F**k me I know their record was bad but not that bad! Even Jamaica have won a World Cup game more recently than Scotland - and 1998 was our only World Cup!
Hahaha yeah, we've been to eight world cups (were invited but declined to play in 1950!) and never got out the groups. Yep we are embarrassing no doubt about it! Would like to get to the next one to fail to qualify for the knockout rounds again though, I'd take that!
Probably the least deserving golden boot winner ever. Three goals from open play, one of those was an accident.
Oleg Salenko's goals when he won it were the only goals he ever scored at international level. FIve were from one game at the group stage against Cameroon, he'd also put away a penalty against Sweden. Russia did not qualify from the group stage.
"Deserved" is probably the wrong way to put it, but it hasn't been nearly as impressive as it will look on paper. And I rate Kane highly, he just wasn't up to much at this tournament.
He (they) probably would say Lukaku ... surely not Griezmann who scored three penalties and one from open play Harry Kane only got one less from open play than Lukaku, set that up against three crucial penalties, at least one he won himself ( must admit I've forgotten how the two others came). Well deserved, as he continue to take all the worlds goal scoring records.
I wouldn't go that far but it isn't that impressive when you look into it. Still, at least an English player won something! btw Modric fully deserved his Golden Ball IMO, class.
Also a factor to consider, is that with perhaps the exception of Salenko, no Golden Boot winner has probably had a team creating less opportunities for the award winner.
Its probably one of the least impressive golden boot wins, but its not the least deserving. And thus neither is Kane.
I wasn't expecting anyone to take my "least deserved" comment literally, it was more a figure of speach regarding my diadain that someone who played as generally poor as Kane could take it. I was particularly disappointed that he went missing in the last three games, in particular the semi final against Croatia. And I certainly wouldn't claim anything about Lukaku, I've never rated the guy that much.
I don't think he played well against Croatia but he's not had a bad tournament. He's brought more to the tournament than just goals which is all he'll ever really get judged on and in that sense he's also outscored anyone at the tournament.
Or Belgium. It looked like a long season of coming back early from injuries caught up with him. His goals were valuable to England's run though regardless.
