I wouldn’t call myself a sneakerhead, but I know how to put that fire on my feet — I know what looks good and I know what works. With all that said, nothing has ever looked as attractive on my feet as the ball looks on the feet of the stars at the World Cup.

The chase for the Golden Boot is in full pursuit. All of your favorite names are right there in the hunt, looking to stake their claim as the best goalscorer in the world. The leaderboard on Kalshi is loaded with a who's who of premier goal scorers, led by the best player on the planet, and possibly the greatest player to ever put a pair of boots on: Lionel Messi, who has six goals through the group stage. 

The Inter Miami star is currently trading on Kalshi at 55%.He's a popular pick because he's the most complete player in the world, and Argentina is expected to make a legitimate run to the FIFA World Cup final via the easiest path in the draw.

It was reported that Argentina intended to sit Messi in their group match finale against Jordan, having already secured the top spot in the group, but Messi came on in the second half and put his sixth goal on the board via free kick in the 80th minute. Meanwhile, Norway striker Erling Haaland — and nine other players for his team — didn’t suit up against France in their group finale, so he remained at four goals. A third top contender, Kylian Mbappe, also remained at four goals despite playing all 90+ minutes in the game. 

The big mover was France striker Ousmane Dembélé, who scored three goals in France's 4-1 beatdown of Norway to push him into a second-place tie at four goals. Brazil winger Vinícius Júnior also found the back of the net twice in his final group play match, a 3-0 victory over Scotland, to put him in the group of four players, two goals behind Messi.

Any player currently sitting behind Messi is a great investment. Mbappe, the 2022 World Cup Golden Boot winner, is trading at 24%, second highest on Kalshi. Mbappe is trying to do something that no player in the history of the World Cup has ever accomplished: winning two Golden Boots. What’s more impressive is that if he accomplishes this feat, it will be in consecutive campaigns.

Outside of Messi, Mbappe's biggest competition may come from his own teammate. Dembélé is an even greater value, trading at 8%. What makes him so attractive is the amount of attention that is paid to Mbappé on the pitch. It allows him to operate with a little more freedom. In a world with no Mbappé, Dembélé would be considered one of the best finishers France has seen. All of the other guys with four goals in the World Cup so far will demand all of the attention from their opponents.

Vinicius Jr. is trading at 6%, and Brazil will have a favorable matchup in the round of 32 against Japan, hopefully guaranteeing themselves two more games. 

Norway, who decided to purposely not be competitive against France in their final match play, will draw a tough Ivory Coast team. This might limit Haaland, currently trading at 4%, and his chances at the title if they don't make it out of the round of 32.

Harry Kane has three goals and is trading at 4%, and Cristiano Ronaldo is trading at 2% with two goals. 

On the latest episode of Fade the Field, we discussed the potential Golden Boot winners and some best practices for investing in them. I also gave a shout-out to Spanish phenom Lamine Yamal, currently trading at 2%, as a long-shot dark horse to make a late run and win the award. But it is a pitch-black dark horse since he only has one goal and a team full of quality goal scorers. 

The World Cup has been phenomenal to watch so far. The beauty of the game on the pitch and the beauty in the stands, the camaraderie and brotherhood that have been shown throughout North America as fans have flocked to the continent to enjoy the world's game: it has all been remarkable. Which brings us to…

July 3rd matches will bring together Argentina and Cape Verde fans in Miami Florida, as well as Colombia and Ghana fans in Kansas City, Missouri. Mark your calendars and stay glued to your socials. These are must watch affairs for all the reasons outlined above. 

The round of 32 is here! The stars have shined the brightest so far, and there is no reason to believe that light will dim anytime soon. Make sure you go over to the7oracles.com and check out our full World Cup coverage. Our prediction models have been cranking out fantastic advice throughout the group stage that has helped investors build their portfolio and wait until you see what is in store for the round of 32.