WORLD CUP 2018 GOLDEN BOOT: Kane, Lukaku & the race for top scorer in Russia

#1 Harry Kane | England | 6 goals, 5 games Having dominated the scoring charts in the Premier League in recent years, Harry Kane has finally translated that to international level and England are reaping the benefits. The Tottenham striker was handed the captain's armband by Gareth Southgate ahead of the World Cup and he is repaying that faith in abundance, making history along the way. Unfortunately for Kane, he was held off the board in the semi-final against Croatia, as England were bounced in extra-time. #2 Romelu Lukaku | Belgium | 4 goals, 5 games Romelu Lukaku arrived in Russia as Belgium's all-time leading goalscorer and the Manchester United striker has further cemented that legacy at this World Cup as the Red Devils attempt to live up to expectations. The 25-year-old has already broken records at the tournament and looked primed to surpass the national record of five World Cup goals set by his compatriot Marc Wilmots. He'll have the third-place game to do it, as Belgium's dream of winning the tournament came to an end with a 1-0 defeat to France. #3 Denis Cheryshev | Russia | 4 goals, 5 games Despite not being a starter for Russia in their opening game, Denis Cheryshev has emerged as one of the World Cup's breakout stars and he now appears to be a key component for the hosts in their push for glory. The Villarreal winger has shown plenty of guile thus far and is a surprising contender in the race for the Golden Boot. He netted the opener in the quarter-final tie against Croatia but his side lost in a penalty shootout after finishing stoppage time with the score at 2-2. #4 Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 4 goals, 4 games While he is undoubtedly one of the greatest goalscorers ever to grace the planet, Cristiano Ronaldo's record at the World Cup was abysmal - until Russia 2018. Portugal's record-holder for both goals and appearances had scored just three goals in total across three tournament before taking to the field in his country's opener against Spain. The rest is history: a remarkable hat-trick against La Roja was followed by the goal that saw him overtake Ferenc Puskas as the top international scorer in European football history. #5 Artem Dzyuba | Russia | 3 goals, 5 games Like Cheryshev, Artem Dzyuba was not a starter for Russia in their opening game, but the Zenit forward has forced his way into the reckoning after showing that he has the ability to find the net on a regular basis. #6 Antoine Griezmann | France | 3 goals, 6 games Antoine Griezmann has emerged as one of France's key players and he continues to show why he is so important to Les Bleus as he adds to his goal tally. The Atletico Madrid man has struck twice from the penalty spot and was then decisive in France seeing off Uruguay in the quarter-finals. Griezmann's whipped-in free-kick in the first half was glanced home by Raphael Varane before he scored France's second of the game when his powerful shot from outside the penalty area was spilled by Uruguay keeper Fernando Muslera. #7 Yerry Mina | Colombia | 3 goals, 3 games Yerry Mina may have struggled since joining Barcelona, but he is proving himself to be a real hero for Colombia. After not featuring in the opening-game defeat by Japan, the centre-back started against Poland and headed home the first goal in the 3-0 victory. He again proved his aerial prowess in the decisive final group fixture against Senegal, rising well to head home the only goal to send Colombia through to the last 16 as Group H winners. He then netted the equalising goal in Colombia's last 16 fixture against England in stoppage time to make it 1-1, but lost in the shootout. #8 Diego Costa | Spain | 3 goals, 4 games Diego Costa has established himself as one of the leading marksmen in European football over the past five years and he rose to the occasion for Spain at the 2018 World Cup. The Atletico Madrid striker does not possess the attributes that defined the success of the 2008-2012 era, but La Roja are able to play to his strengths by delivering the ball to him early and allowing him to trouble defences. Unfortunately, he won't be able to add to his tally after Spain were eliminated by Russia in the last 16. #9 Edinson Cavani | Uruguay | 3 goals, 4 games The Paris Saint-Germain striker netted twice in Uruguay's last 16 tie against Portugal to take his tally up to three in Russia. Cavani netted the opener early on in the game before Pepe equalised for Portugal – but the Uruguay international slotted in finely soon after the break to take the lead 2-1. However, injury and Uruguay's subsequent elimination against France means he won't be adding to his haul. #10 Kylian Mbappe | France | 3 goals, 6 games It was a spectacular display from the young forward as he played a pivotal role in Les Bleus' last-16 clash against Argentina as he scored twice and was involved in the build-up for the first goal. France won 4-3 against the South American side to end Lionel Messi's hopes of at long last winning a World Cup, and Mbappe was the star of the show. Mbappe announced himself as a superstar following his match-winning brace. #11 Wahbi Khazri | Tunisia | 2 goals, 3 games Tunisia’s captain opened his World Cup account by scoring a consolation in stoppage time in the 5-2 defeat by Belgium in his side’s second group game. He then earned Tunisia victory in their final game against Panama as his 66th minute effort secured a 2-1 win as he became the first player from his country to score more than once at a World Cup. #12 Eden Hazard | Belgium | 2 goals, 5 games Eden Hazard is Belgium's captain and talisman, so it is little surprise to see him at the forefront of their campaign to secure glory on the international stage. The Chelsea playmaker has struck up an impressive relationship with Lukaku in attack and it has been particularly fruitful for the Red Devils. Hazard was not far behind the Manchester United man in terms of goals in qualifying and he has continued that trend in Russia, though his side were unable to get past France in a 1-0 semi-final defeat. #13 Philippe Coutinho | Brazil | 2 goals, 5 games Philippe Coutinho was competing at the World Cup for the first time in his career and the 26-year-old showed himself to be a vital part of Brazil's team. As his goals in Russia demonstrated, Barcelona star is capable of scoring from distance and is also adept at timing his runs so that he arrives in the box at the right moment to finish a move. #14 Takashi Inui | Japan | 2 goals, 4 games The attacking midfielder scored his first goal of the tournament when pulling the score back to 1-1 during Japan’s 2-2 draw with Senegal in their second group match. Inui notched his second goal of the World Cup with a well-struck effort to help his side into a shock 2-0 lead over Belgium in their last-16 encounter. #15 Luis Suarez | Uruguay | 2 goals, 5 games Luis Suarez bagged goals against Russia and Saudi Arabia in the group stage, but the Barcelona striker failed to add to his tally in the knockout stage as Uruguay went out at the quarter-finals. #16 Neymar | Brazil | 2 goals, 5 games Brazil's talisman Neymar took a while to get going at the World Cup after winning the race to regain fitness ahead of the tournament and he will be disappointed with his overall contribution after the Selecao were dumped out by Belgium in the quarter-finals. Having failed to find the net in the opener against Switzerland the Paris Saint-Germain star struck in the dying moments of his side's 2-0 win over Costa Rica before giving his side the lead in their last 16 encounter with Mexico. #17 Luka Modric | Croatia | 2 goals, 6 games Since surging to a third-place finish at the 1998 World Cup, Croatia have regularly been identified as 'dark horses' to win any tournament they qualify for and, in Russia, one man who is sure to be key to any success is captain Luka Modric. The Real Madrid playmaker scored a sensational long-range effort against Argentina, but then missed the chance to score his third of the tournament when his penalty in extra-time against Denmark was saved by Kasper Schmeichel. However, that didn't cost Croatia a place in the quarter-finals as they won in a shootout, with Modric converting his penalty. The Croats subsequently booked their place in the semi-final with another shootout win, this time over Russia. While Modric did not score in the contest, Croatia advanced to their first-ever World Cup final with a 2-1 extra-time win over England, meaning Modric has a chance to increase his tally against France on the grandest of stages.