An entire nation hopes that Borussia Dortmund’s Robert Lewandowski scores the first goal of the 2012 European Championship and leads Poland to a tournament-opening victory over Greece on Friday. But who has the best chance to be Euro 2012’s top scorer? 5. Karim Benzema, France » After a strong season at Real Madrid (21 goals), the 24-year-old Lyon native could benefit right away against a weakened England defense and throughout the tournament playing as a lone striker in front of attention-drawing Franck Ribery.
4. Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal » The knock on one of the world’s best known wingers is that he never produces on the international stage. But if Ronaldo doesn’t follow his 46-goal season at Real Madrid with more success, blame his teammates and an impossible Group B.
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3. Robin van Persie, Netherlands ?»
Inter Milan’s Wesley Sneijder led the Dutch with five goals at the 2010 World Cup but is recently coming off a season-long injury battle. Van Persie banged in 30 goals for Arsenal. Look for Schalke’s Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, too, if he gets enough playing time.
2. Mario Gomez, Germany » Powering the tournament favorites, the Bayern Munich frontman is expected to have plenty of chances deep into the tournament. His biggest competition could be teammate Thomas Muller, who won the 2010 World Cup golden boot with five goals and three assists.
1. Fernando Torres, Spain » David Villa, who earned the Euro 2008 scoring title with four goals, is injured, making Chelsea’s Torres the top target for midfielders Xavi and Andres Iniesta. He’ll score plenty or get replaced by Athletic Bilbao forward Fernando Llorente.
– Craig Stouffer
