Slimani may be in pole position and on song for Sporting, but he’s not over the line yet. Opponents Cameroon are on a run of three consecutive clean sheets in Qatar 2022 qualifying and boast one of the continent’s finest goalkeepers in Andre Onana. Three players still in the mix sit two goals behind Slimani: team-mate Riyad Mahrez, Mali’s Ibrahima Kone and Ayoub El Kaabi of Morocco. Kone will be buoyed by the flying start he has made to life at Lorient and the fact that he scored the winner against forthcoming adversaries Tunisia in the recent CAF Africa Cup of Nations.

El Kaabi is another player in high spirits. The Casablanca native has thrived for the Atlas Lions since making his debut at the relatively old age of 24 in 2018, and is fresh from a hat-trick for Hatayspor at the weekend. Fellow Moroccan Ryan Mmaee, Senegal’s Famara Diedhiou, Dieumerci Mbokani of Congo DR, and Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen are in with an outside chance. Mo Salah, meanwhile, has yet to get off the mark in Qatar 2022 qualifying, while his club colleague but upcoming rival, Sadio Mane, has three goals to his name. Stats Emmanuel Adebayor scored or assisted 16 of Togo’s 20 goals in Germany 2006 qualifying as they stunned Senegal for a ticket to the finals. Kone has netted 11 goals in ten Mali appearances – a ratio of 1.1 per game. At just 22, the towering striker is just fours goal off becoming his country’s third-highest all-time marksman.

Ali Mabkhout and United Arab Emirates have Iraq away and Korea Republic at home as they look to make sure of third place, which would guarantee them another game in Asian qualifying. China PR golden boy Wu Lei is two goals behind and has Saudi Arabia and Oman to face. Japanese pair Takumi Minamino and Yuya Osako are a good way back, but after a tough test against Australia in Sydney, will be hopeful of boosting their tallies against Vietnam in Saitama.

Stats Karim Bagheri, from central midfield, astonishingly scored 19 goals in 14 games during the France 1998 preliminaries. All coming in 1997, it helped the Iranian finish that calendar year as international football’s leading marksman, one clear of Romario. Ali Mabkhout has scored 27 goals in his last 24 internationals to rocket into joint-seventh on the leading marksmen in international football history. The Emirati is one shy of Sunil Chhetri and Lionel Messi.

It’s been a long while since an Dutchman or an Englishman topped the scoring chart – the Germany 1974 and Sweden 1958 qualifiers respectively – but Memphis Depay and Harry Kane are all but certain to end those droughts. Robert Lewandowski has just one fixture remaining – a Path B final against Sweden or Czech Republic no less – and six goals is surely too much of a bridge for even Cristiano Ronaldo to make up in a maximum of two outings. Stats Cristiano Ronaldo hit 15 goals in nine Russia 2018 qualifiers – more than any player had ever scored in a previous European qualifying campaign but not enough for him to finish top of the scoring chart, with Robert Lewandowski netting 16 goals in 10 appearances. Christian Benteke scored the fastest goal in World Cup qualifying history for Belgium against Gibraltar after just 8.1 seconds in 2017. It wrested the record from Davide Gualtieri, who famously fired San Marino ahead against England in 1993 after 8.3 seconds.

Jonathan David and Cyle Larin may be obsessing about one thing and one thing only – qualifying Canada for a first World Cup since Mexico 1986 – but that won’t stop fans debating which of them will top the Octagonal scoring chart. Not that Michail Antonio will have given up hope. The West Ham United ace ended his pursuit of an international future with England to represent Jamaica, and with home games against El Salvador and Honduras among their last three run-outs, he'll be confident of putting pressure on the forerunners.

Stats Only two players have scored in five World Cup qualifying campaigns – and both did it in the Concacaf zone. One is unsurprising: Guatemalan goal machine Carlos Ruiz. The other is: Mexican defender Rafa Marquez.

‘Fish’ Ruiz is the 39-goal all-time leading scorer in World Cup qualifying history, three clear of Ali Daei and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Marcelo Martins dream of firing Bolivia to a first World Cup since 1994 may be all but over, but he’s on the cusp of completing a preposterous personal fantasy. Lautaro Martinez, Lionel Messi and Neymar do have a game in hand, however, so the Verde No9 will be keen to bolster his tally against Colombia and Brazil.

Stats William Ramallo became the first Bolivian to hit a hat-trick in a World Cup preliminary in 1993 and went on to finish as the continent’s leading marksman, ahead of the likes of Gabriel Batistuta, Bebeto and Adolfo Valencia, in USA 1994 qualifying. The Cochabamba native was renowned for his many nicknames, among them ‘The Fisherman of the Area’, ‘Popeye’ and ‘The Ghost’.

Ronaldo had been a Brazil international for nine and a half years, and had 12 World Cup goals to his name, by the time he first scored in a qualifier for the competition. Marcelo Salas and Ivan Zamorano incredibly scored 23 goals between them in 16 France 1998 qualifiers.