The list of players who received the Golden Ball as the best player of the competition. While the main goal for every player at the World Cup is to lift the trophy, individual awards also carry great prestige because the tournament features the best players in the world. The Golden Ball is awarded to the best player of the tournament, with the winner voted by media representatives from a shortlist selected by FIFA’s Technical Study Group.
The list of winners features a remarkable group of players, even if some all-time greats such as Pelé never received the award. That had nothing to do with his performances, as the Golden Ball was only introduced in 1982. Unlike most individual awards, the players finishing second and third in the voting also receive the Silver Ball and Bronze Ball, respectively.
The award has been won by some of the greatest players in soccer history, with Lionel Messi remaining the only player to receive it twice. Even goalkeepers have their own positional honor, the Golden Glove, they are also eligible for the Golden Ball. Oliver Kahn remains the only goalkeeper to win the tournament’s MVP award after doing so in 2002.
Golden Ball winners
World CupGolden BallTeam’s finishSilver BallBronze BallChampion1982Paolo Rossi (Italy)ChampionsFalcão (Brazil)Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West Germany)Italy1986Diego Maradona (Argentina)ChampionsToni Schumacher (West Germany)Preben Elkjær (Denmark)Argentina1990Salvatore Schillaci (Italy)Third placeLothar Matthäus (West Germany)Diego Maradona (Argentina)West Germany1994Romário (Brazil)ChampionsRoberto Baggio (Italy)Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria)Brazil1998Ronaldo (Brazil)Runners-upDavor Šuker (Croatia)Lilian Thuram (France)France2002Oliver Kahn (Germany)Runners-upRonaldo (Brazil)Hong Myung-bo (South Korea)Brazil2006Zinedine Zidane (France)Runners-upFabio Cannavaro (Italy)Andrea Pirlo (Italy)Italy2010Diego Forlán (Uruguay)Fourth placeWesley Sneijder (Netherlands)David Villa (Spain)Spain2014Lionel Messi (Argentina)Runners-upThomas Müller (Germany)Arjen Robben (Netherlands)Germany2018Luka Modrić (Croatia)Runners-upEden Hazard (Belgium)Antoine Griezmann (France)France2022Lionel Messi (Argentina)ChampionsKylian Mbappé (France)Luka Modrić (Croatia)Argentina*In 1978, a group of journalists voted Mario Kempes as the tournament’s best player after Argentina won the title. Paolo Rossi and Dirceu finished second and third, respectively. FIFA recognizes this unofficial award in its records.