Akron Togliatti Overview

The 2026 World Cup is underway and so is the race for the prestigious Golden Boot - the award given to the tournament's top scorer. There's a long road ahead as 48 nations battle for the top prize, but which star will take home the illustrious award? Here are GOAL's predicted candidates for the prize as we keep track of the tournament's most prolific stars

Jurgen Klopp has moved to clarify his recent comments regarding Jamal Musiala after his tactical suggestions sparked a wave of criticism in Germany. The former Liverpool manager had suggested that Deniz Undav might be a better fit for the starting XI in certain scenarios, leading legend Lothar Matthaus to question his judgment.

Germany legend Miroslav Klose expects his iconic World Cup goal-scoring record to be shattered during the current tournament cycle in North America. The former striker feels the expanded tournament format provides the perfect platform for elite forwards to surpass his historic tally, with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe leading the chase.

During Liverpool's historically poor run of results last autumn, Florian Wirtz's form became the subject of much debate. Gary Lineker was among those that felt that the No.10 might benefit from being taken out of Arne Slot’s starting line-up, and thus the spotlight. "Don’t think he isn’t suffering at the moment with this," the former England international said on 'The Rest is Football' podcast.