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Aron Wright - October 25, 2021
Find yourself a goalscorer and you will not go far wrong. Sporting logic that has dictated the destiny of major silverware throughout history rings as true in 2021 as it did in 1921. Balls may be lighter, pitches more carpet-like and transfer fees highly inflated, but the hardest job in football remains to hit the back of the net.
Those that have mastered that art are worth their weight in gold. From Stanley Matthews to Sadio Mane, anyone with a penchant for finding the target will have an integral role to play regardless of era and pay packet.
In the present, the Premier League is blessed with an abundance of attacking riches that continue to capture the imagination of an awe-inspired audience that stretches to every corner of the globe. Some of the finest finishers in the business currently ply their trade in the English top-flight. Defences may have improved down the years, but that challenge has been faced head-on by those charged with the task of picking the tightest of locks.
A collection of familiar faces are putting down early markers in the current campaign, with track records counting for plenty when it comes to top scorer charts. Exciting rookies and big-money foreign imports will always catch the eye, but there is a lot to be said for experience and pedigree.
Mohamed Salah has that by the bucket load, with the Liverpool forward already a two-time Golden Boot winner. Currently at odds of 2/1 to take top goalscorer, according to outright markets for those betting on sites like Space Casino, and part of a team currently priced at 33/10 to take the coveted Premier League crown.
Salah has been setting the pace in 2021-22, with some billing him as the best player on the planet, and another notable hat-trick could be within reach.
We really wanted to win this one but we’re still in the game. We’re going for the title and we have what it takes. pic.twitter.com/JDnr2YMwHE
— Mohamed Salah (@MoSalah) October 4, 2021
Plenty will have something to say about that, including a certain Cristiano Ronaldo. The iconic Portuguese player is yet to breathe new life into Manchester United during a second spell at Old Trafford, but only a fool would bet against the five-time Ballon d’Or winner hitting a serious purple patch.
The same can be said for Harry Kane, a man with three shiny boots on his mantelpiece, and the Tottenham striker is up and running in the Premier League after making a customary slow start to the domestic season.
Jamie Vardy of Leicester also knows what it takes to claim individual awards, and is back in the groove, while Mane is starring again for Liverpool, Heung-min Son remains a model of consistency for Spurs and Bruno Fernandes may yet be able to keep Ronaldo off penalty and free-kick duty at United.
Delighted to win these awards! Not possible without the team and staff throughout the season. 貯 pic.twitter.com/12kfT4LOfL
— Harry Kane (@HKane) May 23, 2021
Only once in the 21st century, back in 2008-2009, has a return of fewer than 20 goals been enough to claim the Golden Boot. Nobody has managed a 30-goal season since Salah in 2017-2018, but that could easily become the benchmark once again.
Realistically, a haul somewhere between those two posts, quite fittingly when it comes to goal-getting, is likely to be enough to secure a prestigious prize. Picking a winner remains a tricky business, but who gets your vote with over three-quarters of the season still to play?
