If you are targeting a profit from your football betting this year our team of experts is here to help benefit from not only what teams achieve but what players achieve individually – both during one match and throughout the season. This is called “player betting” and it is offered by practically all of the best football betting sites and it can be incredibly fruitful ground if you can get good at it. On this page, we will explain how.
Here’s what you’ll find in the article:
Player Football Betting Markets Available
As well as the opportunity to bet on teams involved in a competition, including outright winners, you can also gamble on the performances of individual players. Until the squads and starting 11 for each game are selected, you will usually get a bigger price on your bets compared to the odds offered to those waiting until matchday.
Betting on individual players is an exciting way to bet on football as it gives you an interest in more than one team. As well as the player carrying your stake money you must also chart the goals and performances of their main rivals.
Another positive to player betting is that the final score isn’t important. It doesn’t matter if a team wins, loses, or draws, win 5-0 or lose 5-0, as long as your selected player performs well. There are many options already available to readers wishing to make player bets and more will be added by the leading sportsbooks as we approach kick-off.
Of course, there are up to 22 players at any one time on a football pitch, and with each of these players, comes a multitude of betting opportunities for you to get involved in – and that is even before substitutes have been made or players have been removed. With the option to bet on anything from which player will score the most over course of a competition to how many cards a player might get in a match, as well as everything in-between, player betting gives you ample opportunity to win.
Below you’ll find examples of some of the tournament football betting markets available for players today. Bear in mind, some markets may only be available at certain football betting sites or could be phrased differently.
Pre-Match & In-Play Player Football Betting Markets
If you are keen to get involved in player football betting, then you will find some of the most popular betting markets available so you can leverage them in your betting strategy. Keep in mind that the following bets are available on every match which can be found by clicking on any match you’re interested in with some being available during pre-match betting and others coming available after the game has begun via bet in play football betting.
Goalscorer Football Betting Markets
First Goalscorer – This involves placing a wager on any player who you think will score first in a match, regardless of which team.
Last Goalscorer– This will be the final player to score in the game before the final whistle. If there is just one goal in the game, then this could be the same as the first goalscorer. Hence, if you think there will be just one goal, you may want to combine both bets.
Home Team First Goalscorer – Similar to the first goalscorer bet. This involves betting on a player from the home team to score first.
Away Team First Goal Scorer – A wager that requires a player from the away team to score first to be successful.
Anytime Goalscorer – The anytime goalscorer bet is the most popular one as all it involves is placing a wager on a player to score at any time during the match.
Player to Score 1, 2, 3, or more – In this bet, you can pick any number of goals you think the player is going to score in a given match and any more than they might score. For example, if you place a bet on Cristiano Ronaldo to score two or more but he bags a hat-trick, you still get paid for that bet.
Player to Score Exactly 1, 2, 3 – This bet implies that your chosen player has to score the exact number of goals you picked for the bet. If Ronaldo nets a hat-trick but your bet was set for him to score exactly two, you’ll lose the bet.
Player to Score in Both Halves – This is a bet which payouts if the player scores in the first 45 minutes AND the second 45 minutes, aka in the first and second half of the game.
Player to Outscore Opposition – In this bet, you would need your chosen player to score more goals than the entire opposition in the game. This works well when choosing a game with a huge favourite as with big scores, it becomes close to impossible to win. The bet will be successful even if the opposition does not score any goals.
Next Player to Score – This bet is only available in-play and as the name suggests, you’ll be betting on a player to score the next goal.
Method of Goal
To Score a Header – If the player you pick scores with a header, your bet will be a winning one.
To score from outside the box – These bets pay well since they’re harder to predict. They are all about picking players to score from outside the penalty box.
Method of Next Goal – In this bet, you’ll be presented with a number of options of the next goal method. Some options include free kick, penalty and from a header.
Shooting Betting Markets
Player Shots – This bet is not available at all bookmakers but as the name indicates, you’ll be betting on the number of shots a player will finish with at the end of the game. For instance, Cristiano Ronaldo has 5+ shots in the game.
Shots on Target – A shot on target has different definitions and has been refined over time, however, betting on a player to have over 2 shots on target means that if three or more shots are on target by the end of the match, the bet will be a winning one.
Next Shot – The next shot bet is available in live betting and involves backing a player to get the next shot, regardless if it’s on target.
Player & Team Markets – Wincast Betting
First Goalscorer and Team Result (first goalscorer wincast) – This combination bet is a hard one to predict as it involves two outcomes. You will need to back a player to score the first goal for that team while also predicting whether the team will win, lose or finish with a draw.
Last Goalscorer and Team Result (first goalscorer wincast) – This works the same as the first goalscorer wincast but with the only difference being you are betting on the FINAL goalscorer of the game that could potentially be the deciding goal.
Player To Score and Team Result (anytime wincast)- In this bet, you’ll need to pick a player to score at any time and also predict how the game will end. Whether a win, draw, or loss.
Scorecast – Here you bet on a goalscorer and a result but this time you need to be exact and predict the exact final score of the game. I.e. will it be 1-1, 2-0, or even 4-4 – you need to be exact for this one to payout. It is possible to also find first and last goalscorer scorecast if you want to be up the ante even more
Player Bookings
Player to be carded – Bet on a player to get a yellow or a straight red for the bet to be a winning one.
