UEFA has introduced a surprising new rule for the Euro 2024 Golden Boot award, stating that if no clear winner emerges in the final between England and Spain, the trophy will be shared between six players. This decision comes three years after Cristiano Ronaldo controversially won the award at Euro 2020 despite being tied on five goals with Czechia’s Patrik Schick.
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Heading into the final, England’s Harry Kane and Spain’s Dani Olmo are leading the goalscoring charts with three goals each. However, they face tough competition from Cody Gakpo (Netherlands), Georges Mikautadze (Georgia), Jamal Musiala (Germany), and Ivan Schranz (Slovakia), who are also on three goals. The race for the Golden Boot is tight, with Jude Bellingham and Fabián Ruiz not far behind with two goals each.
In a departure from previous tournaments, UEFA has announced that the top scorer prize will be shared among the leading goal scorers unless a player can break the four-goal mark. This change means that if no player scores a fourth goal in the final, three goals will be the lowest tally for a Golden Boot winner since Euro 2012.
The decision to potentially share the Golden Boot has sparked debate among fans and experts, especially in light of Ronaldo’s win in 2020. At that time, Ronaldo was awarded the prize due to registering one assist along with his five goals, edging out Schick who had the same number of goals but no assists. The comparison between these two scenarios raises questions about the fairness and consistency of the scoring system in major tournaments.
Looking back at past Euro tournaments, the potential shared Golden Boot at Euro 2024 would be a rare occurrence. The last time multiple players ended the tournament with three goals was at Euro 2012 when Fernando Torres, Mario Gomez, and Alan Dzagoev all shared the award. Torres received the Golden Boot that year based on playing fewer minutes than the other players on three goals.
The Euro 2024 Golden Boot race is shaping up to be a closely contested battle between six players, with the possibility of a shared award adding an extra layer of intrigue to the final. The outcome of this decision will not only impact the current tournament but also influence future discussions on the criteria for determining the top scorer in major football competitions.
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