Fifa describes the Golden Ball as the award given to ‘the best player at each Fifa World Cup finals’, but the trophy is beginning to feel more like a consolation prize.
Here are the past five winners of the Golden Ball, none of whom played for the champions:
Brazil 2014
Lionel Messi was given the Golden Ball after a vote by Fifa’s technical committee. Messi’s Argentina finished second to Germany and he had four goals, but none in the knockout rounds. He said of the award: “The truth is, it doesn’t interest me at this moment.” Scroll down to see a video of Messi at his best in Brazil.
South Africa 2010
A vote of media members gave Uruguay's Diego Forlan the award. His team were fourth and his five goals were matched by three others, including Spain's David Villa. Some say a strong case can be made for Forlan, who scored in the quarter-finals and semi-finals.
Germany 2006
France's Zinedine Zidane won, perhaps more on reputation than performance. He scored three goals, two were penalties, and left the tournament on an infamous note: he was shown a red card in the final for butting Marco Materazzi. Italy won in a shoot-out. His performance against Brazil was pretty memorable.
South Korea/Japan 2002
The goalkeeper Oliver Kahn was voted "best player" despite his Germany losing 2-0 to Brazil in the final. Kahn had conceded only one goal in six matches, but Ronaldo got two against him in the final and ended with eight goals, three more than anyone else scored. Click here to see Khan's top five saves from the tournament.
France 1998
Ronaldo won the Golden Ball despite Zidane, the "best player" in the minds of most, scoring twice in France's 3-0 victory over Brazil in the final and despite Ronaldo's limp performance following a seizure, or panic attack, before the match. Ronaldo has flashes of brillance before the final.
