Name the players that have won the Golden Ball, Silver Ball, and Bronze Ball in FIFA World Cups. Includes official awards awarded after 1982, and one unofficial award from 1978.
Some inconsistent choices here: in most tournaments the top scorer got in the top 3, or even won the Golden Ball as well. Not in 86, 06, or 18 though, despite the last two making the semis. The Danish player who finished 3rd (an ace dribbler, one of my favourite players of the time) went out in the 2nd round!
Meanwhile, there were some questionable decisions made: Messi was very good in 2014, but not top 3 (blame Adidas for that one).
Over the entire course of the tournament, Bruno Conti should have put Rossi into 2nd in 1982, although Rossi winning isn't a poor choice.
Matthaus and Schillaci (R.I.P.) in 1990 should be reversed, with Maradona replaced by about a dozen others (Brehme, Gascoigne, Goycochea, etc).
Surely captain/winner Cannavaro deserves it over Zidane, even with the French great's performances against Spain and Brazil? It is still the best performance by a defender in any World Cup I've seen.
Some inconsistent choices here: in most tournaments the top scorer got in the top 3, or even won the Golden Ball as well. Not in 86, 06, or 18 though, despite the last two making the semis. The Danish player who finished 3rd (an ace dribbler, one of my favourite players of the time) went out in the 2nd round!
Over the entire course of the tournament, Bruno Conti should have put Rossi into 2nd in 1982, although Rossi winning isn't a poor choice.
Matthaus and Schillaci (R.I.P.) in 1990 should be reversed, with Maradona replaced by about a dozen others (Brehme, Gascoigne, Goycochea, etc).
Surely captain/winner Cannavaro deserves it over Zidane, even with the French great's performances against Spain and Brazil? It is still the best performance by a defender in any World Cup I've seen.