One of the most interesting soccer betting side bets to make on the World Cup betting event is trying to pick which competitor will be the leading scorer for the tournament. Aside from the games themselves, there are obviously several things you are able to bet on in the World Cup probabilities, including who will win the award for the leading player of the championship, which player will score first in the World Cup competition, which squad will score the most goals, etc.

But the Golden Boot Award, given to the top scorer for the World Cup wagering contest in any given year is one of the most fascinating contests in the World Cup odds competition at the online sportsbooks. There has not actually been any competitor that can separate himself from the field, so this year the fight for that award has been somewhat anti-climactic, however the World Cup 2010 betting event at the online sportsbooks is still young and there’s plenty of opportunities that lie ahead.

Entering the World Cup betting competition, the soccer wagering odds, all preferred major names like Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo, as the players most likely to score the most goals in this year’s World Cup probabilities action.

But just Ronaldo has found the net through 2 games, of that illustrious list above. Messi has played out a amazing tournament thus far and been somewhat improbable as he’s had some spectacular shots just miss but he hasn’t obtained once. Rooney has been a non-factor and if his squad does not score a victory against Slovenia his World Cup betting experience will be finished.

The scoring leader right now is Messi’s Argentine teammate Gonzalo Higuain. Higuain netted a hat-trick against South Korea and leads all scorers in the World Cup odds right now. Portugal’s Tiago had 2 goals in the squad’s 7-0 rout of North Korea and is tied with Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan and Brazilian team members Elano and Luis Fabiano with 2 goals apiece for 2nd most in the championship.

When the dust finally settles and the World Cup betting comes to an end, it is tough to say who will win the Golden Boot Award. But most likely it will be from a team that goes deep into the tournament (like Argentina or Brazil) and that plays on an attacking side (like Argentina or Holland).

The 1930 World Cup was when the Golden Boot Award was first unveiled. Since the 1994 World Cup, though, there’s also a silver and bronze version of the award given to the second and 3rd greatest goalscorers of the Cup.

There are also numerous other awards presented in the course of the World Cup. For example, there is the Golden Ball. This award is presented to the greatest player at the World Cup Finals, as decided by a committee and voters in the media. The Yashin Award is given to the top goalie and has been given since 1994. The FIFA Fair Play Trophy is given to the squad with the top history of fair play and has been awarded since 1970. And the Most Entertaining Team Award, which was also first granted in 1994, is given to the team that has entertained the public the most.