Kylian Mbappe Favored at -112 Odds to Be 2020/21 Ligue 1 Top Goalscorer
- PSG superstar Mbappe highly-rated to lift individual prize for the third season in a row
- Paris teammate Neymar is the second favorite but Ben Yasser of Monaco hit 18 goals last season
- See the odds and best bets for 2020/21 Ligue 1 leading goalscorer below
France’s Ligue 1 kicks off a new season on Friday with superstar Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain favored to finish as leading goal-scorer.
The World Cup-winning striker was the leading marksman in the nation’s truncated 2019-20 league season along with Wissam Ben Yedder of Monaco.
Both had 18 goals when the competition was suspended in March.
Mbappe was then awarded the prize because he had scored all of his goals from open play while Ben Yedder had hit three penalties.
Ligue 1 Leading Scorer Odds
| Player | 2019-20 Goals | Odds at DraftKings |
|---|---|---|
| Kylian Mbappe | 18 | -112 |
| Neymar | 13 | +400 |
| Wissam Ben Yedder | 18 | +700 |
| Moussa Dembele | 16 | +700 |
| Mauro Icardi | 12 | +700 |
| Memphis Depay | 9 | +1100 |
| Dario Benedetto | +11 | +6000 |
| Habib Diallo | +12 | +6000 |
| Kasper Dolberg | 11 | +6000 |
| Jonathan David | 18 (Belgian League) | +6000 |
| Florian Thauvin | 0 | +10000 |
| M’Baye Niang | 10 | +15000 |
| Andy Delort | 9 | +30000 |
| Renaud Emond | 7 (Belgian League) 0 (Ligue1) | +30000 |
| Adrian Gbric | 17 (Ligue2) | +30000 |
| Jonathan Ikone | 3 | +30000 |
| Ludovic Ajorque | 8 | +75000 |
| Kalifa Coulibaly | 4 | +75000 |
| El Bilal Toure | 2 | +75000 |
| Timothy Weah | 0 | +75000 |
Odds taken August 19
Thirty-Three Goals in 2018-19
The 21-year-old Mbappe won the accolade individually in 2018- 19 with 33 goals to his name.
He is a huge favorite to finish top of the charts in 2020-21 who price him at -112 odds, although PSG begins their league campaign a week late because of their involvement in the Champions League.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4AfSRQ_u-0
His Brazilian PSG teammate Neymar is second in the running at +400 with Ben Yedder, Moussa Dembele of Lyon and another PSG player, Mauro Icardi, all joint third favorites at +700.
With Mbappe so heavily favored, Neymar is the better value choice – especially as he seems freshly motivated with the Paris club just now and could be further inspired for next season in they win the UCL this weekend.
PSG’s Sharpshooting Trio
Given that mega-wealthy PSG have been champions in France for seven of the last eight seasons, it is easy to see why three of their big names feature in the top five contenders for the prize.
When someone calls Ligue 1 a 'Farmers League' 😂 pic.twitter.com/NnS8dgIZwD
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) August 18, 2020
They led the table by 12 points with a game in hand when the league was halted in April – with the club subsequently awarded the championship.
Mbappe’s stock is growing all the time and he is coveted by Real Madrid after helping fire PSG to their first Champions League final in Lisbon on Sunday.
Similarly, PSG players have been top of the goalscoring charts in seven of the previous 10 seasons with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani enjoying multiple triumphs before Mbappe’s double success.
❤️💙 #𝙒𝙚𝘼𝙧𝙚𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙨 pic.twitter.com/lmfIUr2WVl
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) August 19, 2020
Mbappe’s stock is growing all the time and he is coveted by Real Madrid after helping fire PSG to their first Champions League final in Lisbon on Sunday.
He scored in the 2-1 defeat of Atalanta which sent the Parisian club into the last four of the UCL.
They then overcame Red Bull Leipzig 3-0 to reach Sunday’s final.
