Argentina icon Lionel Messi was awarded the Golden Ball, a prize given by the organizers of the tournament to “the most outstanding player at the FIFA World Cup.” Despite having only a minimal impact on Sunday’s final which was lost to Germany, Messi still managed to overcome some strong competition for the award.
The contenders included tournament top scorer James Rodriguez of Colombia, Brazil’s Neymar, Arjen Robben of the Netherlands and four German players.
Messi scored four goals and provided one assist in his seven games in Brazil.
Germany’s Manuel Neuer received the Golden Glove as “the tournament’s most outstanding goalkeeper,” edging out Costa Rica’s Keylor Navas and Argentina’s Sergio Romero.
Neuer had a save rate of 86.2 per cent prior to Sunday’s final and was widely praised for his forays outside the area, confirming his reputation as the world’s best sweeper-keeper.
In Germany’s game against Algeria, Neuer got the ball a total of 59 times, 21 of them outside the penalty area, and completed a total of 32 passes.
France’s Paul Pogba was named young player of the tournament for his dynamic midfield performances, beating off competition from team-mate Raphael Varane and Memphis Depay of the Netherlands.
