World Cup 2018 Golden Ball.Player of the tournament ?

Fck nose but I'll go for Modric @ 3.2

Giroud, makes Mbpape look good imo.

Serious question, what does Pogbra have to do in the final to win this?

"Members of the Technical Study Group of FIFA will decide on the winner until the end of the Final. "

If croatia win its modric,if france win its mbappe.

Past 7 winners.  Only one of them won the World Cup

2014: Lionel Messi (Argentina)

2010: Diego Forlan (Uruguay)

2006: Zinedine Zidane (France)

2002: Oliver Kahn (Germany)

1998: Ronaldo (Brazil)

1994: Romario (Brazil)

1990: Salvatore Schillaci (Italy)

Pretty mad stat that isn't it clyde - 1 out of 7!??

Forlan

Interesting they rarely give it to a defensive player too (Kahn exception)

Edin Hazard also still possibly in with a shout .. was consistently brilliant

ronaldo played well v spain

his name is worth a few votes


when is list of 10 announced?

before the final

To clarify it's drawn up before the final.  Whether it's actually announced before the final I wouldn't know

i think this Golden Ball market is really complicated by the fact that there is also something called Young Player of the Tournament which is a totally separate award.

Obviously being only 19 years old, Mbappe is the standout candidate for the Young player award.

I just wonder if they might lean toward Modric in that case.. unless Mbappe scores a hatrick in the final !

i doubt his age will stop people voting for him

he really is the player that has lit up this tournament even if modric may have contributed a bit more.

It shouldn't be as they are awarded by two separate panels

I'm not sure how many different Golden Ball threads we need but I've answered all of these questions before.

Varane should win it IMO but as said above there's no chance they'll give it to a defender.

Backing Mbappe is like getting odds against on the France win, pretty good.

"Kante was just completing one of the great games in World Cup history. Kante had intercepted Uruguay 32 times in the match, and on only three of those occasions had France failed to retain possession. That is scarcely feasible. Kante had won back possession for France 29 times against some of the finest players on the planet.

even Argentina could not keep Kante absolutely quiet by avoiding him. He still broke up play on several crucial occasions and his understanding of the pass is second to none. Against Uruguay Kante made 34 passes in a row without giving the ball away. In both the game against Uruguay and Argentina, Kante did not concede possession of the ball in the second half.

Some of it was sideways and short. But there were also those poetic one touch passes that open up space. Against Argentina Kante made three in a matter of 10 seconds and France were away again. It was also Kante's little surge from the edge of his box and left-footed pass into Griezmann's stronger foot that initiated the goal of the tournament, Griezmann's flick, Olivier Giroud's gentle nudge and Mbappe's finish were all sublime, but it was Kante who started it all.

So much of what France do starts with Kante. His passing also initiated the build-up to the third goal against Argentina. His reading of the play and stepping into space, turned Uruguay back towards their own goal and set up the free-kick from which France opened the scoring in their quarter-final.

And there's nothing to the bloke. He's even two centimetres shorter than Messi. But Kante is every bit as big a player. Thierry Henry, the former French international who has been part of Belgium's coaching staff, says he poked Kante in the chest to see if he was real.

After France shut out Peru in their qualifying group Paul Pogba called his midfield mate, "the man with fifteen lungs." Teammates have called Kante 'the rat', for the way he scurries about or an 'annoying fly'. Peru, Uruguay and Argentina would doubtless call Kante the curse of South America.

France's left-back Lucas Hernandez said. 'N'Golo, you see him everywhere, all of a sudden he comes out of the ground. Frankly, it's really amazing to play with a player like that, someone who wins you back I do not know how many balls in a match." "

Will he be listed though CB?

Rare for any midfielder who doesn't score to get this...

Would be very surprised if he isn't listed by the technical study group.  But I'd imagine the media who decide on the eventual winner are more like fans than players.  It may favour Modric that there are so many Frenchman competing for votes.

anyways just saying Kante has been outstanding

Based on past winners, it's highly unlikely that the winner will be anyone who is not in the top 2 for goals + assists combined (7 of the last 9 winners were in the top 2 for goals+assists, the other 2 were Oliver Kahn and Messi - who had 4 MOTM awards).

