Last season’s top goal-scorer merit in the Champions League was very much an anomaly.

First off, the honour was shared, and that has only previously happened once in the last 25 years of the competition. On this occasion, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe blasted eight goals apiece for Bayern Munich and PSG respectively, as they helped their sides reach the semi-finals.

That too incidentally was an oddity, because typically the leading goal-scorer in this tournament fires their team to glory. Or at least that has been the case seven times in the last decade.

Then there was the tally itself that differed from the norm. It was the first time in 14 years when no player in a Champions League campaign managed to rack up double figures.

Champions League Top Scorer Odds:

Does any of this offer any meaningful insight into what’s to come this term? Probably not, as anomalies rarely reveal much by their nature.

That is, unless we focus on the players themselves who topped the list, and not the relatively scant number of times they struck in Europe’s premium contest. Then we’re really starting to get somewhere.

Kane and Mbappe are two of the archest finishers around. Each have won a Golden Boot at a World Cup.

Each have converted 25+ league goals on numerous occasions for their clubs. So of course it was them that ran riot at the expense of the continent’s elite last year.

Indeed, the only surprise was that Erling Haaland – the other global phenom - didn’t join them, the Norwegian finishing top-scorer in 2021 and 2023. 

That’s because this is a competition, more than any other, that has little time for underdogs, either collectively or individually. Instead so often we see the cream rise to the top.  

It’s there evidenced stark and undeniable on the winners’ list, dating as far back as you wish to go. The last surprise champion in the Champions League this century was Porto, 21 years ago.

Elsewhere the honours roll is entirely populated by Real Madrid, the Milans, Barca and Bayern, along with the giants of English football. 

And it’s there too in the leading goal-scorer charts that is wholly inhabited by big game hunters. 

Cristiano Ronaldo has led the field seven times, averaging an impressive 12.8 goals across those successful campaigns. Remarkably, the Portuguese great out-fired his peers in the competition for six years running. 

Lionel Messi meanwhile has claimed the individual merit six times, bewitching one and all and propelling Blaugrana to four Champions League triumphs. 

Beyond this formidable duo we exclusively find feared and prolific hit-men. In 2022, Karim Benzema won the tournament’s Golden Boot and before him there was Robert Lewandowski.

Neymar shared the honour in 2015 with Ronaldo and Messi and going further back there was Andriy Shevchenko, Raul and Ruud Van Nistelrooy.

Among this catalogue of supreme number nines the only Champions League leading goal-scorer in living memory to raise even half an eyebrow is Fernando Morientes, who enjoyed a memorable season on loan at Monaco when les rouges et blank reached the final in 2004. 

The former Real Madrid ace is alone in being the only striker in the 2000s to bag an unsurpassed hatful in the tournament despite starting out unfancied in the football odds. 

And so we turn to the season to come and it’s prudent to learn from all this, lessons that dispense with any subtlety, making two interlinked details abundantly clear. 

The upshot of which is that when it comes to backing a potential leading goal-scorer for this year’s Champions League, go for the big-name forward for a team tipped to go very deep.

This leaves us with a shortlist of three obvious but outstanding candidates.  

Kylian Mbappe

The French megastar’s move to Madrid this summer greatly increases his chances of lifting the big-eared trophy, Los Blancos being serial winners of the tournament having won six of the last 11. The best the 25-year-old has previously managed from seven years in Paris is a runner-up appearance 2020.

Not that the generational talent could have done much more for his former club, firing 48 goals in 73 Champions League outings. It’s a haul that includes a hat-trick at Camp Nou as well as goals scored at Anfield and Old Trafford.

Should the five-time Ligue 1 Player of the Year find his gears at the Bernabeu – and there is no reason to suspect that he won’t – it would be folly to think he can’t claim a Champions League Golden Boot for the second year running.

