World Cup Golden Ball winners.
Golden Ball winners (1982-2022)
| Year | Player | Country | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Paolo Rossi | Italy | Also Golden Boot (6 goals). Cleared corruption ban months before; led Italy to title. |
| 1986 | Diego Maradona | Argentina | Hand of God + Goal of the Century vs England. Carried Argentina to the title. |
| 1990 | Salvatore Schillaci | Italy | Surprise top scorer with 6 goals; semi-final exit at home. |
| 1994 | Romário | Brazil | 5 goals, including the semi-final winner vs Sweden; Brazil's 4th title. |
| 1998 | Ronaldo Nazário | Brazil | Despite Brazil's 0-3 final loss; Ronaldo's pre-match illness remains contested history. |
| 2002 | Oliver Kahn | Germany | Only goalkeeper to ever win the Golden Ball. |
| 2006 | Zinedine Zidane | France | Won the award despite being sent off in the final for headbutting Materazzi. |
| 2010 | Diego Forlán | Uruguay | 5 goals; carried Uruguay to a 4th-place finish. |
| 2014 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Beaten in the final by Germany; awarded the Ball anyway. |
| 2018 | Luka Modrić | Croatia | Croatia's historic run to the final; he won Ballon d'Or the same year. |
| 2022 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 7 goals, including the final; finally lifted the trophy. |
The Golden Ball (originally Adidas Golden Ball Award) has been given to the tournament's best player since 1982. Voted by accredited media on shortlist of three.
Patterns in the Golden Ball
Only goalkeeper: Oliver Kahn in 2002 — still the only keeper ever to win the award.
Despite losing the final: Five winners did NOT win the trophy — Schillaci (semis 1990), Ronaldo (final 1998), Zidane (final 2006), Messi (final 2014), Modrić (final 2018). The award goes to the best player of the tournament, not the winning team.
Two-time winner: Messi in 2014 (losing) and 2022 (winning) is the only player to win twice.
Pre-1982 best-player recognition: Pre-1982 there was no official Golden Ball, but FIFA Technical Studies named a "best player" each tournament including Pelé (1970), Cruyff (1974), Mario Kempes (1978), Bobby Charlton (1966), Garrincha (1962), Didi (1958), Ferenc Puskás (1954), Zizinho (1950), Leônidas (1938), Giuseppe Meazza (1934), and José Nasazzi (1930).
More from the World Cup category
- → World Cup category index
- → World Cup 2026 — live hub
- → All-time top scorers
- → Country rankings — all-time medals
- → Finals history (1930-2022)
- → Golden Ball winners
- → Golden Glove winners
- → World Cup records
- → Famous supporter groups
- → Player legends — top 20
- → Country histories (Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Italy, France, Uruguay, Spain, England)