At the minute it reads like this for the relevant players (last 9 winners from a team that made the Semis)

1. Kane - 6 goals + 0 assists........ + 3 MOTM awards (beats me)
2. Lukaku - 4 goals + 1 assist........+ 1 MOTM award
= Hazard - 3 goals + 2 assists....... + 3 MOTM awards
= Griezmann - 3 goals + 2 assists.....+ 2 MOTM awards
7. De Bruyne - 1 goal + 3 assists.....+ 1 MOTM award
12. Mbappe - 3 goals + 1 assist.......+ 2 MOTM awards
= Perisic - 2 goals + 1 assist........+ 1 MOTM awards
= Modric - 2 goals + 1 assist.........+ 3 MOTM awards
= Mandzuckic - 2 goals + assist.......+ 0 MOTM awards
= Meunier - 1 goal + 2 assists........+ 0 MOTM awards
60. Umtiti - 1 goal + 0 assist........+ 1 MOTM awards
Kante - 0 goals + 0 assists...........+ 1 MOTM award

Most Man of the match awards


Kane has more than likely won the Golden boot unless Greizmann or Mbappe score a hat trick which is unlikely, the Golden Boot winner is rarely given the Golden Ball award as well, you'd have to go back 7 World Cups to find the last time that happened and only twice in the last 9 World Cups in all. Kane has generally been below par anyway, scored his last goal in the 2nd round and is well out of the running for this award.


A lot will depend upon the final. But really it's between Hazard / Griezmann / Modric / Mbappe.

Mbappe will be given the young players award, that might make him less likely to win the Golden Ball if they want to share around the awards, though that's just guesswork - he'd really have to score at least 1 goal tomorrow without Griezmann scoring and be MOTM.

Hard to call a winner before the final. But if it's a drab draw/extra time/pens, wouldn't be surprised if Hazard was given it.

Great player, no doubt, but seems to lack being 'glamorous' enough to take this type of award - sure they'd prefer the young gun for the same side instead, to keep the youth vote.

Kante that was ^^^^

It's my understanding that this year the media are not involved in picking the winner as I read on FIFA's website, even if wiki and the like say they are.

Wouldn't rule Hazard out for sure.

if winning or getting to the final isn't part of the gig,theres about 50 players who,ve played better than modric in this world cup against Denmark,russia he was shoite and for 6o mins against England he wasn't sighted against a water carrier like Henderson, hazard, de bruyne have been on a different planet to modric

I agree about Modric. He looks very short. I can't see how they can give it to someone from such a weak half of the draw.

Had Belgium got to the final Hazard would be odds on. Clearly been better than Mbappe.

Mbappe needs to have a good final. If he doesn't I wouldn't be surprised if Hazard still gets it.

Let's face it nobody has put their stamp on the tournament with a string of outstanding performances.

It makes no difference who you beat to get to the final.  Forlan won despite Uruguay cheating to make the semi finals.  I hardly think FIFA are going to think "oh hang on Croatia were in the easy half of the draw, let's not give it to their best player."

I agree that Hazard has been the best player at this WC.  It would be a bit of a surprise but since Forlan won in 2010 it wouldn't be a total surprise

For me Yann Sommer and Kasper Schmeichel have been the best goalies.  But I'd be truly shocked if either won.

And Zidane won despite his head butt.  Hardly an advert that FIFA think strongly about sportsmanship even if it was allegedly decided before the WCF.  Obviously times change

Fwiw Uruguay beat South Korea and Ghana on penalties to make the WCSF in 2010, and cheated to get there

Maradonna cheated in 86 but he was given the Golden Ball as well.

Not exactly a 'wholesome' award all round really is it...?

FIFA Ethics Commitee is about as useful as the Mafia's Customer Complaints Department

Is this still sponsored by Adidas? (I might be mixing up my competitions).

At the start of the tourn I remember seeing a stat that an Adidas sponsored player has won everytime.

If so, Mbappe is with Nike. Belgium are backed by Adidas. Pogba, Kante, and Rakitic are backed by Adidas.

I listed the adidas men on one of the other 3,000 golden ball threads.

Jul 15, 2018 -- 4:26PM, DIE LINKE wrote:

I listed the adidas men on one of the other 3,000 golden ball threads.

I'll take a look

It's also sponsored by FRANCE FOOTBALL.

I think Kante is the only adidas player they could choose without it looking a complete carve up.