5 Golden Boot contenders for the Rio 2016 Olympics
The 2016 Rio Olympics promises to be an attacking extravaganza with plenty of promising players on show, headlined of course, by Brazil’s Neymar Jr. Looking past the Brazilian striker, there are plenty of contenders for finishing the top scorer in the Olympics, with plenty of talent throughout the striking talent pool amongst the 16 countries competing.
The Olympics are a wonderful opportunity to cast an eye on less than obvous choices, with Leandro Damiao earning the Golden Boot in the 2012 edition. Giovanni dos Santos and Neymar each scored thrice last time around, although their careers have taken wildly divergent paths since.
Here are 5 Golden Boot contenders for the 2016 Rio Olympics, in no particular order:
1 Son Heung-Min
When it comes to South Korean striker Son Heung-Min, there is always an air of frustration surrounding the 24 year old. The Spurs frontman was considered his country’s big hope in his younger years, but has faded for both the Taegeuk Warriors and his club side, Tottenham Hotspur, with only flashes of his undoubted skill being shown over the last couple of seasons.
Having high-handedly turned down the chance to appear in the 2012 Olympics to ‘speed up his development for his club’, Son will look to this Olympic tournament in Rio as a chance for redemption. With only 4 goals in his entire Spurs career and averaging a goal every three games for his national side, Son has plenty of redeeming to do this summer.
However, surprisingly, there will not be as much pressure on the striker as South Korea have turned all their attention on the next big thing, Kwon Chang Hoon, who will provide plenty of ammunition for Son to score. The Korean Republic face off against Fiji, which ought to restore Son’s battered confidence, which will be needed against Germany and Mexico in Group C.