Nevertheless, a striker in peak form throughout the tournament is usually the hallmark of a winning side.

With that in mind, here’s a look at some of the frontrunners for the Euro 2024 Golden Boot, each of whom will have their eyes firmly fixed on the bigger, collective prize.

Who will win the Golden Boot at Euro 2024? Early contenders

Romelu Lukaku (Belgium)

Lukaku’s rollercoaster club career has hit a bit of a downslope over recent seasons after a failed big-money move to Chelsea and a similarly underwhelming loan return to Inter Milan. The 30-year-old is enjoying something of a renaissance after reuniting with Jose Mourinho at Roma and he topped the scoring charts in Euro 2024 qualification with an incredible 14-goal haul for Belgium, who are now managed by former Schalke head coach Domenico Tedesco.

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)

Ronaldo finished as joint top-scorer at Euro 2020 with five alongside Czech Republic star Patrik Schick. This tournament could prove to be his last hurrah at the top level and don’t expect him to go quietly. When Ronaldo lost his starting spot to Goncalo Ramos at the 2022 World Cup, it felt like the end of his international career could be fast approaching. However, Roberto Martinez has placed faith in him since taking over as head coach and the 38-year-old scored 10 times during qualification, extending his all-time men’s record international goalscoring haul to 128.

Harry Kane (England)

The Golden Boot winner at the 2018 World Cup with six, Kane has long proved himself to be a major tournament animal, scoring four at Euro 2020 and a goal in each knockout game England contested at Qatar 2022. Of course, it was the one Kane didn’t score that lingered after he missed a late penalty during the quarterfinal loss to France.

He netted his next England spot-kick against Italy to become his country’s all-time leading goalscorer. Kane has excelled since joining Bayern Munich last summer and looks primed to shine for an England team that now boasts a genuinely enviable talent pool. Maybe it really is coming home this time?

Kylian Mbappe (France)

Mbappe’s hat-trick in the World Cup final secured the Golden Boot in Qatar but it was not enough to deny Argentina. The Paris Saint-Germain superstar has now scored in back-to-back World Cup finals, a distinction he shares with Vava, a star of Brazil’s back-to-back successes in 1958 and 1962. Curiously, he does not have a Euros goal to his name, having failed to find the net in four outings at the previous continental tournament. Expect that to change quickly as he spearheads Les Bleus’ latest bid for glory.