World Cup 2018: Predictions for Cristiano Ronaldo and Top Golden Boot Contenders

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, Argentina's Lionel Messi, Poland's Robert Lewandowski and Uruguay's Luis Suarez will headline a deep group of strikers vying for the Golden Boot at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, as each of those men will try to add the honour to their impressive resumes.

Those four are only the tip of the iceberg: The list of top forwards is a long one and also includes the likes of Harry Kane, Edinson Cavani and Neymar.

James Rodriguez of Colombia won the Golden Boot last time around, while Germany's Thomas Muller followed up his win in 2010 with a second-placed effort in Brazil. Here's a look at the situation for some of the top contenders in this year's tournament.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal

Ronaldo has never even come close to competing for the Golden Boot, and he finds himself in a less-than-ideal situation once again this year.

Portugal will face Spain, Morocco and Iran in Group B. La Roja were arguably the most impressive team in European qualifying this year, while Morocco and Iran booked their World Cup tickets thanks to some impressive defensive efforts.

The former didn't concede a single goal in their final qualifying group, and Iran conceded just two―both on the final matchday when they had already secured their spot.

Portugal are expected to qualify from Group B, but not by blowing out the opposition. Previous Golden Boot winners have often padded their stats against weaker sides in the group stages, and Ronaldo won't have that luxury.

Prediction: No Golden Boot for Ronaldo

Thomas Muller, Germany

Muller has built a reputation as a World Cup specialist over the years, finding ways to stand out on the biggest stage for Germany, even when his form going into the tournament isn't all that great.

The Bayern Munich man is a fantastic fit for Joachim Low's philosophy, doing most of his damage in a free role.

While his scoring output for Bayern has dropped in recent years―he hasn't scored in double digits in the Bundesliga since 2015-16―he should be able to find success against a group of average defences in Group F. Mexico and South Korea had their struggles defensively in qualifying, and Sweden field a cohesive unit that is light on talent compared to Die Mannschaft.

Muller knows how to score in World Cups, and don't be shocked if he makes another run at the Golden Boot.

Prediction: Another top-three finish for Muller.

Romelu Lukaku, Belgium

If this is the year the Red Devils finally break out on the big stage, Manchester United's Romelu Lukaku will play a big role in their success.

He was the team's top scorer during their record-breaking qualifying run, in which Belgium scored an astonishing 43 goals in just 10 matches.

Lukaku himself scored 11 goals as the focal point of the team's attack. With creative players like Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne providing a steady service, he should have a ton of looks against some questionable defences in Group G―Panama and Tunisia don't exactly inspire a lot of confidence, and England's best players line up in attack, not at the back.

The Red Devils may well score double-digit goals in the group stages, and if they can make a run in the knockout stages, it wouldn't be a surprise if Lukaku took home the Golden Boot in the end.

Prediction: Lukaku feasts on the smaller teams, laying the foundation for his Golden Boot.