Cristiano Ronaldo is the Golden Boot winner at Euro 2020, the award given to the top goalscorer of the tournament.
Ronaldo finished in a tie with Patrick Schick at five goals but won the award due to UEFA's tiebreaker rule. The first tiebreaker is assists and Ronaldo had one throughout the tournament while Schick had zero.
One of our two pre-tournament best bets was Cristiano Ronaldo at +1,200. Most betting sites, however, have ruled the top goalscorer market a dead heat — meaning that your winnings would have been halved if you had a wager on Ronaldo or Schick. This would have been stated in the top goalscorer market's terms and conditions before and during the tournament,
Top scorer odds
Ronaldo and Schick had the same odds as co-favorites for the final two rounds of Euro 2020.
| Teams | Covers | Bet365 | FanDuel | betway | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cristiano Ronaldo | +134 | +150 | $6.84 | +145 | $4.70 | +150 | $6.84 | ||||
| Patrick Schick | +134 | +150 | $6.84 | +145 | $4.70 | +150 | $6.84 | ||||
| Harry Kane | +628 | +333 | -$40.52 | +380 | -$34.07 | +400 | -$45.05 | ||||
| Raheem Sterling | +16,393 | +2,000 | -$87.27 | +2,300 | -$85.45 | +2,200 | -$86.05 | ||||
| Ciro Immobile | +201,242 | +10,000 | -$94.98 | +10,000 | -$94.98 | +12,500 | -$93.74 | ||||
| Lorenzo Insigne | +565,938 | +15,000 | -$97.33 | +10,000 | -$98.22 | OTB | NA | ||||
What to look for in a Golden Boot winner
The Golden Boot has been awarded to the top goalscorer at the European Championships each edition since 1960. With any award-based betting market, it is important to identify the qualification traits of winners in relation to the progression of their team. In other words, what do the teams of previous winners all have in common?
Bettors would be wise to look at tournaments dating back to 1996 rather than 1960 due to the expansion of the format. Here are the qualifying baselines in the previous six editions of the Championship:
- Average goals: 4.66 (five goals needed to win in four of six events)
- All winners have played for teams that reach at least the semifinals
- Three of six winners have played for the team that won the tournament
- Five of six winners have been on teams at odds of 10/1 or less to begin the tournament
In summary, when looking for a top goalscorer bet, seek a player who can score at least five goals from a team priced at odds of 8/1 or less that can be projected to make at least the semifinals.
Best bets for top goalscorer
Two players stand out which fit the above criteria:
Romelu Lukaku (+700)
Belgium are loaded with attacking power, and Lukaku is set to be the direct benefactor of it all. The all-time leading goalscorer in Belgium history is set to lead the greatest squad the country has put on the pitch this summer. There is precedence, too! Belgium has been placed in a group with three opponents they have faced in the last calendar year. In four matches against Russia, Denmark, and Finland, Belgium scored 13 times.
Lukaku averages 0.65 goals per match for his country, which would project him at 4.6 goals on a Belgium run to the final (right at the historical average to win the award). Still, the output could be much higher based on the goal-scoring trajectory in international play. In Euro 2020 qualification, Belgium scored 40 goals in ten matches. In Nations League play, Belgium scored another 16 times in six matches. Coming off the most prolific goalscoring season of his club-level career, Lukaku is in a prime position to exceed the magic number of five goals and lead Belgium to the Euro 2020 finals.
Cristiano Ronaldo (+1,200)
Even at the age of 36, Ronaldo continues to find the back of the net with ease. His tally of 29 goals with Juventus marks his second-highest club-scoring output since 2015. Over the last six months, influential money from all parts of the globe has driven the odds for Portugal to win Euro 2020 down from 16/1 to the current odds of 8/1. The defending champions have one of the deepest squads in the tournament, and despite critics suggesting they may be better off without CR7, the all-time leading goal scorer enters in terrific form.
Much of this wager will sit on Portugal winning the most difficult group of the tournament. Finish first, and they get a third-place finisher in the Round of 16 and a group stage runner-up in the quarterfinals — a significantly easier path to the critical semifinals than likely playing England at Wembley then Spain. But yet again, the answer appears to be in the betting market. Portugal's odds have moved from -150 to -170 in their opening match against Hungary, +275 to +230 vs. Germany, and +300 to +230 vs. France.
Both picks made pre-tournament
Top goalscorer market explained
The Euro 2020 top goalscorer market is a futures market where you're simply betting on which player will win the Golden Boot award by leading the tournament in goals scored. All matches played in the tournament count towards a player's goal total.
What happens if it's a tie?
If two or more players are tied for the goal-scoring lead at the end of the tournament, the market will result in a dead heat. This means the amount you were set to win will be divided by the number of players who tie for the lead.
For example, let's say you have a ticket that pays out $100 for Harry Kane to be the top goalscorer. If he finishes tied with one other player, that bet would now pay $50 ($100 / 2). If he finishes tied with two other players, the bet would pay out $33.33 ($100 / 3).
How to read top goalscorer odds
The above odds for top goalscorer are in American format. All odds with a positive sign (+) indicate the amount you will win for every $100 wagered. For example, a $100 bet on Harry Kane at +700 would profit $700. And a $100 bet on Eden Hazard at +3,300 would profit $3,300.
As the tournament progresses, you might see a favorite emerge with negative (-) odds. This means that you would need to wager the amount of the odds to win $100. So if Kylian Mbappé drops to -130 later in the tournament, you'd need to wager $130 to win $100.
You can change American odds to decimal, fractional, or implied probability with our odds converter.
Euro top goalscorer history
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo won the 2020 Golden Boot because of the tiebreaker rule after he tied with Patrick Schick at five goals. There has been a tie for top goalscorer six times in tournament history.
| Year | Player | Country | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2 players tied | Multiple | 5 |
| 2016 | Antoine Griezmann | France | 6 |
| 2012 | 6 players tied | Multiple | 3 |
| 2008 | David Villa | Spain | 4 |
| 2004 | Milan Baroš | Czech Republic | 5 |
| 2000 | 2 players tied | Multiple | 5 |
| 1996 | Alan Shearer | England | 5 |
| 1992 | 4 players tied | Multiple | 3 |
| 1988 | Marco van Basten | Netherlands | 5 |
| 1984 | Michel Platini | France | 9 |
| 1980 | Klaus Allofs | Germany | 3 |
| 1976 | Dieter Müller | Germany | 4 |
| 1972 | Gerd Müller | Germany | 4 |
| 1968 | Dragan Džaji? | Yugoslavia | 2 |
| 1964 | 3 players tied | Multiple | 2 |
| 1960 | 5 players tied | Multiple | 2 |
Where can I bet on the European Championship?
With 24 teams vying for the trophy, interest and betting action on "the beautiful game" has never been higher.
Read our list of the most trusted soccer betting sites to capitalize on Euro tournament bonuses and promotions.
Euro top goalscorer FAQs
France's Antoine Griezmann led Euro 2016 with six goals.
The Golden Boot is awarded to the player who scores the most goals at the Euros.
No player has ever been top goalscorer at more than one Euro Championship.
The top goalscorer at the Euros is awarded the Golden Boot.
