Big Sam & Duncan Ferguson Discuss Richarlison & Lukaku

With the World Cup drawing ever closer, Sam Allardyce and Duncan Ferguson sat down to discuss potential front-runners for the Golden Boot on the No Tippy Tappy Football Podcast.

Though both controversial figures in their own right, both Richarlison and Romelu Lukaku have proven themselves as goalscorers for both club and country, but can they prove it yet again on the biggest stage in football?

Former Everton manager Duncan Ferguson stated that he has a “sneaky feeling” for Richarlison to be in the hunt for the Golden Boot for Brazil this winter. In his first World Cup as a potential centre forward for a highly competitive Brazil team, Ferguson thinks Richarlison could definitely get something from him.

Richarlison’s time at Everton may mostly be remembered by some fans for his somewhat rash playing style and tendency to make a bit of a show of a tackle, but the Brazilian did perform for The Toffees.

In 152 appearances in all competitions for Everton, Richarlison found the back of the net 53 times and registered 14 assists, with one of those goals coming in five games in Ferguson’s short time at the club.

The Brazilian played four seasons of Premier League football with Everton before his 2022 move to Tottenham. In all but one season, the 2020/21 season where he scored only seven goals, Richarlison reached double figures for The Toffees, scoring 13 twice and ten in his last season in Merseyside.

Since his move to Tottenham, Richarlison hasn’t scored in his nine Premier League appearances but has provided three assists. He has fared better in the Champions League, with a brace against Marseille. Though, his lack of goals thus far may mainly be down to the fact that the centre-forward position at Tottenham is a lot more hotly contested, with previous Golden Boot winner Harry Kane to contend with.

In terms of Brazil, Richarlison has slowly built up his appearance frequency, now a proper contender for the starting 11. In 38 appearances for Brazil, Richarlison has been on the scoresheet 17 times - including a goal in the 2019 Copa America final against Peru.

However, with the likes of Neymar and Vinicius Junior joining Richarlison in attack, the Spurs player could be spoilt for chances, that if he converts regularly enough could put him in reaching distance of a Golden Boot at a major tournament, the first of his career.

Sam Allardyce named Romelu Lukaku as a potential candidate for Golden Boot this winter in Qatar. Allardyce credits the Belgians move back to Inter Milan in Italy for his choice, saying Lukaku is “back to Italy where he likes and scores goals regularly”, which could put him back in a goalscoring mood after a particularly poor season at Chelsea.

Along with his move back to Italy, when on international duty with Belgium he’s with a team “that provides him with the opportunity to score”, something that Allardyce thinks Lukuaku is not given enough credit for, as his time at many clubs and with Belgium have shown that he can score goals.

The blip at Chelsea and his second season at Manchester United have put doubts in many people’s minds about Lukaku’s ability in front of goal. In 44 appearances for Chelsea, Lukaku scored 15 goals and created two more, which in hindsight isn’t actually that bad of a return considering the sometimes creatively lacking Chelsea team he was playing with. As well as his time with United, the Belgian scored 42 goals and registered 13 assists in 96 games in some poor United sides.

Lukaku’s true potential as a goalscorer can be seen in his times at Inter Milan and Everton. In 100 appearances for Inter, Lukaku scored 66 times with 17 assists. The Belgian’s goals helped Inter to their first Serie A title in 11 years and to a Europa League Final.

The stint at Everton was more than impressive for the youngster at the time. In his first full season with The Toffees in 2013, Lukaku scored 15 goals in 31 games, catching the eyes of many in the Premier League. In fact, Lukaku reached double figures in every Premier League season while in Merseyside, managing to score an impressive 25 goals in 37 games in the 2016/17 season. Overall, Lukaku scored an imposing 87 goals and 29 assists in 166 Everton appearances.

Lukaku has also been a large figure in Belgium’s ‘Golden Generation’ alongside the likes of Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois, who just fell short of their first World Cup Final in 2018.

Allardyce definitely has a point with Lukaku as a candidate for Golden Boot, as the forward has a more than impressive record in international football. In the 102 appearances he has made for his country, Lukaku has found the back of the net 68 times, a rate, that if he replicates in Qatar could help him get his hands on the Golden Boot.

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