Euro 2012: Realistic Contenders for Tournament's Golden Boot

Now that a batch of teams have been flushed out of the picture with the group stages closed, there are just eight nations left in the hunt at Euro 2012.

With a limited number of teams, the field of potential goalscorers diminishes quite a bit.

Some of the top offensive threats at Euro 2012 so far are no longer competing in the tournament.

Alan Dzagoev of Russia (three goals), Mario Mandzukic of Croatia (three), Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Sweden (two) and Nicklas Bendtner of Denmark (two) are all potent attackers, but have all been bounced from the competition along with their teams.

With the progression to the quarterfinal stage, we have a better understanding of which teams are lined up for a deep run and which scorers on those teams can help take them there.

With this knowledge, let's take a look at a handful of realistic candidates for Euro 2012's Golden Boot award, given to the tournament's top scorer.

Honorable Mentions: Vaclav Pilar / Petr Jiracek (Czech Republic)

Coming out as the winner of Group A, the Czech Republic shocked some of the football world with the way they've been playing recently.

Not only have they been stout in defense, assisted by the direction of goalkeeper Petr Cech, but the Czechs have also scored quite a bit thanks to forwards Vaclav Pilar and Petr Jiracek.

Pilar and Jiracek have performed extremely well for their country. The duo have taken all the opportunities they received while playing against the defenses of Greece, Russia and Poland.

Both of these players have two goals to their name and obviously have the skill to add to that total.

The Czech Republic plays Portugal in the quarterfinals in a matchup that the majority of soccer followers are picking the Portuguese to win.

The Czech threats are only honorable mentions because I don't think their team will make it far enough into this tournament to challenge for the Golden Boot. It certainly isn't because they lack the ability to tack on more goals.

Wayne Rooney (England)

After being suspended for the first two group games against France and Sweden, world-class striker Wayne Rooney was back on the pitch for England against the Ukraine and made sure his return was noticed by his opponents.

In a slugfest with the co-hosts, the English were looking for a goal to put themselves in first place in Group D when Steven Gerrard whipped in a cross in the 48th minute.

Ukrainian goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov almost got his hands on the ball, but it squirted across the box and found the head of Rooney.

It wasn't the kind of highlight-reel goal that we are used to seeing on SportsCenter, but Rooney put himself in position to score and that's all you can ask of your striker in that situation.

The goal from the Manchester United man ended a run of 673 minutes without putting a ball in the back of the net for his country.

As long as the striker maintains his temper and doesn't get a red card at any point, Rooney has the ability to put more goals up against an old Italian defense in the quarterfinals.

Fernando Torres (Spain)

While I don't believe that Fernando Torres will win the Golden Boot, I felt obliged to throw him in here for two reasons.

Firstly, he already has a pair of goals.

Secondly, he has the skills to score every time he touches the ball.

In the past couple of years, Torres has received a lot of criticism for flopping on the big stage and not playing up to his capabilities, both for Spain and Champions League winners Chelsea.

What can't be ignored is that the 28-year-old striker did jolt the Spanish to a 4-0 victory over an outmatched Ireland team with his two goals in the tournament so far.

Sure, he didn't blow golden opportunities like we are used to seeing him do, but we must remember that he netted those goals against Ireland's shoddy defense.

Having said that, 'm not saying that he won't score in the knockout stages. If that were the case, I wouldn't have him on this list.

Despite all the criticism, Torres is quick, strong, has superb technique and is impressive in the air. While he may not always use these attributes to the fullest, his potential for scoring goals (and the probability of Spain advancing far) has him in contention for the Golden Boot.

Cesc Fabregas (Spain)

Just like Torres, one of the reasons that I believe Fabregas will have a chance to score more goals is because Spain has a strong possibility of making it to the Euro 2012 final.

The only thing that could halt Fabregas' quest for the Golden Boot is, in fact, Fernando Torres.

After starting the game and scoring a goal against Italy in a starting lineup that saw six midfielders and no strikers, Fabregas was dropped when Spanish coach Vicente del Bosque switched back to a more traditional approach by putting Torres in at striker.

As a result, Fabregas was relegated to substitute duties. While he scored as a substitute against Ireland, Fabregas will probably continue to be overlooked.

If Del Bosque comes to his senses and starts Fabregas (maybe if Torres struggles), he will have an in form and lethal player at the forward position.

Not only is he great on the ball and at controlling possession, but also the Barcelona man has improved his skills in front of goal. He has earned his opportunity to start for the Spanish.

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)

Arguably the best player in Europe, Cristiano Ronaldo without question deserves to be on this list.

Before the last game of group play against the Netherlands, Ronaldo was seen as a massive disappointment on the international level. He's been non-existent in much of his time in a Portuguese shirt.

However, Ronaldo finally broke out on a major platform for Portugal with two goals against Holland that secured his team's spot in the quarterfinals.

Portugal's matchup in the quarterfinal round will also work in Ronaldo's favor. The Czech Republic's defense has played well of late, but they're no Germany, and he should be able to net at least one goal against them.

Considering how well the Portuguese have played in Euro 2012, it wouldn't even surprise me if they went on and upset their semifinal opponents and made it to the final. However, if they were to do this, Ronaldo would need to be the driving force on offense.

Even though opposing defenses will always try to zero-in on Ronaldo, when he gets hot, he's just too good to stop. This is what could very well happen in the knockout rounds.

Mario Gomez (Germany)

While Mario Gomez isn’t an unknown player by any means, the Bayern Munich man has been using Euro 2012 as his coming-out party.

So far, the 26-year-old hasn’t scored any spectacular, highlight-reel goals. However, he’s terrific around the net and doesn’t allow scoring chances go to the wayside.

In the first three games, Gomez has put three balls in the back of the net—all of which were key to the Germans' group efforts.

In the Germans' first contest, Gomez delivered the game-winning goal in the 72nd minute to seize a key three points against Portugal.

Against the Netherlands in the following match, the underrated attacker worked his magic again, scoring the game’s first goal in the 24th minute and the match-winner only 12 minutes later.

Looking ahead to the match against Greece, there’s a good chance that Gomez will have opportunities to score.

While the Greek defense has played extremely well during group play, calling them world-class would be a stretch and it will be hard to stop Gomez the way he’s been playing lately.

Germany is my pick to win the entire tournament, and to do that they'll need scoring out of their best offensive players in the next three games. So far, Gomez has been by far their best attacking threat and will continue to be that barring injury.