Euro 2012: Cristiano Ronaldo and the Other Predicted Top Goalscorers

As we head into 2012, the business end of most domestic league campaigns are in sight.

There are front running clubs with strong title aspirations and other teams that have no visible means of avoiding relegation.

That of course can mean only one thing.

Euro 2012 hosted by Poland and Ukraine is getting ever closer.

Scheduled to run between 8th June and 1st July, the tournament will be the first time it has been hosted by either nation.

So as we dream about how our national teams will conquer all and prove all the doubters wrong, let's take a look at some of the more likely candidates for the golden boot award.

After all, goals are what we pay to see.

Here are my predictions for the top 5 goalscorers in the tournament.

Miroslav Klose

Germany has a knack of doing well in major tournaments and this one should be no different.

Whilst Miroslav Klose is in the twilight of his professional career, he is still scoring goals on a regular basis for his club Lazio.

This season alone he has scored 10 goals in 17 games for the Serie A club.

Couple that with the fact that he is the second highest scorer in World Cup history and you know you're dealing with a talented marksman.

Don't believe me? Click here to see 8 great Klose goals.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal aren't the international force they once were, but if Ronaldo can find his shooting boots for his country then he's in with a chance of winning the golden boot.

His international goal record isn't the most prolific on show in the tournament, but I wouldn't bet against a player who is one of the best in the world on his day.

Portugal didn't have the smoothest qualification process, so they may struggle to make the latter stages of the competition unless they improve their on field performances.

Ronaldo was Europe's most prolific goalscorer in 2011, and if he can keep that form going until the Summer then Portugal will benefit.

Robin Van Persie

If Robin Van Persie can take his 2011 league form into the Euro championships, then the Netherlands will have a real chance at going far in the competition.

Van Persie is arguably in the best form of his life and should score for fun if given the service by his teammates.

Van Persie finished second in the list of Europe's top goalscorers for 2011 which shows how lethal he has been over the past 12 months.

The Netherlands reached the final of the 2010 World Cup and qualified for this tournament with 24 points from 8 games - a 100% record.

They should reach the latter stages which will give RVP more games to score.

David Villa

Spain striker David Villa is currently nursing a broken shin bone following an injury in a World Club Cup match at the end of last year.

The Barcelona striker's doctor thinks he could be fit and ready for the Euro tournament despite his injury, and if he's correct then he's surely the 2010 World Cup winner is worth a bet.

Spain won the 2006 European Championships followed by the 2010 World Cup which suggests they're also likely to have a prolonged tournament in Poland and Ukraine.

The more games played, the more chance of goals.

If Villa makes the trip then he should have no problem finding the back of the net.

Mario Gomez

Germany striker Mario Gomez has been an understudy to Miroslav Klose in the last major tournaments, but with the latter counting down the days to retirement it's time for Gomez to step out of the shadows.

Gomez has had a miserable time in front of goal in the last 2 major tournaments, but he has scored in every Euro 2012 qualification game suggesting he has finally found his feet for the German national team.

Gomez is an outside bet for the golden boot, but the way in which Germany always seem to up their standards in International tournaments means that Die Nationalmannschaft will likely provide plenty of opportunities for Gomez.

After Thoughts

So there are my top picks for the golden boot in Euro 2012.

There are a few outside bets due to injuries and previous international form, but football is no science and anything could happen once the tournament begins.

Germany, Spain and the Netherlands are all likely to make the latter stages of competition due to the way in which they qualified and the talent they have in their squads.

That went a long way in determining my final 5 picks.

I'd be interested to hear who you think will be the tournaments main goal threats so please leave some comments below and let me know your thoughts.

On twitter? Follow me @petercwebster where I post all my b/r content.

Thanks for reading and click here to see my scoring of the AC Milan vs Inter Milan Key battles.