Correcting Past Golden Ball Mistakes at the World Cup

Whether it’s Messi in 2014, Modrić in 2018 or Brazil’s Ronaldo in 1998, FIFA doesn’t always get its top individual World Cup honor right.

Since the 1982 World Cup, the player judged the best in the tournament has been awarded the Golden Ball. In recent times, the decision has been made just before the final, which can lead to some odd moments, as when Zinedine Zidane won it having been sent off in the final in 2006, or when Lionel Messi collected the trophy looking crushed after Argentina had lost to Germany in the 2014 final. As ever, these awards tend to favor forwards. So, looking back over the 10 previous winners of the award, who should have won it? And where did FIFA get it right?

1982 

WINNER: Paolo Rossi, Italy
ALTERNATIVE: Rossi

There’s little doubt Paolo Rossi was the story of the tournament. A ban imposed for his part in a match-fixing scandal was commuted shortly before the tournament, and he looked short of match sharpness in the group stage as Italy qualified ahead of Cameroon only because it had scored more goals. But in the second game of the second group phase, Rossi came alive. Italy had to beat Brazil to go through, and he scored a hat trick in a win. He added two more in the semifinal and a further goal in the final. Are three decisive games enough to claim the award?

Perhaps they are, in the absence of obvious other candidates. West Germany, which lost in the final, was a grimly brutal side that got through the first round only after an arranged result against Austria, while the victory over France in the semifinal came only after Harald Schumacher’s awful foul on Patrick Battiston. Zbigniew Boniek was brilliant for Poland, which finished third. A Brazilian maybe? Falcāo and Sócrates excelled, but Brazil did not even make the semifinal. Perhaps Michel Platini, who led France to the semifinal? Alain Giresse or Jean Tigana?

Really it has to be an Italian. Dino Zoff, in goal, was a model of consistency and made an exceptional save to deny Oscar in the vital game against Brazil. Gaetano Scirea, the great sweeper, was a model of elegance. Bruno Conti was tireless on the right wing, and Antonio Cabrini from left back. But Rossi was decisive. Good cases can be made for Scirea or Conti, but Rossi is an example of a goalscorer who probably deserved the acclaim.

1986

WINNER: Diego Maradona, Argentina
ALTERNATIVE: Maradona

On this occasion, there really cannot be any doubt. No player has ever dominated a tournament as Diego Maradona dominated the 1986 World Cup. He endured a fierce kicking from South Korea, but inspired a 3–1 win in the opening group game and then scored in the draw against Italy. He played key roles against Bulgaria and Uruguay but it was in the quarterfinal against England that he came alive.

Argentina’s coach, Carlos Bilardo, switched shape to a back three, which meant Maradona advanced to play not behind two central strikers but as a second forward behind Jorge Valdano. He thrived. Having put Argentina ahead with the Hand of God goal, he then scored the brilliant second, perhaps the greatest goal in World Cup history, slaloming from the halfway line. 

He got two more brilliant goals in the semifinal against Belgium and then, although he and Lothar Matthäus largely canceled each other out in the final, it was Maradona who began the move that led to Jorge Burruchaga’s late winner. At the final whistle, he was chaired around pitch at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City by a jubilant crowd.

Were there even other contenders? Schumacher, the West Germany goalkeeper, came second in the official award, while Matthäus grew into the tournament. France, which lost to West Germany in the semifinal, was not the side it had been four years earlier, despite its epic win over Brazil in the last eight. Gary Lineker’s goals won him the Golden Boot. Enzo Scifo was the jewel of a superb Belgium midfield. But Maradona outshone everybody else by a distance.

1990

WINNER: Salvatore Schillaci, Italy 
ALTERNATIVE: Lothar Matthäus, West Germany

The 1990 award is perhaps the oddest of all. Schillaci’s goals elevated Italy, and his story was reminiscent of Rossi’s in 1982. He had not been in the Italy team at the start of the tournament, but he came off the bench after 75 minutes of Italy’s first game, against Austria. Within a minute he had scored the only goal of the game. He was a player who hit form at exactly the right time, scoring the opening goal in the final group against Czechoslovakia, the last-16 win over Uruguay, the quarterfinal win over Ireland and in the semifinal against Argentina. A penalty in the third-place playoff earned him the Golden Boot.

