The Golden Ball award in FIFA World Cup

The Golden Ball winners in FIFA World Cup

Paolo Rossi

   The Golden Ball award is given to the best player of the World Cup football tournament. This was first awarded in 1982, and champion Italian footballer “Paolo Rossi” got that award for the first time. Currently, this award is commercially named as "Adidas Golden Ball". The Golden Ball award for the best footballer at every FIFA World Cup finals is given from a shortlist drawn up by the FIFA technical committee and the winner is voted for by representatives of the media. Those footballers who finish as runners-up in the vote receive the Silver Ball and the Bronze Ball awards as the second and the third most outstanding players in the tournament respectively.

   This award is given by FIFA at the conclusion of each World Cup tournament. From 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain, this award was introduced; before that there was no award like this for the best players of the World Cup football tournament.  So, great players like, Pele, Alfredo Di Stefano, Frence Puskas, Garrincha could not get this type of award. 

   
   German goal-keeper Oliver Kahn is the only goal-keeper to get the Golden Ball award in 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea and Japan, and South-Korean footballer Hong Myung-bo is the only Asian footballer to enter in this list. He got the Brazen Ball award in 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea and Japan.


   Here we write a list of FIFA Golden Ball winners according to the respective World Cups:-


FIFA World Cup in 1982, Spain:

Adidas Golden Ball: Paolo Rossi (Italy)

Adidas Silver Ball: Falcao (Brazil)

Adidas Bronze Ball: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West Germany)


FIFA World Cup in 1986, Mexico:

Adidas Golden Ball: Diego Maradona (Argentina)

Adidas Silver Ball: Harald Schumacher (West Germany)

Adidas Bronze Ball: Preben Elkjaer Larsen (Denmark)

Oliver Kahn, The Golden Ball winner in 2002

 

FIFA World Cup in 1990, Italy:

Adidas Golden Ball: Salvatore Schillaci (Italy)  

Adidas Silver Ball: Lothar Matthaus (Germany)

Adidas Bronze Ball: Diego Maradona (Argentina)


 
FIFA World Cup in 1994, United States:

Adidas Golden Ball: Romario (Brazil)

Adidas Silver Ball: Roberto Baggio (Italy)

Adidas Bronze Ball: Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria)


FIFA World Cup in 1998, France:

Adidas Golden Ball: Ronaldo (Brazil)

Adidas Silver Ball: Davor Suker (Croatia)

Adidas Bronze Ball: Lilian Thuram (France)


FIFA World Cup in 2002, Korea and Japan:

Adidas Golden Ball: Oliver Kahn (Germany)

Adidas Silver Ball: Ronaldo (Brazil)

Adidas Bronze Ball: Hong Myung-bo (South Korea)


FIFA World Cup in 2006, Germany:

Adidas Golden Ball: Zinedine Zidane (France)

Adidas Silver Ball: Fabio Cannavaro (Italy)

Adidas Bronze Ball: Andrea Pirlo (Italy)

Hong Myung-bo, only Asian in this list

FIFA World Cup in 2010, South Africa:

Adidas Golden Ball: Diego Forlan (Uruguay)

Adidas Silver Ball: Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands)

Adidas Bronze Ball: David Villa (Spain)


FIFA World Cup in 2014, Brazil:

Adidas Golden Ball: Lionel Messi (Argentina)


Adidas Silver Ball: Thomas Muller (Germany)

Adidas Bronze Ball: Arjen Robben (Netherlands)

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