Golden Ball has been awarded since 1982, a total of 9 players have won this award since then. Most of the time the award winners ended in despair, even though they played exceptionally well, they weren’t able to make their team sail over the line as football is a team game.
This World Cup has some stunning performances and there are many great players who took part and some new world-class players have been born.
Here are the strong contenders for the Golden Ball this year: Kylian Mbappe, Luka Modric, Antoine Griezman, Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Harry Kane, Thibaut Courtois, and Raphael Varane.
There are also some controversies as some of the decisions of the committee raised few eyebrows but we will not look into that at the moment. So let us dive into all the players who have won this coveted prize down the years since its inception.
1982, Spain - Paolo Rossi (Italy)
The Italian striker won the Golden Ball as well as the Golden Shoe (which was awarded to the tournament’s top goal scorer). Rossi scored a total of six goals that were crucial for his side’s success. He scored twice in the semi-final against Poland; he opened the scoring in the final, which gave them the lead, and scored a memorable hat-trick against favorites Brazil to progress into semi-finals.
1986, Mexico - Diego Maradona (Argentina)
This World Cup will ever be remembered as Maradona’s World Cup, and he has done everything to lift the World Cup. He scored five goals in the process, two of them in the semi-finals against Belgium, and two of them came against England in the quarter-finals. He also made a crucial assist to Jorge Burruchaga in the 84th minute of the final against West Germany, which sealed the victory for them by 3-2.
He was best remembered for the game against England, where two of his most memorable moments happened. The infamous one, Maradona scored the first goal against England with the hand, but the referee had not spotted it and the goal stood.
Touted as the ‘Goal of the century’, Maradona, with his great dribbling skills scored one of the best individual goals ever. He ran past 60 yards and dummied the defenders in the process and feinted with a movement, in which the English goalkeeper fell on the ground and out of control, before guiding the ball into the back of the net.
1990, Italy - Salvatore Schillaci (Italy)
He was not a star before coming into this World Cup, and he got a nod to the team after the final warm-up match against Switzerland, where he was the sixth choice striker after Roberto Mancini, Gianluca Vialli, Andrea Carnevale, Aldo Serena and the ‘Divine Ponytail’ man Roberto Baggio.
During their first game in that World Cup, they weren’t able to break down the Austrian defense, which gave the opportunity to a future star, who grabbed it with both hands and scored the only goal of the game.
He went on to score six goals and claimed the Golden Ball and Golden Shoe by beating the likes of Diego Maradona and Lothar Matthaus, but Matthaus lifted the cup and had the last laugh.
1994, United States - Romario (Brazil)
Romario is known for his wonderful technique and commonly known as ‘genius of the penalty area.’ He was at his peak before coming into the World Cup, where he was the top goalscorer in La Liga with 30 goals, helping Barcelona to win the title.
His incredible pace and powerful toe-poke strikes are nightmares for defenders. He helped Brazil beat Uruguay to qualify for the World Cup, scoring all two goals in Maracana. He scored five goals and helped Selecao to land the World title after 24 years, so he should thank Roberto Baggio, who blasted his penalty into the sky otherwise the story might have been different.
1998, France - Ronaldo (Brazil)
Another Brazilian bags the award. Ronaldo was more than just a striker. He was ferocious and had wonderful dribbling skills, definitely one of the finest to grace the football pitch.
His name was on everyone’s lips before the 1998 final; he was almost dropped from the team sheet but reinstated 45 minutes before kick-off. This remained mysterious and his side lost to the hosts France. Even though he lost the World Cup, he won the Golden Ball.
2002, Korea/Japan - Oliver Kahn (Germany)
The German captain was the first and the only goalkeeper to win the Golden Ball. He was commanding, and his frame with his fierce face could frighten any striker, adding that he was prolific in every goalkeeping aspect that makes him one of the best ever.
He kept five clean sheets and made his side progress to the finals. To beat him, one has to have tremendous ability and Ronaldo was nowhere less for that description, who scored two goals past the tournament’s best keeper to deny Germany winning that day.
2006, Germany - Zinedine Zidane (France)
‘Zizou’. The French captain was sensational in that tournament, and he was one of the four players who scored three goals in World Cup final matches.
He was sent off for his headbutt on Materazzi in the extra time that saw Italy win on penalties. Zidane put France ahead early with a neatly-taken penalty, playing his last match before retiring.
2010, South Africa - Diego Forlan (Uruguay)
Diego Forlan won the 2010 outstanding player award after inspiring his nation to its best performance in a global showdown in 40 years.
He was the tournament’s joint top scorer with a tally of five goals that left him leveled against Thomas Muller, David Villa, and Wesley Sneijder. His team ended up in fourth place, but he bagged the best player award for his stylish and spectacular goals.
2014, Brazil - Messi (Argentina)
Messi was regarded as one of the best players in the game. He was arguably the best footballer the planet has ever seen, but few say that he needs to win the World Cup for his country, to be compared to the likes of Pele and Maradona.
That feat came close when he single-handedly drove his team past group stages and Argentina went into the finals. His team lost to eventual champions Germany in extra time.
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