His was a remarkable story, but it felt like the narrative of the hosts had been allowed to overshadow the story of the best team there. West Germany was by some distance the best side at Italia 1990, as demonstrated by its demolition of Yugoslavia in the group stage and the way it was able to resist the England comeback in the semifinal and then outfight and outsmart an awkward Argentina in the final. Andreas Brehme, the experienced fullback, was exceptional, but the star was the captain, Matthäus, whose energy and example drove West Germany on. His second goal against Yugoslavia was a classic.

Maradona, wrestling his demons, helped inspire Argentina to the final, and his pass for Claudio Caniggia’s winner against Brazil was extraordinary, but the brawling and arguing of his side won them few friends. Paul Gascoigne was probably the outstanding England player, his inventiveness helping inspire a move to a more attacking style. In some ways the personality of the tournament was Roger Milla of Cameroon, who scored four times as to make his side the first African team to reach the quarterfinal. But it was Matthäus who stood out.

1994 

WINNER: Romario, Brazil
ALTERNATIVE: Dunga, Brazil

Player of the Match awards at World Cups tend to go to either the most famous player or the player who scored the vital goal. In that regard, it perhaps makes sense Romario was the Golden Ball winner at the 1994 World Cup. He scored five times in that tournament, including the opening goal in the quarterfinal win over the Netherlands and the winner in the semifinal against Sweden. It’s true that without Romario’s goals, Brazil would probably not have won that World Cup, but the strength of that Brazil side was not its attack. Rather, that was a team based on its capacity to defend: It conceded just three goals in seven games and kept five clean sheets.

After years when the rest of the world doubted Brazilian goalkeepers, not always entirely fairly, Cláudio Taffarel was an obvious star, while the central defensive pairing of Aldair and Márcio Santos was admirably rugged. But the leader and organizer, the driving heart of the side, was Dunga, the holding midfielder, a player who seemed determined to defy every stereotype of Brazilian football, which is perhaps why he didn’t even come in the top three of voting for the Golden Ball.

Roberto Baggio came second, largely for his game-changing performance in Italy’s win over Nigeria in the last 16, but he had a troubled relationship with Italy’s coach Arrigo Sacchi, and then missed a penalty in the shootout in the final. The progress of Sweden and Bulgaria to the semifinals was a surprise, and cases could be made for either Tomas Brolin or Hristo Stoichkov, who came third in the voting. But it was Dunga who dominated the tournament and Brazil that won, playing in his image.

1998

WINNER: Ronaldo, Brazil
ALTERNATIVE: Lilian Thuram, France

1998 was the prime example of a strange situation coming out of FIFA’s decision to decide the winner before the final. Ronaldo was initially left out of Brazil’s starting XI for the final and then mysteriously reinstated. Rumors flew about that he had had some sort of fit. As it turned out, he played like he was in no condition to do so, as France won 3–0.

Had Ronaldo actually been that good in the tournament? He had scored only four goals, one a penalty and one the fourth goal in an easy win over Chile—but he also got the opener in the semifinal against the Netherlands. That was never a Brazil side that sparkled as previous iterations had, nor did it have the defensive solidity of 1994.

So who, then, should have won the award? That was an odd World Cup in which no side was consistently excellent. Argentina began well, with Gabriel Batistuta in prolific form. But it lost to the Netherlands in the semifinal. Dennis Bergkamp, who got the winner in that game, had a fine tournament, always able to find angles. Croatia, inspired by the goals of Davor Šuker and the midfield prompting of Robert Prosinečki, was the great surprise, coming third.

