Ousmane Dembele faces long odds for World Cup Golden Boot

Ousmane Dembele, the reigning Ballon d'Or winner, heads to the World Cup with France. Bookmakers list him at 40/1 for the Golden Boot with Paddy Power. Betfred offers him 25/1 for the Golden Ball. At Paris Saint-Germain, Dembele averaged a goal involvement every 71 minutes. He scored 20 goals in 40 Ligue 1 appearances despite missing 19 matches through injury. The previous season he netted 35 times and helped Paris Saint-Germain retain the Champions League. For France, Dembele has 59 caps and seven goals. He has never scored at a World Cup or European Championship. Kylian Mbappe dominates France’s attacking output and Michael Olise has seven goals in 17 caps. Dembele’s odds to be France’s top scorer stand at 6/1. The odds reflect bookmakers’ view that Mbappe and Olise are the primary goalscoring threats. The high price may appeal to bettors who believe Dembele can translate his club form to the international stage.