While most people’s focus will be on the success of their team, there are those who might have one eye on individual glory as well. We examine who could pick up the biggest prize on offer to just one player – the Premier League golden boot.

As any football manager will tell you, a natural finisher can be worth his weight in gold when it comes to achieving a club’s long-term ambitions. Last season was a prime example as Robin van Persie carried Arsenal to third almost single handily. Without the Dutchman’s goals, the Gunners would have struggled to finish in the top half, let alone in a Champions League position.

Van Persie finished atop the scoring charts with 30 goals last season and is 10/1 to retain his gong this year, despite his future being up in the air as he looks to leave Arsenal. Given all the injury problems the 28-year-old has had in his career, it seems unlikely he will enjoy as prolific a season again, especially if he goes to either Manchester City or Manchester United where he will face plenty of competition.

The two Manchester clubs already have two of the best strikers in the Premier League and the co-favourites for the golden boot in Sergio Aguero and Wayne Rooney. Both players are priced at 8/1 to win the individual award after excellent campaigns last term. Rooney managed 27 goals for United last season, while Aguero netted 20 times in his first campaign in the Premier League. With City and United expected to be the main contenders for the Premier League title again, both players will need to have good seasons in front of goal if their respective teams are to be successful.

United and City also have some handy deputies for Aguero and Rooney, with United’s strike force featuring Javier Hernandez (20/1), Danny Welbeck (25/1) and Ashley Young (66/1). City can call upon Mario Balotelli (16/1), Carlos Tevez (14/1) and David Silva (66/1), but neither they, nor the United trio, are likely to win the golden boot.

To take that honour you need a player who the manager has either built the team around, ie Van Persie, or caters towards their style of play. While Liverpool as a team are something of an unknown quantity at this time under new boss Brendan Rodgers, you can bet Luis Suarez will figure heavily in his plans.

The Uruguay striker didn’t score as many as he should have last season due to a combination of his unsavoury antics resulting in a lengthy ban and some bad luck in front of goal. Suarez is 14/1 to win the golden boot this season and if he finds his shooting boots, might be worth an each way bet.

However, across Stanley Park, Liverpool’s rivals, Everton, surely have the best dark horse for the golden boot in Nikica Jelavic. The Croatian hitman joined from Rangers during the January transfer window and hit the ground running, ending the season with nine goals in 13 appearances.

The 26-year-old is 25/1 to finish top of the goal scoring charts this season and is surely worth a few quid given his uncanny ability to find the back of the net. With Steven Pienaar and Steven Naismith likely to be providing the ammunition, Everton and Jelavic could enjoy a good season.

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German coach Joachim Loew surprised many with his decision to rest his first-choice strike trio of Gomez, Thomas Mueller and Lukas Podolski for the last-eight clash in Gdansk.

However, his decision was vindicated as young replacements Marco Reus and Andre Schurrle produced eye-catching performances, while Miroslav Klose continued his excellent goalscoring record at international level. The 4-2 scoreline flattered a poor Greece outfit and there was a sense Germany had plenty left in reserve.

Gomez should return in Thursday’s semi-final against either Italy or England and have the opportunity to pull clear in the race for the Golden Boot.

Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (2/1 Top Goalscorer) moved level with Gomez on three goals with the only goal of the game against the Czech Republic to set up a semi-final clash with holders Spain.

The Real Madrid star was disappointing in the opening two games of the tournament but came alive in the crucial final Group B match against the Netherlands and carried that form into the game in Warsaw.

The former Manchester United winger hit the post in each half before finally breaking the deadlock with a powerful header in the 80th minute as Portugal held on comfortably to dump the Czechs out of the competition.

Ronaldo would arguably be the favourite to top the goalscoring chart, but for the presence of Spain in Portugal’s half of the draw. Barring a major surprise, he will have only one more game to press his case for the accolade.

Spain have three men in the frame to claim the Golden Boot. Cesc Fabregas and Fernando Torres have scored twice, despite limited game time, while Xabi Alonso bagged a surprise brace in Spain’s comfortable 2-0 victory over France on Saturday.