Erling Haaland  

Manchester City are rightfully priced up as favourites in the Champions League betting, the perennial English title winners boasting a track record in the tournament bettered only by Real Madrid. The last time they exited prior to the quarter finals was seven years ago.

Moreover, they are spearheaded by a striker who routinely rises to the big occasions, bagging a frankly silly 41 Champions League goals in 39 appearances. It equates to hitting the back of the net every 75 minutes against some of the continent’s finest rearguards. 

If Pep Guardiola’s men reach the semis or better in 2024/25 it’s reasonable to anticipate double figures from a player who breaks records for breakfast.

Harry Kane 

Kane’s debut season in Germany brought an avalanche of goals, the likes of which the Bundesliga has only witnessed twice before, via Lewandowski most recently and Gerd Muller back in the day.

A bountiful 36 in the league was accompanied by eight in Europe, as FC Hollywood navigated a path to the last four, eventually coming unstuck at the hands of Real.

Another harvest of goals can be expected again but doubts over Vincent Kompany’s credentials in the dug-out puts the England star third in the running to out-fire the rest of the continent. Can, and will, Bayern go deep once more? 

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*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*

Everything you need to know about Glorious Goodwood and the latest information ahead of the 2025 Festival.

What Is Glorious Goodwood? 

Glorious Goodwood is one of the highlights of the British flat racing season, with some of the world's best horses competing across five days.

There will be plenty of focus on horse racing tips across the week, with the finest stayers in the land providing the curtain raiser in the Group 1 Goodwood Cup on the opening day.

Spearheading day two are the milers who battle it out in the £1 million Sussex Stakes, before the fillies do their thing on Ladies Day (Thursday) in the Nassau Stakes.

Not to be overshadowed by the previous four afternoons, day five sees the fastest racehorses in the world contest the King George Stakes before arguably one of the most competitive handicaps in British flat racing has them charging down the Goodwood straight in the shape of the Stewards' Cup on Saturday.

Glorious Goodwood History 

The history of Goodwood stretches back over 200 years.

In 1801, the third Duke of Richmond (who lived in Goodwood Hall) held a private race meeting for the members of his hunt and the local militia, and a year later the first public meeting was held on the land.

Over the duration of many, many years, the course and event was labelled with the nickname ‘Glorious Goodwood’.

The summer meet fast became the ‘must-attend’ event amongst the movers and shakers in society, primarily for the partying more than the racing.

In 1947, Goodwood staged a historical first when it was the venue for the very first BBC radio broadcast of a horse racing meeting.

It was the day on which Gordon Richards secured a victory in the King George Stakes, something which he repeated in every renewal up to 1952.

It was also the year Goodwood became the first racecourse in the country to broadcast live commentary to racegoers via the public address system.

Glorious Goodwood Race Dates And Times

The Festival always starts on a Tuesday and runs through until Saturday, with some world-class racing on show throughout the week.

This year Glorious Goodwood will take place around late July to early August at Goodwood Racecourse, Chichester, West Sussex.

Glorious Goodwood Race Card

• Day 1 features: Goodwood Cup (Group 1), Lennox Stakes (Group 2), Vintage Stakes (Group 2).

• Day 2 features: Sussex Stakes (Group 1), Molecomb Stakes (Group 3), Oak Tree Stakes (Group 3).

• Day 3 features: Nassau Stakes (Group 1), Richmond Stakes (Group 2), Gordon Stakes (Group 3).

• Day 4 features: King George Stakes (Group 2), Thoroughbred Stakes (Group 3), Glorious Stakes (Group 3).

• Day 5 features: Lillie Langtry Stakes (Group 2), Stewards’ Cup (Heritage Handicap).

Betting On The Goodwood Festival

Odds on the 2025 Qatar Goodwood Festival will be available closer to the time. Ante-post markets will form a few months prior to the meeting, with the biggest races of the week usually priced up first.

Keep an eye on the 888sport horse racing betting page for Glorious Goodwood markets.

