Top five highest scorers of Men's Junior Hockey World Cup 2021

These players helped their respective teams to register big wins at the tournament.

The recently concluded FIH Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup 2021 was spectacular in all regards. Defending champions India failed to retain the title as they faced a heavy defeat against Germany in the semi-finals. On the other hand, Argentina won the tournament for the second time after defeating Germany 4-2 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha.

The fiercely competitive tournament featured some of the best young talents across the world. Several stars stood out due to their performances on the field and most of them established themselves as renowned goalscorers. France was the surprise package at the tournament. Riding on captain Timothee Clement's astounding goalscoring run, France defeated many top nations including India. They crushed the hosts twice in the Junior Hockey World Cup and Clement scored many goals in both matches.

Let's take a look at the top five highest scorers at the FIH Men's Junior Hockey World Cup 2021.

5. Pau Cunill

Spain’s seventh-place finish in the Junior Hockey World Cup might not have caught the headlines but the performance of Pau Cunill certainly did. Cunill scored eight goals for the Europeans during the campaign to help them achieve a top half of the table finish in the tournament. He had a very solemn start, scoring just once in the 17-0 drubbing of the United States. Cunill proceeded to score three more goals over the next two games. He then scored four more goals in the classification segment of the tournament.

4. Ali Rizwan

By all standards, Pakistan had a disappointing tournament. They finished third in their group before eventually registering an 11th-place classification at the end of the tournament. Their only silver lining came in the form of Ali Rizwan, who had a brilliant Junior Hockey World Cup campaign. Ali Rizwan scored eight goals for his side, which included a brilliant hat-trick in a 3-1 victory over Egypt that eventually gave them the third spot in the pool.

3. Sanjay

One of the best drag-flickers of the Indian Junior team, Sanjay’s Junior Hockey World Cup can be defined by two contrasting periods. The first period was bright and shiny, with young Indian scoring eight remarkable goals in the pool stages to help India qualify for the quarterfinals. He used his power-packed flicks and ability to find the corners to score goals.

However, Sanjay Failed to replicate his previous form in the knockout stages as India eventually had to settle for the fourth spot, a far cry from the top step of the podium from five years ago.

2. Timothee Clement

Timothee Clement was a huge driving force behind France’s brilliant third-placed finish. He started the tournament by putting three past the defending champions India. The French captain ended the competition in a similar fashion. Clement scored all three goals of his team in the third-place playoff against the host nation. He also scored hat-tricks against Canada in the group stage and Malaysia in the quarterfinals while also grabbing a brace against Poland in the second match of the tournament. He was adjudged the Player of the Tournament for his efforts for his side.

1. Miles Bukkens

Bukkens scored in every single match of the Junior Hockey World Cup for the Dutch hockey team. He started the tournament with a five-goal haul against South Korea and also registered another five-goal display against the United States.

He also had hat-tricks against Malaysia and Belgium while scoring one each against Spain and Argentina, the latter coming in a tough quarterfinal loss. His goalscoring exploits proved to be fruitful for the Netherlands who finished at a remarkable fifth spot in the standings.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.