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque again decided against playing a recognised striker in Donetsk, replacing Torres with midfielder Fabregas. It is difficult to know which way the boss will go in Wednesday’s semi-final.

In that respect, Alonso (25/1 Top Goalscorer) could represent Spain’s best hope for top scorer. The former Liverpool man is not one of his country’s most forward-thinking players but has an eye for a goal and possesses an excellent long-range shot. He represents a good outside bet.

Should Gomez and Ronaldo fail to find the net again in the championship, they would share the Golden Boot with Alan Dzagoev and Mario Mandzukic, whose countries failed to reach the knockout stage.

Players from England and Italy could yet threaten the current leaders, with Wayne Rooney (25/1 Top Goalscorer) and Mario Balotelli among those on one goal with potentially three games to play.

However, it would take a big effort to overtake Gomez and Ronaldo at this stage of the competition. Gomez has the edge given his goalscoring record and Germany’s impressive form, but you can never rule Ronaldo out.

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Aguero completed his transfer from Atletico Madrid to the big-spending Manchester club today and revealed he is relishing the new challenge of playing in the English top flight.

The Argentina hitman boasts a slightly better goalscoring ratio than the man he has been signed to replace, who shared the Premier League golden boot with Manchester United’s Dimitar Berbatov last season.

Aguero’s record of 138 goals in 320 games works out at 0.43 goals per game while Tevez (8/1), four years older than his international colleague, has scored 163 times in 390 games at 0.42 goals per game.

These statitistics come from both players’ respective careers in European football, during which Tevez spent more than half a season on the bench at Manchester United.

But they are remarkably similar when you compare their best goalscoring seasons – 27 goals in 41 games for Aguero at 0.66 goals per game during last season against 29 goals in 42 games at 0.69 goals per game during Tevez’s first season at Manchester City.

All in all 12/1 looks to be good value when you consider that there are five strikers rated as shorter prices by Totesport – including Manchester United’s Javier Hernandez (17/2) – who has just been ruled out for three weeks with concussion.

Wayne Rooney (8/1) is the current joint favourite in the market with Tevez, whose position at the Etihad Stadium appears untenable.

Fernando Torres and Robin van Persie (both 9/1) are natural goalscorers who have had injury problems in the last couple of seasons, bu who could go on long scoring runs if they get the expected service at Chelsea and Arsenal respectively.

But Liverpool’s Luis Suarez (12/1) could be the player to top them all next season if he settles into Kenny Dalglish’s new system at Liverpool.

The Uruguayan star, signed from Ajax in January, scored 49 goals in all competitions in 2009-10 and has just finished as joint-second top scorer at the Copa America.

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The Manchester United striker made his return to pre-season in the first half of his side’s 7-1 victory over an Airtricity League of Ireland selection on Wednesday and will be determined to bury the disappointment of an abysmal tournament for England at the 2010 World Cup.

The 24-year-old failed to find the net in a summer to forget in South Africa and showed his petulance when confronted with boos at the end of the drab and uninspiring goalless draw against Algeria.

However, seasoned match-going United supporters have history with followers of In-Ger-Lund – dating back to the treatment dished out to the likes of former favourite David Beckham – so Rooney will be guaranteed all the love he needs from the Stretford End.

He may also benefit from a head start if his principal market rival and top marksman from last season, Didier Drogba of Chelsea, misses the start of the new season because of recent groin surgery.

A good indicator will be if manager Carlo Ancelotti decides to wrap the Stamford Bridge star up in cotton wool in the Community Shield.

The Ivory Coast international also failed to sparkle at the World Cup, scoring just one goal, but remains unplayable on his day and will run Rooney close even though he is now the wrong side of 30.

Rooney relished in the role of solo striker for United last season, scoring 24 Premier League goals, and only a spate of minor injury lay-offs at the back end of the domestic campaign prevented him from adding to his impressive tally and United (15/8 Community Shield winners) from possibly breaking bitter rivals Liverpool’s record of 18 domestic titles.

