Darwin Nunez is Liverpool’s dark horse to win the Golden Boot at the World Cup

24.10.2022 22:44

Empire of The Kop

The 2022 World Cup is on the horizon, but sadly there is a notable lack of Liverpool players making the trip to Qatar, especially on the attacking front. That being said, Darwin Nunez has shown flashes of brilliance since joining the Reds, which has had a positive impact on his odds of claiming the title […]

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The 2022 World Cup is on the horizon, but sadly there is a notable lack of Liverpool players making the trip to Qatar, especially on the attacking front.

That being said, Darwin Nunez has shown flashes of brilliance since joining the Reds, which has had a positive impact on his odds of claiming the title of top goalscorer.

Without Mo Salah and Egypt appearing at this year’s tournament, there really isn’t anyone else from the Reds who has a decent shot at the World Cup Golden Boot in 2022. But the Liverpool newcomer still comes in with pretty long odds of 50/1 on Bet365, one of the best betting sites for football odds and World Cup betting promotions in the US.

It would be foolish to discount his chances completely, however, as Uruguay have a couple of favorable matches in the group stage, giving the forward a good shot at having a deep run through the elimination rounds.

Furthermore, with fellow countrymen Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez alongside him, Nunez forms part of a formidable attacking front, which certainly helps bolster his chances of claiming the Golden Boot.

Speaking about his compatriot, the latter of the two responded to a jubilant Instagram post from the No.27 in the wake of his match-winning goal against West Ham: “The first of many, scorer! Keep it up and enjoy an amazing stadium and atmosphere!”

How good is Nunez’s chance?

The 23-year-old has yet to compete in a World Cup, but has had a decent amount of international experience, even though injuries kept him away from the 2021 Copa America and several World Cup qualifying matches.

This year has been a bit of a rocky start for the Uruguayan national, with a red card suspension and some lacklustre performances. But this is to be expected, as there is still lots of adjusting for the former Penarol star in his early days at the club. Taking a break from the Premier League to play at the World Cup may be exactly what he needs, but it’s a tall order to score enough to win the Golden Boot.

In the past few decades, the top goal scorer of the tournament has usually netted around half a dozen goals – Harry Kane in 2018 and James Rodríguez in 2014 each scored six.

And to score that many they needed a run through several knockout rounds. Kane ended the last tournament as the top goal scorer with six goals through six games, though there was a lot of attention paid to some favorable matchups for the England star.

Nunez is playing with Uruguay in Group H, matched with Portugal, Ghana, and South Korea. This means there is a very good chance for the striker to start strong against Ghana and South Korea, before likely making it into the elimination rounds.

Is there anyone else?

Roberto Firmino is currently sitting with odds of 66/1 to win the Golden Boot. With so much other attacking talent on the Brazilian side, it’s highly unlikely he will be able to stand out as the top goalscorer in Qatar, if he even makes the cut.

In the 2018 World Cup, Firmino only managed to net one goal through the four games he played, and really didn’t see enough playing time to make an impact – this is most likely to be the situation again four years later.

So what’s the verdict?

Bet365 is probably right on the money with where they have Nunez’s odds, but 50/1 isn’t impossible, and with a few lucky breaks you could see a Liverpool player take home the honor of top goalscorer this year.

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