In just a few days, the second major tournament of this summer - UEFA Euro 2016 - will kick off, with France serving as this edition's hosts. For the first time, there will be 24 teams featuring, meaning that fans will get to see a wider range of players in action and some nations participating in their debut competition on the international stage.
Much has been made of which teams are the big favorites to clinch tie title, with sides like Germany, Spain, France, and Belgium being touted as serious contenders, but there are other teams, including Portugal, England, Croatia, Italy, and Wales all hoping to shake things up. Of course, a team cannot get to the final without scoring goals, and there will be plenty of players who have shown their skill at this with their respective clubs this season.
At Euro 2012, Fernando Torres ended up walking away with both a team title and the Golden Boot. Although there were several other players, including Cristiano Ronaldo and three "Super Marios" - Mario Mandžukić, Mario Balotelli, and Mario Gomez - who also scored three goals, Torres's assist gave him the slight edge over his competitors.
This time around, three of those players - Cristiano, Mandžukić, and Gomez - will all be in action, but they will be joined by others keen on trying to finish as this edition's top scorer. Let's take a look at some of those faces and how they stack up in the race for the UEFA Euro 2016 Golden Boot.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
Key stats:
- 48 goals in 51 appearances across all competitions for Real Madrid
- 2016 Champions League winner (second in two seasons)
- Scored five goals in UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying for Portugal
Despite his immense success with Manchester United and Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo has not been able to enjoy this at national level with Portugal. The closest he came to clinching any trophies with his nation was back in 2004, where Portugal suffered a heartbreaking loss at Euro 2004 to surprise packages Greece.
After an excellent season with Real Madrid this term, CR7 will be hoping to inspire Portugal to glory in France this summer
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2. Zlatan Ibrahimović
Key stats:
- 50 goals in 51 appearances for PSG
- 4 Ligue 1 titles in 4 seasons with Les Parisiens
- Scored 11 goals in UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying for Sweden
At 34, Zlatan Ibrahimović is like a fine wine that keeps on getting better with age. In just four seasons, the Swedish superstar became PSG's all time top goalscorer, and shows no signs of slowing down. However, this could possibly be his last tournament with Sweden - as he will be nearly 37 by the time the 2018 World Cup rolls around - and as his nation's all-time top goalscorer, would certainly want to pick up at least one top scorer prize with Sweden to match those earned at club level.
Ibrahimović, like Cristiano Ronaldo, will be leading his team at this summer's tournament, but will he be able to finally earn some kind of accolade with Sweden on the international stage?
3. Robert Lewandowski
Key stats:
- 42 goals in 51 appearances for Bayern Munich
- First player to score 30 goals in the Bundesliga since Dieter Muller did so in 1976/1977
- Scored 13 goals in UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying for Poland
Like Zlatan and Cristiano, Robert Lewandowski will be captaining his team at this tournament. And like both the Swede and Portuguese stars, Lewandowski will be expected to shoulder much of the goalscoring for Poland. Euro 2012 was a very disappointing one for the Bayern Munich ace, as Poland were dumped out of the group stages. The UEFA Euro 2016 qualifiers saw them net a campaign-high 33 goals, with Lewandowski scoring 13 of them.
Lewandowski's 13 goals for Poland during qualifiers are the joint highest ever in a Euro qualifying campaign
4. Thomas Müller
Key stats:
- 32 goals in 49 appearances for Bayern Munich
- Won a fourth straight Bundesliga title in four seasons with die Roten
- Scored nine goals in UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying for Germany
Lewandowski's club teammate Thomas Müller was third in UEFA Euro 2016 qualifiers with nine goals. At just 26, Müller is already a veteran of international tournaments with Germany, with a Golden Boot from the 2010 World Cup and a Silver Boot during Germany's winning 2014 campaign. Having being part of Bayern's history-making squad as die Roten clinched an unprecedented fourth consecutive Bundesliga season, Müller will certainly be hoping to add a Euro title to his already impressive CV.
Müller scored a career best 32 goals in all competitions for Bayern Munich this season and already has a Golden Boot award (from the 2010 World Cup) in his trophy cabinet
5. Antoine Griezmann
Key stats:
- 32 goals in 54 appearances for Atletico Madrid
- Runners up at the 2016 Champions League final
- First ever Euro competition with France
This past season was Griezmann's most prolific ever as he netted 32 goals in 54 appearances for Atletico Madrid. Although he had to settle for a runners-up spot in the Champions League final, the 25-year-old will be one of the players to watch as France hope to clinch their third Euro title (and second overall on home soil).
Griezmann will be hoping his prolific form for Atletico Madrid will carry over for France as Les Bleus aspire to win their first Euro title since 2000
6. Harry Kane
Key stats:
- 28 goals in 50 appearances for Tottenham
- Winner of this season's Premier League Golden Boot & Tottenham's highest goalscorer in a single season
- Scored 3 goals in UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying for England
Although Harry Kane was unable to clinch any team awards with Tottenham, the 22 year old had his best ever season on a professional level. Kane demonstrated that he was not just a "one season wonder" after his impressive showings for Spurs during the 2014/2015 term, as he clinched the coveted Golden Boot with 25 league goals for the London side this season.
After two excellent seasons with Tottenham that has seen him score 59 goals across all competitions, England will be relying on young striker Kane to help them overcome their bad patch of form on the international stage
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7. Gareth Bale
Key stats:
- 19 goals in 30 appearances for Real Madrid
- Has won two Champions League titles in just three seasons
- Scored seven goals in UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying for Wales
Gareth Bale may not have the same goalscoring record as some of the other players on the list, but he arguably played a huge role in Wales securing their spot at their first international tournament since the 1958 World Cup. This will also be the first Euro competition for Wales and with seven out of the team's 11 goals in qualifying, he will be heavily counted on if they hope to make it out of their group and beyond.
Will Bale be able to play a huge role for Wales as they make their debut appearance in a Euro competition?
8. Jamie Vardy
Key stats:
- 24 goals in 38 appearances for Leicester
- Winner, 2015/2016 Premier League with Leicester City
- Premier League Player of the Season & FWA Footballer of the Year
Yes, Jamie Vardy is a bit of a stretch. In fact, he may not even be the starting striker for England at this summer's Euro tournament. At 29, the Leicester City man is certainly a late bloomer as he only made his international debut in May 2015, and since then has scored three goals so far in 2016.
But as we saw this season for Vardy and Leicester, nothing is impossible as the Foxes went from relegation candidates to champions of England in the span of just over one year. Plus, the last Euro tournament had several players (with some better known than others at that time) all finish as joint top scorers, and Vardy only finished second behind Harry Kane in terms of goals scored in this season's Premier League campaign.
Vardy's rise to prominence has been simply astounding - will he continue to shine on an even bigger stage?