Just two days after defeat to Spain in the 2024 European Championship final, Gareth Southgate announced that he will be stepping down as England manager.

He took charge of the Three Lions for nearly eight years, managing over 100 England matches and leading the nation in four major tournaments.

His record speaks for itself – he is the most successful England manager since 1966 and the national team is in a much stronger position than it was when he arrived at the helm.

England may have fallen short in back-to-back Euros finals but Southgate has cemented his legacy as one of the greatest ever Three Lions managers and his supporters will be disappointed to hear of his decision to move on.

While he earned considerably less than many of his managerial counterparts, we saw Gareth Southgate net worth figures soar during his stint as England boss and the next manager may also be primed for a lucrative contract.

That being said, the search for England’s next manager begins now and a football betting market has already been formed. So, let’s assess some of the leading contenders to take over from Gareth Southgate...

Next England Manager Betting Odds

A number of high profile names have been linked to the vacant England manager position, with the likes of Graham Potter and Eddie Howe heading the betting.

Here is the current state of the next permanent England manager market, at the time of writing:

• Graham Potter - 9/4
• Eddie Howe - 5/2
• Lee Carsley - 3/1
• Frank Lampard - 8/1
• Mauricio Pochettino - 8/1
• Jurgen Klopp - 9/1
• Thomas Tuchel - 9/1
• Bar - 20/1

All odds mentioned above are subject to change. Prices are accurate as of 6.30pm on 16th July 2024.

Graham Potter

Tipped for the England manager job since impressing at Brighton & Hove Albion, his brief tenure at Chelsea was a huge disappointment and it'd take a bit of a leap of faith to appoint him off the back of his spell at Stamford Bridge.

He'll have his supporters and many will believe that his style of play would suit international football down to the ground but there are a few question marks for me.

Eddie Howe

He ticks a lot of boxes. Howe has always tried to set his teams up to express themselves and play an attacking brand of football, which is the polar opposite of Southgate's approach. He's done well at Newcastle and is a big contender to be next England manager.

Howe was a huge hit at AFC Bournemouth and he's been a key figure at St James' Park as Newcastle have made the transition following the takeover of the club. Can he manage the biggest personalities in the squad? That is the key question...

Lee Carsley

The FA could follow the Southgate blueprint and give the job to the England under-21 manager. It worked with Southgate, who took charge of the youth team from 2013 to 2016, and Carsley has enjoyed international success, leading the squad to the European Under-21 Championship last summer.

Furthermore, he already has a relationship with the likes of Anthony Gordon, Jarrad Branthwaite and Cole Palmer - with all three playing a key role in England's success in 2023.

Frank Lampard

You'll have some who think Lampard deserves a chance to prove himself but I'd argue that there are simply better candidates than him. His managerial record just isn't up to the standard required to be the next England manager, though he'd likely be a hit with the dressing room.

Mauricio Pochettino

Hmmm. A hard one this, as Pochettino has done a great job for the bulk of his managerial career and I, like many, feel he was treated harshly at Chelsea. Having said that, his record in finals isn't the best and I wonder if he's perhaps better suited to the weekly demands of club football.

Jurgen Klopp

Imagine the scenes. England scoring a 93rd minute winner to beat San Marino in a World Cup qualifier and Klopp punching the air at Wembley Stadium. Yeah, I can't see it either but it would be some ride.

He's currently enjoying himself and doesn't appear too interested in taking a managerial position at this moment in time - and who could blame him? He'd make England exciting again, that's for sure.

Next England Manager Prediction

Looking at the latest next England manager betting odds, I'd say Eddie Howe would be my personal choice at 5/2. He's arguably in the prime of his career, which you can't say for a few of the leading candidates, and he's been touted as a potential Three Lions boss for some time.

I can see why the FA may consider going down the Lee Carsley route though and I wouldn't be too shocked if he was given the job on a temporary basis before a firm decision is made.

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*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*