorers still in the tournament, it’s going right down to the wire.

It’s been a World Cup of stunning goals by some of the greatest players on the planet, from Linda Caicedo’s dazzling feet and strike against Germany to Lauren James’ curling effort that saw off Denmark in the group stages, fans have been treated to some fabulous strikes.

Who is going to be awarded the Golden Booth is still very unclear with the race so tight, and here at Euro Weekly News, we are going to run through the standings and see who could finish ahead of the rest.

Hinata Miyazawa (Japan)

Potentially the most unlikely player to feature on this list – or at least this high up – Hinata Miyazawa has been a star for Japan this World Cup and the attacking midfielder has been able to grace between the lines of teams with relative ease and then show great composure to finish off her chances.

Japan are now seriously being spoken about as potential winners of the World Cup such is the stunning nature of their play at both ends of the pitch, but Miyazawa will certainly have one eye on personal glory as she sits top of the Golden Boot chart as things stand.

Her five goals in four games sees her stand tall above the rest, and with a favourable tie – compared to other sides left in the tournament – Miyazwa will be backing herself to add to her tally against Sweden on Friday morning.

Kadidiatou Diani (France)

Much like France, Kadidiatou Diani seems to just be getting better with every passing game as Herve Renard continues to put his mark on this exciting French side with Diani now sitting second in the race for the Golden Boot following her four strikes in the last two games.

Diani failed to score in any of the opening two games for France but after smashing in a hat-trick against Panama in the final group stage match, she appears to have found her shooting her boots as the striker also netted the opening goal against Morocco.

Hinata Miyazawa still leads the list of top scorers during the World Cup. 🔝🇯🇵#HinataMiyazawa #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/IJw1XTmYzB

— Soccerdonna (@soccerdonna) August 8, 2023

It’s a tournament that’s been an exciting one both on and off the pitch for Diani as she’s signed a bumper deal with Lyon, with could be what is spurring her to make a big impact ahead of the new season with her club.

Alexandra Popp (Germany)

It was certainly a tournament to forget for Germany as they crashed out at the group stages having failed to beat South Korea or Colombia, with the latter topping the group, but one person who can hold her head up high is Alexandra Popp who managed to score four times.

At the age of 32, that was likely Popp’s last appearance on the biggest stage of Women’s football, or at least the last time she will be leading the line for her nation, so to crash out at such an early stage will be extremely frustrating for her, even if she showed tot he world how good she still is.

Popp was simply too good for defenders to handle in the air during her time at the World Cup, because any time the ball was lofted in the box, Popp was always seen as the favourite to win the aerial duel. However, her four goals will likely be surpassed by several players in the coming days, but she can certainly head back to Germany proud of how much she stood out.

Jill Roord (Netherlands)

Jill Roord made headlines prior to the World Cup kicking off as the former Arsenal and Wolfsburg midfielder decided to join Manchester City who failed to even qualify for the Champions League last season and Gareth Taylor will be even more excited to get to work with Roord after her performances this summer.

@hindhaugh98

A very enjoyable Dutch walk this morning! 🇳🇱 #woso #football #womensworldcup #wwc #footballtiktok #womensfootballtiktok #Australia #wosotiktok #netherlands #southafrica #dutch

♬ Sprinter – Central Cee Verse 2 – Dave & Central Cee

Roord has been a constant threat going forward for the Netherlands this World Cup, popping up quite often on the edge of the box and arriving late to finish off chances which should see her continue to cause chaos on the pitch for the remainder of the tournament and is certainly a solid choice to reach the top of the Golden Boot standings.

Lauren James (England)

It had been a simply stunning debut World Cup for Chelsea’s Lauren James having proved her worth against Haiti as a substitute which earned her three starts in a row for England and returned that favour by netting three times, but she will now certainly have a hard time of winning the Golden Boot.

@hindhaugh98

Come with me as I watched England take on Denmark at the Women’s World Cup! Shoutout @NB🦁 for sorting the tickets out 🤝#woso #football #womensworldcup #wwc #footballtiktok #womensfootballtiktok #england #lionesses #australia

♬ FRANCHISE (feat. Young Thug & M.I.A.) – Travis Scott

James will have been regarded as one of the favourites for the personal honour given her red-hot form, but following her sending-off against Nigeria, she is fighting an uphill battle because when she returns, England could already be out or facing one of France or Australia, who will provide very tough tests.

One thing is for sure, this World Cup has been a monumental success already both on and off the pitch with records being broken and many more likely to fall as the tournament continues.