What Should You Look Out for When Placing a Top Goal Scorer Outright Bet

The world of sports betting is weird and wonderful. The industry has never been more popular both for companies and for punters. For that, we can thank Steve Jobs and anyone else that had a hand in the smartphone boom.

Whereas just a few short years ago, one had to go into a betting shop or casino (depending on your location) to place a sports bet, nowadays we can place them from the comfort of our own homes. One can also place them from any location on the planet, providing that they have a strong enough internet connection. And it isn’t just placing bets that sports betting websites are good for, we can also live stream matches directly through said websites to enjoy all the best action in real time.

Websites such as Bovada ensure that betting on sports opportunities has never been easier. And one of the most popular opportunities punters tend to wager their hard-earned money on these days is prop bets such as top scorers in the world of soccer, most yards thrown in American football, most tries scored in rugby… you get the picture. We’re going to be focusing on soccer in this article though, but most of our pointers can be adapted to other sports and other prop markets.

The top goal scorer market is perhaps the oldest prop market in the history of sports betting, whether it’s a 90-minute bet or an outright bet. The market will continue to have a long shelf life since scoring goals is what football is all about. Here are three things to look out for when placing a top goal scorer bet.

Which Team Do They Play For?

The first team to look for is the most obvious, which team does the player that you’re thinking about placing a bet on play for? Let’s face it, you could be betting on the best player in the world, such as Kylian Mbappe or Erling Haaland, but if their teammates can’t provide opportunities for them, they aren’t going to score goals. If the former paid for AC Ajaccio rather than Paris Saint-Germain and if the latter played for Bournemouth rather than Manchester City, neither of them would find the back of the net as often as they do.

But there is also more to it than what meets the eye on this point. Take last season for example. Manchester City romped to a fourth Premier League crown in five years, scoring 99 goals in the process.

Their top scorer? Midfielder and captain Kevin De Bruyne. His 15 goals were good enough for the top scorer spot within his team, however, he could only manage a sixth-place finish in the overall standings, with Mohamed Salah, Son Heung-Min, Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Kane, and Sadio Mane, all outsourcing him.

The reason De Bruyne top-scored last term for Pep Guardiola’s side is because the iconic Spanish manager opted to play without a recognized striker for much of the campaign. That ensured that most of his side’s goals came from midfield. That has all changed this season, however thanks to the arrival of Erling Haaland, who has netted 30 goals in just 27 games already this term.

Their Goalscoring Record in Years Prior

Occasionally, a superstar striker bursts onto the scene from out of nowhere. Take Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy for example. The year before his side won the Premier League, he managed to find the net just five times, but in the Foxes’ shocking title-winning year of 2015/16, that tally increased to 24.

But such arrivals are rare. Goal scorers are the hardest type of players to come across as they are seemingly born with the know-how of being in the right place at the right time. That isn’t something that can be taught, you either have it or you don’t.

As such, it is players that have racked up an abundance of goals over the years that have the best chance of winning the top goal scorer awards in their respective division/competition. Look at Robert Lewandowski and his time at Bayern Munich. He consistently scored goals in Bavaria, netting a whopping 344 goals in 375 games and picking up the golden boot award in all but one of his years at the Allianz Arena. ‘

The Polish hitman has since transferred his form from the Bundesliga to La Liga. The 34-year-old swapped Bayern for Barcelona last summer, and he is currently the top scorer in the Spanish top flight as well, netting 17 times for his new club.

Are They Injury Prone?

One final thing to consider before placing your top goal scorer bet is whether a player is injury prone or not. The first player that springs to mind in this department is Fernando Torres. The Spanish striker scored goals for fun in his first year with Liverpool. Over the next two and a half years, however, his game time decreased significantly due to several injury difficulties.

Due to his immense talent, he still managed to post impressive numbers despite the reduced number of minutes spent on the pitch. However, by the time he secured his £50m move to Chelsea in January 2011, he was as good as finished, and could no longer post up the numbers that both punters and fans alike expected from him.