World Cup
Messi night for the bookies as Argentina star becomes Golden Boot favourite
Lionel Messi’s hat-trick against Algeria has seen the Argentine star leap to the head of William Hill’s World Cup Golden Boot market, capping what proved to be a hugely eventful night for the leading bookmaker.
Messi’s strikes saw the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner cut from 22/1 into 5/2 favourite to finish as the tournament’s top scorer, overtaking Kylian Mbappe, who found the net twice in France’s victory over Senegal and is now 11/4 from 13/2.
Erling Haaland’s brace for Norway has likewise seen him shorten dramatically from 16/1 into 11/2, while Harry Kane drifts slightly from 7/1 to 9/1 despite England not being in action. Cristiano Ronaldo has eased from 22/1 to 25/1.
World Cup 2026 Top Goalscorer Market:
The goals from three of the tournament’s biggest stars also triggered a significant payout for William Hill, who paid out six figures on their popular Epic Boost offer of Messi to score at any point during the group stage, enhanced from 1/9 to Evens ahead of the tournament.
The bookmaker’s traders were also left counting the cost of a remarkable 1164/1 winning Bet Builder across Thursday night’s fixtures.
One customer turned £10 into £11,645.16 after successfully combining 12 selections across Argentina vs Algeria, Austria vs Jordan, Iraq vs Norway and France vs Senegal, correctly backing a mixture of goals, corners and card markets.
The payout continues an eventful World Cup for Hills after the bookmaker handed out a seven-figure sum on its record-breaking Mexico Epic Boost on the opening day of the tournament, which saw Mexico to lead at any point against South Africa enhanced from 1/4 to Evens.
Spokesperson for William Hill, Lee Phelps, said: “Tuesday night was one of those evenings where almost everything seemed to fall into place for our punters.
“Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland found the net a combined seven times, which has completely reshaped our Golden Boot market and generated a huge amount of customer interest heading into the next round of fixtures.
“We also paid out six figures on our Messi group-stage scoring boost, while one particularly shrewd customer landed a £10 Bet Builder worth more than £11,600.
“From a trading perspective, it could have been very messy indeed had Algeria managed to get on the scoresheet, with Both Teams To Score proving a popular market. With the favourites winning, superstar names delivering and plenty of popular Bet Builder selections landing elsewhere, that would have capped off a particularly challenging night for the book!”
*Prices accurate at the time of writing – Odds subject to change*