Player to be sent off – Whether it’s a straight red for a nasty tackle or a player was yellow-carded twice, if you back a player to be sent off, a red-carded is what you’ll be after.
First player to be carded – As the name suggests, the first player to get any card will be enough to win this bet. This bet is excellent when placed on derbies or other big games that tend to be dramatic.
First player to be shown a red card – This bet is self-explanatory which involves backing a player to be shown a red card. Next player to be carded – This in-play betting option is about backing a player to be shown the next card, regardless of which colour. When watching the game unfold, you could quickly get an indication of how physical the game is and it’s best to choose players that are not already carded as they’ll try and be on their best behaviour.
Player Football Betting Markets For Competitons & Leagues
Of course, while these player football betting options above are available on most football matches that happen, there are other markets available if you there is a league or competition happening or due to happen in the future. For example, these markets may be available for domestic football seasons, like the Bundesliga or the Premier League, club tournaments like the Champions League, or international tournaments like the World Cup. These will be betting markets that come to fruition over a longer period of time. Check them out below:
Golden Boot (Top Goalscorer)
The Golden Boots is another name given to the top goalscorer prize. They may go by different names at different betting sites but it’s the same bet. Here you are gambling on a player to score more goals than any other during the competition.
It doesn’t matter how many goals they score, how they score them, or at what stage they are registered if your pick tops the charts. This type of bet is popular due to its simplicity. If your player scores the most goals, your bet will be paid out as a winner. Dead-heat rules also apply so keep this in mind.
If more than one player finishes as the top goalscorer on the same number of goals, then the pay-out due to you will reduce. If there are joint winners, for example, you’ll usually get 1/2 the odds. Three winners mean a third of the odds. Please check the betting rules at your chosen bookmaker for all terms and conditions.
The Top Team Scorer
The top team scorer market is like the Golden Boot betting market but here, you are gambling on a player to score more goals than any other in his team. Unlike above, it doesn’t matter if they finish as the competition’s top goalscorer or not. With this bet, it’s only important to you that your selected player finds the net more times than his teammates.
This type of bet can be used on any team involved and the odds are often appealing. You can pick one of the favorite teams in the outright betting and predict which player will shoot them to glory. Or you can also gamble on a smaller team that may not do that well over the season. Your player may only score one goal all season but if that’s one more than any other in the team you’ll land a profit.
Player of the Tournament
The clue is very much in the name of this market. You are betting on which player will be voted the best at the competition. When browsing the football betting odds for this market you should keep in mind this isn’t the same bet as the top goalscorer list.
A player can be voted the best of the tournament without scoring a single goal. A goalkeeper could even be named player of the tournament. Some bettors may be confused by this market but it’s not difficult. The bet isn’t settled on which player you believe was the best throughout the tournament or the best for their team. The vote is made by a panel of experts.
When they have made their final decision on which player was the best performer of the summer competition, their award will be announced and received by the winning player. Bookmakers will then settle all bets placed on this market and pay the profits into the accounts of every member who backed the correct player.
Young Player of the Tournament
This market is like the one above but is awarded to young players of a tournament. Again, this award is decided by an expert panel that announces their decision and hands the winning player the accolade.
The young player of the tournament and the player of the tournament can be the same man. They don’t have to be top goalscorers or part of a winning team to be in contention. When betting on this market you aren’t required to predict which team will win the title. Players considered will be no more than 22 years old.
It’s worth considering though as the further a team goes in a tournament, the more minutes a player will have on the field and the better chance of them impressing the judges. The young player of the tournament could be part of a team eliminated early but that’s unlikely to happen.
Top Scorer/Winner Double
This is quite an interesting market as it is a combination of both the top goalscorer and the winning team. Here you are making a double prediction. Which player will finish as the top scorer and which team will win? They don’t have to be related. A top scorer may be from England with the winning team being Germany. It’s a value-for-money bet and the odds are attractive.
When playing this bet, you are spreading your interest across the competition and have a good excuse to watch every match played (not that you needed one). Tally up the goals scorer by your chosen player and his main rivals. Then follow the form of your chosen team as well as the results of their main rivals in the outright betting.
- BetFootball Pro Tip – Odds for tournament betting markets will always be higher at the start with the odds slowly decreasing as more date, specifically, player performances, come to light. Therefore, the earlier you bet, the better odds you will get.
Player Betting – Promotions and Offers
To encourage sports bettors there are also promotions available at most football betting sites including the welcome bonus. This is reserved for new customers registering for an online betting account with a bookmaker. Please note, to activate a welcome bonus you must be over 18 years old not already an account holder at that app.
Welcome bonuses may come in many different shapes and sizes including free bets, risk-free bets, price boosts, extra places each way bet football, cashback, and much more. When searching for a new online betting site, you should insist on receiving the best bonus possible. Free bets can be used to bet on all football betting markets available including all team markets mentioned on this page.
PLEASE NOTE: Odds on this page are courtesy of Betway,. Paddy Power, & Unibet. Odds were accurate at the time of publication but are likely to have expired.
