This is a list of all the Golden Ball Award winners at the FIFA World Cup.
Every four years, the world of football unites to witness the greatest spectacle in the sport โ the FIFA World Cup.
This tournament crowns a nation as world champion. But thatโs not all. It also recognizes individual brilliance through coveted awards.
One of the most coveted of these is the Golden Ball. It is an award presented to the player deemed to have had the most outstanding performance throughout the World Cup. In short, the MVP of the tournament gets the Golden Ball.
In this list, weโll be going through the history of Golden Ball award winners in every World Cup tournament.
So letโs get started.
Check out the list of Golden Boot (Top scorers) winners in the World Cup here.
History of the Golden Ball Award
FIFA did not award a Golden Ball at the tournament for a long time. In fact, they did not start awarding the Golden Ball until the 1982 FIFA World Cup.
But still, there are recognized lists, like in the book bookย World Cup (1930-2010): A Statistical Summary, that help in determining the best players at the prior World Cup.
So how does FIFA determine the Golden Ball winner?
The process for choosing the Golden Ball winner involves two key steps.
First, the FIFA Technical Study Group (TSG), analyzes player performances throughout the World Cup.
They consider various factors like
- individual skill,
- influence on the teamโs play,
- consistency, and
- overall impact on the tournament.
Based on their evaluation, they create a shortlist of players who they believe were the most outstanding.
Then, once the shortlist is finalized by the TSG, a group of media representatives cast their votes to determine the final winner.
List of Golden Ball Winners
Official Winners (Post 1982)
| World Cup | Player | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Paolo Rossi | Italy |
| 1986 | Diego Maradona | Argentina |
| 1990 | Salvatore Schillaci | Italy |
| 1994 | Romรกrio | Brazil |
| 1998 | Ronaldo | Brazil |
| 2002 | Oliver Kahn | Germany |
| 2006 | Zinedine Zidane | France |
| 2010 | Diego Forlรกn | Uruguay |
| 2014 | Lionel Messi | Argentina |
| 2018 | Luka Modriฤ | Croatia |
| 2022 | Lionel Messi | Argentina |
Unofficial Golden Ball Winners (1930 โ 1978)
| World Cup | Player | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1930 | Josรฉ Nasazzi | Uruguay |
| 1934 | Giuseppe Meazza | Italy |
| 1938 | Leรดnidas | Brazil |
| 1950 | Zizinho | Brazil |
| 1954 | Ferenc Puskรกs | Hungary |
| 1958 | Didi | Brazil |
| 1962 | Garrincha | Brazil |
| 1966 | Bobby Charlton | England |
| 1970 | Pele | Brazil |
| 1974 | Johan Cruyff | Netherlands |
| 1978 | Mario Kempes | Argentina |
Interesting Fact: Lionel Messi is the only player to win the Golden Ball award twice.
Check out other interesting World Cup facts here.
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Read more about the FIFA World Cup:
- 50 FIFA World Cup Facts and Records
- Who Has the Most Goals in FIFA World Cup? (All-time Top Goal Scorers)
- FIFA World Cup Golden Boot Winners: Top Scorers in Every Tournament
- Countries With The Most FIFA World Cup Wins
- Complete FIFA World Cup Winners List: Every Winner Since 1930
- FIFA World Cup Logo History: Every World Cup Logo Since 1930