But after a slow start, it was France that came through to win. Zinedine Zidane scored two headers in the final, but he had missed two games after being sent off against Saudi Arabia. This really was a success based on a solid defense. Marcel Desailly and Laurent Blanc (who was suspended for the final) were immense, protected by Didier Deschamps and Emmanuel Petit. But perhaps the standout player was Lilian Thuram, more naturally a center back, who operated at right back and, when his country needed him in the semifinal, scored twice to overturn a one-goal deficit against Croatia—the only goals he ever scored for his country.

Ronaldo missed out on winning the Golden Ball in 2002, despite his eight goals, including two in the final against Germany :: IMAGO/Allstar

2002

WINNER: Oliver Kahn, Germany
ALTERNATIVE: Ronaldo, Brazil

No modern tournament has known so many shocks and featured so many of the less-fancied sides in the final stages. This was not a strong Germany—in fact, after a desperate showing at Euro 2000, a revolution was underway to regenerate how German football was played—but it ground its way to the final, thanks in part to the excellence of its goalkeeper Oliver Kahn. But then an error from him in the final, spilling a Rivaldo shot, allowed Ronaldo to pounce and open the scoring—again, the issue of deciding the award before the most important game.

Once Brazil had beaten a drab England in the quarterfinal, there was a sense it was the only side that could win that World Cup. South Korea delighted with its run to the semifinal, which is why Hong Myung-bo, the elegant central defender, came third in the voting, but it also benefited from some generous refereeing decisions. Senegal thrilled by beating France and reaching the quarterfinal, with Salif Diao and El-Hadji Diouf impressing enough to earn moves to Liverpool, but, Brazil aside, that was not a World Cup high on quality.

So which Brazilian to reward? Ronaldinho had a number of great moments, especially his free kick against England. Rivaldo was a constant menace. The two wing backs, Cafu and Roberto Carlos, were a throwback tandem harkening the great attacking days of Brazilian fullbacks. But Ronaldo scored eight goals, including a double in the final and, for the narrative quality of his comeback after what had happened in the final four years earlier, probably deserved the Golden Ball.

2006

WINNER: Zinedine Zidane, France
ALTERNATIVE: Fabio Cannavaro, Italy

There is a sense sometimes with the Golden Ball that there is a desire to anoint a great, to reward him for a brilliant career. Zidane turned 34 during the 2006 tournament. He was coming to the end. He had not had a great World Cup—suspended for a crucial phase in 1998 and then part of the France side eliminated in the group stage in 2002. Narrative seemed to demand this would be his tournament.

Against Brazil in the quarterfinal, he was majestic, and he converted a penalty for the only goal in the semifinal. When he then put France ahead in the final with a Panenka penalty that hit the underside of the bar and bounced down over the line, it seemed like his tournament. But then, after Italy had equalized, came his headbutt on Marco Materazzi, this final act as a footballer as he was sent off.

Miroslav Klose won the Golden Boot, as the only player to score more than three goals in the tournament, the spearhead of a new Germany, driven forward by Michael Ballack in midfield and the emerging intelligent fullback Philipp Lahm. Portugal, under Luiz Felipe Scolari, who had led Brazil to the title four years earlier, also reached the semifinal, a tough uncompromising side in which the central defender Ricardo Carvalho was exceptional in a back four habitually protected by Maniche and Costinha.

Even Italy, the eventual champion, did not have one outstanding attacking player, its success based on Marcello Lippi’s astute shuffling of the six forwards in his squad. Andrea Pirlo, at the back of midfield, was the great creative presence, Gianluigi Buffon dominated in goal and Fabio Grosso’s sorties from left-back added an important additional angle to the attack, but the outstanding figure was the central defender Fabio Cannavaro. He was not tall for a center back, but dominated with his reading of the game and was recognized later that year with the Ballon d’Or.

2010

WINNER: Diego Forlan, Uruguay
ALTERNATIVE: Xavi, Spain

Perhaps no Golden Ball decision quite sums up the desire to reward a forward as 2010. Diego Forlan was good in South Africa. He scored five goals as Uruguay reached the semifinal. But was he that good? Again, suggesting the way goals and forwards dominate the awards, the players who came second and third in the Golden Ball also got five goals, Wesley Sneijder and David Villa. The fourth player to score five, Thomas Müller, took the Golden Boot thanks to the number of assist he registered.

