Women's World Cup awards predictions: Who will win Golden Boot, Golden Ball?
The best strikers in women's soccer will be on full display at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, and if they're all in form, the races for the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball might go down to the wire.
Here's who FOX Sports' soccer experts think will take home the two most prestigious awards at the tournament.
Who will go home with the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player?
Carli Lloyd: Aitana Bonmati from Spain. With Alexia Putellas out from injury last year, Aitana has had to step up for Barcelona and Spain, and she has done just that. She won the Champions League and was named the best player. She may be the key to helping Spain lift the trophy.
Alexi Lalas: I think Australia, as hosts, will be driven by Sam Kerr and if they go deep, she will lead them. I think the sentiment will be that she has taken the team on her back and managed to make them great through sheer will, a la Diego Maradona in ‘86.
Stu Holden: Sophia Smith. She comes into the tournament in red-hot form from NWSL and I expect the USWNT to win it all. With her starting consistently on the wing, I think she can add a lot of goals and be a dominant breakout player for the USWNT in her first World Cup.
[Behind Sophia Smith's supreme confidence: 'From Day 1, I'm a winner']
Leslie Osborne: Sophia Smith could be my Golden Ball and Golden Boot pick if she does what I think she can do on the world stage. She has been tremendous for club and country this past year and playing lights out. This, of course, means the USWNT wins! My other potential candidate is Alexandra Popp as she plays in her last Women's World Cup.
Jimmy Conrad: Sophia Smith for all the reasons mentioned above!
David Mosse: Fridolina Rolfo. Her Barcelona form will carry over to this tournament.
Laken Litman: Alex Morgan. Somehow, after having a baby, Morgan has hit another level of her career. She’s in the best form of her life, is one of the older veterans and was recently named co-captain, and is locked in — arguably even more so than four years ago. Morgan may not score every major goal for the U.S., but she will play a huge role in ensuring this team three-peats.
Doug McIntyre: Trinity Rodman. As good as Alex Morgan and Sophia Smith are, it feels like the stars are aligning for Rodman to make this tournament hers. She almost certainly cemented her status as a starter by scoring both goals in the Americans’ send off match against Wales. She’s hitting top form at the perfect time. And perhaps most important, she will embrace the chance to perform on the biggest stage there is.
[How USWNT's Trinity Rodman models her game after her NBA father's]
Martin Rogers: Alexia Putellas. No other player has as much individual power to dictate the outcome of the event. If she plays at her best, it is going to take a lot to stop her — and her team.
Who will score the most goals and win the Golden Boot?
Lloyd: Sam Kerr. She's a big-time player and a ruthless goalscorer, and she has her whole country behind her.
Lalas: Sophia Smith. I think the US is going to play at least six games and score a lot of goals. They will be especially motivated to rack up goals vs. Vietnam and Portugal in case goal differential is the determining factor in the group.
Holden: Alex Morgan. I think the USWNT will win by a sizable margin against Vietnam in their first match and I can see Alex Morgan scoring a few in that match. She is the undoubted starter for the USWNT at No. 9 and with her lethal finishing. I think she’ll win the Golden Boot.
United States' Alex Morgan: No. 18 | Aly Wagner's Top 25 Players in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
Osborne: In addition to Sophia Smith, I think Caroline Graham Hansen, Alex Morgan and Alexandra Popp have strong cases.
Conrad: This is tricky because I think the Golden Boot winner will ultimately be determined by who can score the most against inferior opponents in the group stages. So, with this in mind, I could see Caroline Graham Hansen or Ada Hegerberg making a run at it. But there’s also something about Australia’s Sam Kerr showing up in a big way in the tournament that her country is hosting. As for the USWNT, I could see the goals being spread around.
Mosse: Ada Hegerberg. Norway will go far, and she'll be the one supplying the goals.
Norway's Ada Hegerberg: No. 6 | Aly Wagner's Top 25 Players in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
Smith: Sophia Smith. Smith is getting ready to play in her first World Cup and make a statement on the sports’ biggest stage. She has a ruthless and innate winning mentality and always has, is the NWSL’s leading goalscorer, and she will have plenty of big moments for the U.S. this summer.
McIntyre: Sam Kerr. She’s the best pure target striker in the world, and she’s playing at home.
Rogers: Sam Kerr. No player in the tournament is more crucial to her team’s chances and Kerr will relish the opportunity to shine in front of her home fans.