Punters considering Rooney should also note he is likely to retain spot-kick duties for his club.

Fernando Torres is next best at 6/1 but he looked a shadow of himself in South Africa because of injury concerns and while he has made all the right noises about staying at Liverpool, questions have been raised about whether his head may have been turned by his World Cup-winning Spain team-mates.

Robin van Persie will be dangerous if Arsenal (7/1 Premier League outright) can finally deliver on their promise but the fact that he has never managed more than 28 games in a single campaign is reflected in his price of 9/1.

Of the rest, Carlos Tevez is more of a team player and Nicolas Anelka can blow hot and cold.

It could pay to side with Rooney in the search for Premier League goals next season.

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The South Americans went down 3-2 to an impressive Dutch outfit at the Cape Town Stadium on Tuesday evening. 

The Atletico Madrid hitman netted from 30 yards out to put his side back on level terms after Giovanni van Bronckhorst gave the Europeans the lead with one of the goals of the tournament.

However, strikes from Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben put the result beyond doubt before Maximiliano Pereira netted a late consolation goal for Uruguay.

Forlan was substituted with five minutes to play after struggling with a tendon strain but the striker is now undergoing treatment in the hope of being fit enough for the third place play-off on Saturday.

“I have had a problem with my tendon, this has been going on for a couple of days already and I wasn’t really in the game,” he said.

“I thought warming up before the game I was going to be at my best, but it wasn’t like that for me.

 ”We will wait and see if I can make it in time for Saturday.”

Forlan has four goals in the tournament and will have the chance to add to that tally against Spain or Germany in Port Elizabeth  if he’s passed fit.

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Muller struck twice within three minutes mid-way through the second half to hand Germany an unassailable 4-1 lead and now the 20-year-old is keen to add to his goal-tally.

“Two goals in one World Cup match does not happen too often,” explained Muller.

“But now I want more. I want to score five or six goals here.”

The Germans were considered outsiders at the start of the tournament and some even questioned whether Joachim Low’s men would qualify from a group including Ghana, Australia and Serbia.

However, following their comprehensive victory over England the price on Germany winning the tournament outright has significantly shortened and Muller believes his side can go all the way (check out the World Cup winner market).

Argentina await Germany in the quarter-finals in what should be a hard-fought contest between two organised and efficient sides. The South American giants are the favourites to progress through to the semi-final stage of the competition and Muller is wary of the threat the likes of Carlos Tevez and Lionel Messi could pose his side.

Meanwhile, Miroslav Klose has suggested this could be his last World Cup despite his performances for Germany in South Africa.  The striker has an outstanding goalscoring record at international level and bagged the opener against England but at 32-years-old Klose feels it may be time to allow the younger German players the chance to compete at the highest level.

“As long as my legs carry me I will play football,” said Klose.

“But I’m very spontaneous. I would not put it past me in two or three weeks to step aside and give space to new players.”

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Gonzalo Higuain

The Real Madrid hitman leads the race for the Golden Boot after hitting a hat-trick against South Korea on Thursday, but he could be confined to bench duty Tuesday.

Argentina’s coach Maradona, who famously tinkered with his line-ups in qualifying to the extent that he used 78 different players, may now opt to give Sergio Aguero and Diego Milito a chance with Higuain and Carlos Tevez set to rest.

Lionel Messi, yet to score in the tournament, is another who could be taken out of the starting line-up for a match against the fired-up Greeks (5/1 to win in 90 Minutes, Argentina 4/7), who have the chance to reach the second phase after grabbing a 2-1 win over Nigeria.

After the South Korea match, Maradona spoke of his happiness at the strength of his 23-man squad, insisting that they were all great footballers.

“I have 23 beasts in this squad, I have 23 starters,” he said.

Spain’s David Villa is Totesport’s second favourite in the market at 11/1 alongside Diego Forlan, who is on two goals after his brace against South Africa.

Spain, who drew a blank against Switzerland in their opening game 1-0 defeat, take on Honduras next and will be keen to turn their overwhelming dominance of possession into goals against Reinaldo Rueda’s side.

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