But that wasn’t really a tournament about goals. Spain, the champion, only scored eight goals. All four of its knockout games were won 1–0. But it wasn’t a defensive team in the traditional sense. It didn’t sit deep and absorb pressure. Rather, Spain controlled games through possession. It held the ball and challenged opponents to get it back. And, because the likes of Sergio Busquets, Xabi Alonso, Andres Iniesta and, especially, Xavi, were so good in possession, other teams ended up chasing fruitlessly, wearing themselves out before committing the mistake that would hand Spain a goal and the win.

Very few tournaments have ever been so dominated by a particular style of play and it seems very odd the Golden Ball award did not recognize that. Anyone in that Spain midfield, frankly, would be a worthy recipient, and Iniesta scored the winner in the final, but it was Xavi who perhaps was the most characteristic—the brain who knitted everything together and ensured there was still a creative threat, that the possession was not merely sterile.

Toni Kroos’s (left) midfield play was a big reason why Germany lifted the trophy in 2014 :: IMAGO/ANP

2014

WINNER: Lionel Messi, Argentina
ALTERNATIVE: Toni Kroos, Germany

Lionel Messi flickered through the World Cup in Brazil. There were moments of greatness—the winner against Bosnia-Herzegovina, the late winner against Iran, the two goals against Nigeria, the through-ball for Angel Di Maria’s late winner against Switzerland—but there was a sense that they never quite cohered into a whole. That was a disjointed Argentina, almost cursed by having too many forwards, unable to find a proper rhythm. Messi himself was going through a phase when he would regularly vomit before and during games. He was oddly disengaged. He was captain, but very much a silent leader, hanging at the back of groups, letting Javier Mascherano speak. He looked under pressure.

In the semifinal against the Netherlands, Messi was marked out of the game by Nigel de Jong. His influence over the final was minimal, although he did set up one glorious chance for Gonzalo Higuain. His end to the tournament seemed to be summed up by a late free-kick, Argentina’s final chance, which he overhit for a goal kick.

But who else starred in that World Cup? Germany, the champion, had a strange tournament, dominated by the 7-1 win over Brazil in the semifinal. That, though, was atypical. Germany was, essentially, at least in the final three games, a solid counter-attacking side. France and Argentina were both beaten 1–0. The 7–1 happened because of Brazilian hysteria. Thomas Müller scored five goals and Klose had a vital role to play as the lone front man after being recalled, but the key to that side was probably the control given by the passing qualities and intelligence of the midfield, led by Toni Kroos.

2018

WINNER: Luka Modrić, Croatia
ALTERNATIVE: N’Golo Kante, France

It’s readily understandable that Luka Modrić won the Golden Ball. He is, after all, a wonderful player and seemed to be coming to the end of a great career in which he had been slightly overshadowed by Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. At another time, he would have won multiple Ballons d’Or. There was a sense that year of a desire to reward him, and he added the Ballon d’Or that December.

And he was good in that World Cup, particularly in the semifinal as Croatia fought back to beat England. There’s no reason the Golden Ball has to go to a member of the winning team, but at the same time, it was only belatedly that tournament came to feel about Croatia, for whom Ivan Perišić may think he had been no worse than Modrić. France, on the other, had looked the team to beat early, having narrowly missed out in the final of the Euros.

Kylian Mbappé scored four goals in the tournament and, at times, as against Argentina, looked unstoppable. Antoine Griezmann came third in the Golden Ball and played a key role. But France’s strength was the back of its midfield. The Argentina game, won 4–3, was something of a freak, while the second goal conceded in the final was the result of a Hugo Lloris error with the game already won. France let in a single goal in the group stage and its wins over Uruguay and Belgium, 2–0 and 1–0, respectively, were far more characteristic. This was a side based on its strong defense and the midfield that protected it. In that regard, the key player was probably N’Golo Kante, a tireless worker whose stamina and reading of the game gave Paul Pogba license, and it is he who probably should have won the award that year.