FIFA World Cup Golden Ball: Know all winners - the complete list
First introduced in 1982, the 'Golden Ball' is presented to the best player at a FIFA World Cup tournament. Discover the winners of the prestigious prize.
Football
Each FIFA World Cup concludes with a selection of awards given to players who have distinguished themselves during the competition.
Among the most recognised of those awards are the Golden Boot, which is given to the tournament's top goalscorer, the Golden Glove, for the best goalkeeper, and the Golden Ball for the tournament's outstanding player.
The Golden Ball prize was first introduced in 1982, along with the Golden Boot, and has been awarded in every edition of the football tournament since.
A shortlist of players is drawn up by a FIFA technical committee and then voted on by a selection of media representatives. All players are eligible for the award even if they do not feature in the World Cup-winning side.
There have been 10 different winners of the Golden Ball with Lionel Messi becoming the first man to win the award twice after leading Argentina to glory at Qatar 2022.
Oliver Kahn (2002) is the only goalkeeper to take the prize.
Read on to find the complete list of the Golden Ball winners.