Lionel Messi, the captain of Argentina, took home the Golden Ball at the 2022 World Cup after being named the competition’s top player.
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The 2022 World Cup Golden Ball winner is Lionel Messi, who led his team to victory in Qatar. The PSG superstar wins the award for the second time in his career after scoring seven goals at the tournament, including a brace in the championship game.
On Sunday, after leading his team to victory at the World Cup, the Argentina captain finally accepted the one trophy that had eluded him throughout his remarkable career.
With seven goals and three assists in Qatar, Messi has been in outstanding form. Although his PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe won the Golden Boot, the 35-year-old still wins the World Cup trophy and the Golden Ball for being the best player.
Lionel Messi’s stats
As the most prolific South American player in history across the two competitions, Messi has scored 26 goals in major international tournaments for Argentina (13 World Cup, 13 Copa América). Messi has surpassed Ronaldo in this category (25).
Who has won most World Cup Golden Balls?
Lionel Messi has, after finally getting his hands on world football’s biggest prize, become the first man to win the Golden Ball on two occasions.
Having collected the award after suffering final heartache in 2014, the Argentine talisman had multiple reasons to celebrate at Qatar 2022 as he inspired his country to a first global crown since the days of Diego Maradona.
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Germany goalkeeper Oliver Kahn is the only goalkeeper to win the award, after picking it up in 2002, with goalkeepers now also having a category of their own in the form of the Golden Glove.
How is the Golden Ball winner decided?
The winner of the World Cup Golden Ball is decided by the FIFA Technical Study Group, which draws up a shortlist, and members of the international media, who cast votes based on the players in the shortlist.
Naturally, factors such as overall individual performance, importance to a team, and team performance come into play, as well as stats such as goals, assists, and clean sheets.
Is the World Cup Golden Ball different to the Ballon d’Or?
The World Cup Golden Ball is a completely different award to the Ballon d’Or, though the latter translates from French into English as ‘Golden Ball’.
As the name suggests, the World Cup Golden Ball is confined to players who are competing at a given World Cup and the award is subsequently given out every four years.
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The Ballon d’Or, on the other hand, is an annual individual award which takes into consideration a player’s performance over the course of a classic season. Until 2022, the award was based on performance over a calendar year.
