World Cup 2018: 5 awards given out at the end of the tournament and who could win them

#3 Golden ball

The Golden ball award

The Golden ball is perhaps the most prestigious award on this list. It is presented to the best player at each FIFA World Cup final, with a shortlist drawn up by the FIFA technical committee and the winner voted for by representatives of the media.

Much like the golden boot, the golden ball too has awards for runners-up in the form of a silver ball and a bronze ball.

The previous world cup unsurprisingly saw the phenomenal Leo Messi bag the golden ball. Thomas Muller and Arjen Robben claimed the silver and bronze ball respectively.

The 2010 edition saw a surprise player win the much coveted golden ball, Diego Forlan was an absolute revelation at that World Cup, scoring some magical goals and leading his country Uruguay to the semi-finals.

Potential winners

Lionel Messi - Argentina

Cristiano Ronaldo - Portugal

Neymar Jr. - Brazil

Kevin de Bruyne/Eden Hazard - Belgium

Antoine Griezmann - France