The World Cup final day is here, Lionel Messi is the clear favourite to win the Golden Ball, and it is easy to understand why.
Eight goals, 21 chances created and the kind of tournament-defining moments that have accompanied Argentina all the way have kept him top of the standings.
A win, or another excellent showing in a loss, would lock up the trophy for the third time, after he won it in 2014 and 2022.
Rodri
Spain’s star performer has not been an attacker but a solid midfielder, Rodri.
The Manchester City midfielder was quietly influential for much of the tournament before a true masterclass in the semi-final win over France, in which he provided so much cover for Spain’s defenders that Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olise didn’t register a single shot on target between them.
According to Squawka, his chances of winning the golden ball plummeted from 33/1 to about 6/1 after that display.
It’s a case based on control and calmness above goals, and voters have rewarded that kind of influence previously, most notably when Luka Modric won the Golden Ball in 2018 without topping the goalscoring rankings.
Jude Bellingham
Bellingham is still very much in the mix.
His goal in Saturday’s third-place win against France pushed him to seven for the tournament, level with the likes of Dembele and Haaland on overall goal contributions and now the most prolific midfielder at this World Cup.
England’s tournament is over but his continuous scoring threat from midfield, including braces against both Mexico and Norway, tends to stick in the minds of the voters even once a side is out of the running.
But in reality, this is shaping up to be a three-way argument now: Messi’s persistent brilliance, Rodri’s cool, defining role in Spain’s run to the final, and Bellingham’s record breaking performances is ultimately hard to dismiss
