Golden Ball Odds: Mbappe Betting Favorite & Underdog Pick

The quarterfinals are almost set at the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Four of the eight quarterfinal teams are set as of Monday, December 5, and it is a strong group: France, England, Argentina, and the Netherlands.

That is to say, there haven’t been any major upsets to date in the Knockout Stage, which is surprising considering the upsets and close matches in the Group Stage. There have been plenty of great storylines, but this has ultimately been Kylian Mbappe’s World Cup.

The 23-year-old Paris St-Germain striker is the leading goalscorer with five goals in four matches and is the betting favorite to win the Golden Boot. He’s also the favorite to win the Golden Ball as the best football player in the tournament. No player has won both awards since they were introduced in 1982. It’s time to have another look at the top players to win the Golden Boot so you can make your bets against the FIFA World Cup Props.

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Odds for Golden Ball Betting Contenders

Golden Ball Odds

Mbappe Making History

Mbappe is a +138 favorite to win the Golden Ball and is an even bigger favorite to win the Golden Boot as the WC tournament’s top goalscorer. Assuming France can defeat England in the quarterfinals, it’ll be tough to imagine Mbappe not winning both awards.

He’s two goals clear of the goalscoring lead and has been a major reason why France has been so dominant at this year’s World Cup.

At just 23, Mbappe already has an impressive World Cup resume. His nine career World Cup goals is more than both Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, while he is already just four goals away from tying Just Fontaine for the most World Cup goals with France.

He’s seven goals away from tying the all-time record (16) held by Miroslav Klose. He could still have three more matches in Qatar and could conceivably play in another three World Cups.

Messi Looking for His Second Golden Ball

Messi could also make history in Qatar, but Argentina will likely have to at least make the final. No player has won the Golden Ball two times, although Ronaldo (Brazil) won in 1998 and then won the Silver Ball in 2002.

Messi, who has three goals through four matches thus far in Qatar, won the Golden Ball in 2014 when Argentina finished as runners-up to Germany.

Bellingham a Breakout Star

There’s always a breakout star at the World Cup. Mbappe proved himself as one of the best young players in 2018 and is cementing his status as one of the best players overall in Qatar. In 2014, it was James Rodriguez (Colombia) who became a household name. This year’s breakout player is English midfielder Jude Bellingham.

Bellingham, 19, plays for Borussia Dortmund in Germany. He has one goal and one assist in Qatar and was instrumental in setting up England’s decisive 1-0 goal in its 3-0 victory over Senegal on Sunday.

Phil Foden, who was on the receiving end of a beautiful pass from Bellingham, told ITV that the 19-year-old is “one of the most gifted players I have ever seen” and said he will become the best midfielder in the world.

I have read enough, I need to place my bet now. What to do?