With 4 Goals & 9-1 Odds, Is England’s Ellen White Worth a Bet to Be Women’s World Cup Top Scorer?
- England’s Ellen White has scored four goals in the Women’s World Cup
- White was 14-1 to win the Golden Boot at the outset of the tournament
- Team USA’s Alex Morganand Australia’s Sam Kerr share the tourney lead with five goals
When Ellen White was 10 years old, she was kicked out of a boys’ youth league in her native England after scoring 109 goals the previous season.
Twenty years later, White could be on the verge of kicking her way to the goal-scoring title at the 2019 Women’s World Cup.
The England striker has netted four goals, which places her one off the lead currently held by Alex Morgan (USA) and Sam Kerr (Australia) heading into the quarterfinals. With Kerr’s Australian team already eliminated, White is the second betting choice in their Women’s World Cup goals leader odds at +900.
2019 Women’s World Cup Top Goalscorer Odds
| Player (Country) | Goals | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Alex Morgan (USA) | 5 | -300 |
| Ellen White (England) | 4 | +900 |
| Megan Rapinoe (USA) | 3 | +1600 |
| Carli Lloyd (USA) | 3 | +2500 |
| Cristiana Girelli (Italy) | 3 | +2500 |
| Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands) | 2 | +4000 |
| Wendie Renard (France) | 3 | +5000 |
| Alexandra Popp (Germany) | 2 | +6600 |
| Eugenie Le Sommer (France) | 2 | +6600 |
| Lieke Martens (Netherlands) | 2 | +6600 |
*Odds taken on 06/26/19.
White Heating Up
White has scored three of her four goals in England’s last two games. She tallied the second goal in England’s 3-0 win over Cameroon in the Round of 16.
White netted both goals as the English blanked Japan 2-0 and her other goal was the winner in a 2-1 victory over Scotland.
4 – Ellen White is just the fourth different Englishwomen to score a brace in a World Cup match, after Gillian Coultard (v Canada), Karen Farley (v Nigeria) and Kelly Smith (v Japan and Argentina). Fantastic. #FIFAWWC #ENG #JPNENG pic.twitter.com/PXKCIyJbpl
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 19, 2019
Meanwhile, Morgan bashed home all five of her goals in the USA’s opening game, a 13-0 drubbing of Thailand.
Other Contenders
The big game in the quarterfinals is the USA-France matchup. It pits defending champion USA against the host country. You can make a case that these are the two best sides remaining in the tournament but only one will be left standing come the semifinals.
Whichever country loses, a lot of contenders for the goal-scoring crown will also be going home. Morgan’s USA teammates Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd are both on three goals, as is France captain Wendie Renard.
What’s The Smart Play?
The fact that White has netted at least once in three of the four English matches is a testament to her consistency.
Morgan is labeled the best player in the world. She’s been brutalized by defenders in this tournament but that’s the price all great scorers must pay.
She’s the best player on the best team in the world. Battling injury, Morgan didn’t have a strong 2015 World Cup. She’s yet to show her dominance in the most important games on the world stage.
The USA probably still wins this tournament but England is a real sleeper that can’t be overlooked.
Don’t go overboard, but a small wager on white to lead the tournament in goals might prove a very rewarding play.
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