Ligue 1 Leading Scorer Last 10 Seasons
| Season | Winner | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 2010-11 | Olivier Giroud | 21 |
| 2011-12 | Nene | 21 |
| 2012-13 | Zlatan Ibrahimovic | 30 |
| 2013-14 | Zlatan Ibrahimovic | 26 |
| 2014-15 | Alexandre Lacazette | 27 |
| 2015-16 | Zlatan Ibrahimovic | 38 |
| 2016-17 | Edinson Cavani | 35 |
| 2017-18 | Edinson Cavani | 28 |
| 2018-19 | Kylian Mbappe | 33 |
| 2019-20 | Kylian Mbappe | 18 |
Mbappe’s superstar teammate Neymar is the second favorite but Ben Yasser did a fine job equalling the leading scorer’s tally of 18 in a Monaco side which finished ninth in the 2019-20 table.
It was his first season with the principality club following a $63 million move from Sevilla in summer, 2019.
He had scored 38 goals in 91 appearances in a three-year stint in Spain.
Mbappe believes the leading scorer award should have been shared with Ben Yasser.
Liverpool Target Ben Yasser
English champions Liverpool have been linked with a summer move for Ben Yasser which would, of course, take him out of Ligue 1 running if it happened.
Anfield boss Jurgen Klopp’s reported interest is a sign of how highly he is rated even though he is aged 30.
It's @girondins_en and @FCNantes to start the season, as #FCGBFCN has been brought forward to Friday.https://t.co/v5x89Db9Yo pic.twitter.com/x0pPkeMqJ1
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) August 18, 2020
Neymar was fourth in the Ligue 1 goalscoring pecking order in 2019-20 with 13 goals but he is still rated as a second favorite leading goalscorer for next season.
There is continued speculation linking the Brazilian with a return to Barcelona. But in recent weeks, he has begun to look happy after three turbulent years in Paris.
He is also on course to become a Champions League winner for a second time after winning the trophy with Barcelona in 2015.
Neymar scored nine times in his final eight appearances of the Ligue 1 campaign before injury forced him to miss the last four matches.
He scored along with Mbappe in the quarterfinal defeat of Atalanta earlier in August.
There had also been in a superb run of goalscoring form before Ligue 1 was suspended – with Neymar scoring nine times in his final eight appearances of the campaign before injury forced him to miss the last four matches.
First match of new Ligue 1 season postponed as Marseille confirm four Covid-19 positiveshttps://t.co/MCT4Efc9NJ
— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) August 18, 2020
Lyon’s Moussa Dembele made a huge impact last weekend when he came on as a substitute to score twice in the 3-1 defeat of Manchester City in the Champions League.
In 27 Ligue appearances for the club last season, the 24-year-old Dembele scored 16 times – a ratio of more than a goal per game even the team finished only seventh.
Consistent Over Two Seasons
He has proven consistently prolific by scoring 31 times in 60 Ligue1 games for Lyon since his move from Celtic in 2018.
Argentine forward Mauro Icardi makes up the trio of PSG players among the top five favored for the individual goal-scoring prize.
⏰ Countdown to le BIG kick-off
Wednesday: 🏋️♂️ 🏃♂️ x 2️⃣
Thursday: 🏋️♂️ 🏃♂️
Friday: 🏋️♂️ 🏃♂️ x 2️⃣
Saturday: 🏋️♂️ 🏃♂️
Sunday: ⚽️ 🆚 @StadeDeReims – @Ligue1_ENG, 🏟 Stade Louis-II, 1pm CET 🙌 pic.twitter.com/724xmckwGF— AS Monaco EN (@AS_Monaco_EN) August 18, 2020
He signed a permanent four-year deal with the club last May despite attracting interest from Arsenal and Chelsea during last season’s spell in the French capital on loan from Inter Milan.
He hit 12 goals in 20 Ligue 1 appearances last season.
Pick: Neymar +400
John Dillon is a leading member of the UK's sporting media, having spent three decades as a national newspaper soccer and sports writer, broadcaster and author. He has covered five World Cups, six European Championships and was Chief Sports Writer at the Daily Express for 14 years.
