Lewandowski (+400), Favored Ahead of Messi and Neymar to Be Champions League Top Scorer Ahead of Group Stage
- The UEFA Champions League group stage kicks off on Tuesday and Wednesday with a full slate of games
- Before the first round of games, people are already speculating who will come out as the top scorer in Europe’s most prestigious competition
- Read below for analysis and a prediction on who will be the top scorer
The Champions League is one of the best competitions in not only soccer, but all of sports. It brings the best players from all over Europe who do not usually play and pits them against one another in an extremely difficult competition. Unlike predicting who will be the top scorer in domestic leagues, the Champions League is extremely difficult because the range of attackers is so large.
Instead of three heavy favorites, there are legitimately a solid 12 to choose from, at least. Playing against the very best teams, they have to be able to score in high pressure situations, and have an equally talented team supporting them.
Of course, Lewandowski is the favorite to win this award. The striker from Poland was the top scorer last year with 15 goals and won the Champions League to match. However, his competition consists of Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar and about 16 others, which will not make this an easy call by any means.
2020/21 Champions League Top Scorer Odds
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Robert Lewandowski | +400 |
| Lionel Messi | +600 |
| Neymar | +800 |
| Erling Haaland | +900 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | +900 |
| Kylian Mbappe | +1100 |
| Mohamed Salah | +1700 |
| Karim Benzema | +2000 |
| Sadio Mane | +2000 |
| Raheem Sterling | +2000 |
| Romelu Lukaku | +2500 |
| Timo Werner | +2500 |
| Serge Gnabry | +3000 |
| Jadon Sancho | +3000 |
| Gabriel Jesus | +4000 |
| Antoine Griezmann | +4000 |
| Eden Hazard | +4000 |
| Ciro Immobile | +4000 |
| Duvan Zapata | +4000 |
| Josip Illicic | +5000 |
Odds taken on October 18th from DraftKings.
Can Lewandowski Repeat His Champions League Heroics?
Robert Lewandowski was a force for Bayern Munich last season, and was a unmeasurable factor in their domestic and international success. With a group consisting of Atletico Madrid, Salzburg and Locomotiv Moscow, he has the right to lick his lips in awe of what he could do this season. However, at Bayern Munich, Lewandowski will be forced to share. Adding Leroy Sane to an already ridiculous attack will only spread out the Champions League goals for Bayern.
That is not an attack on how Lewandowski or Bayern will perform, but rather a testament to their depth of their squad. If they get an early lead in the group, they might not even need to risk playing Lewandowski against a team like Moscow. Lewandowski is great, especially in the Champions League, but the rest of his team is too good this year to win an award like this one.
This Champions League Honor is Owned By Ronaldo & Messi
Looking past Lewandowski’s Champions League accolades of last season, the award of top scorer was handed to Ronaldo or Messi 12 out of the last 14 years. Additionally, in the past ten years, the average winner scored 13.5 goals to win the trophy, a feat that could easily be taken on by those two. Ironically enough, they will have to face off against each other in a group with Dynamo Kyiv and Ferencvaros.
While Ronaldo has struggled to push this Juventus team to new levels in the Champions League, Messi will have an equally hard time with a Barcelona team that looks different to say the least. However, the fact that Messi has less help around him boosts his chances to win this honor. Every time Barcelona need a victory, he will be the man looked at. Suarez is gone, and that goal scoring burden will be placed on him, undoubtedly.
What About the Dark Horses?
Like any bet, there are always a couple of dark horses. Mo Salah at Liverpool is one as Liverpool were granted a group with relatively porous defenses. Lastly, Erling Haaland has to be a favorite with his goal scoring record last year and with a young Dortmund team around him. I do not personally favor the Paris stars as they are in the hardest group with Manchester United, Leipzig and Istanbul.
Best Bet
My best bet for the top scorer in the Champions League is Lionel Messi. Messi has been consistently great in the Champions League for so long and despite his drama with the club, he will be the leader the young players on that squad look up to. He might not win the whole thing, but he will surely leave Catalonia having left everything he had out on that pitch in what will probably be his last year in red and blue.
Pick: Lionel Messi (+600)
Josh Ricker is a freelance sports journalist, currently attending the University of Southern Maine (Bachelor of Science in Sports Management and Marketing). He has recently interned with the AA Portland Sea Dogs, and his work has been featured on Fansided, as well as now here on SBD.
