Overview
The FIFA World Cup awards celebrate individual brilliance. The Golden Ball (best player), Golden Boot (top scorer), Golden Glove (best goalkeeper), and Best Young Player are given each tournament. Lionel Messi has won two Golden Balls. Just Fontaine holds the scoring record with 13 goals in 1958.
More Than Just a Trophy
The FIFA World Cup is the biggest event in football. Every four years, 32 teams fight for the trophy. But besides the team winner, there are individual awards. These awards honour the best player, top goal scorer, best goalkeeper, and best young player of the tournament. Knowing these winners is important for sports general knowledge and exam preparation. This article gives you the complete list from 1930 to 2022.
The Four Major Individual Awards
1. Golden Ball (Best Player of the Tournament)
The Golden Ball is given to the most outstanding player of the World Cup. A technical study group of FIFA experts votes for it. The winner is often the player who changes games with his skill, leadership, and impact. The second-best player gets the Silver Ball, and the third-best gets the Bronze Ball.
2. Golden Boot (Top Goal Scorer)
The Golden Boot goes to the player who scores the most goals in the tournament. If two players have the same number of goals, the one with more assists wins. If still tied, the player who played fewer minutes wins. Before 1966, the award was given retrospectively by FIFA.
3. Golden Glove (Best Goalkeeper)
The Golden Glove was first introduced in 1994 as the Lev Yashin Award. It was renamed Golden Glove in 2010. It is given to the best goalkeeper of the tournament. The winner is chosen based on saves, clean sheets, and overall performance.
4. Best Young Player
This award started in 2006. It is given to the best player aged 21 or under at the start of the calendar year. The winner is chosen by FIFA’s Technical Study Group.
Complete FIFA World Cup Awards Winners List (1930–2022)
2022 – Golden Ball: Lionel Messi (Argentina) | Golden Boot: Kylian Mbappé (France) – 8 goals | Golden Glove: Emiliano Martínez (Argentina) | Best Young Player: Enzo Fernández (Argentina)
2018 – Golden Ball: Luka Modric (Croatia) | Golden Boot: Harry Kane (England) – 6 goals | Golden Glove: Thibaut Courtois (Belgium) | Best Young Player: Kylian Mbappé (France)
2014 – Golden Ball: Lionel Messi (Argentina) | Golden Boot: James Rodríguez (Colombia) – 6 goals | Golden Glove: Manuel Neuer (Germany) | Best Young Player: Paul Pogba (France)
2010 – Golden Ball: Diego Forlán (Uruguay) | Golden Boot: Thomas Müller (Germany) – 5 goals | Golden Glove: Iker Casillas (Spain) | Best Young Player: Thomas Müller (Germany)
2006 – Golden Ball: Zinedine Zidane (France) | Golden Boot: Miroslav Klose (Germany) – 5 goals | Golden Glove: Gianluigi Buffon (Italy) | Best Young Player: Lukas Podolski (Germany)
2002 – Golden Ball: Oliver Kahn (Germany) | Golden Boot: Ronaldo (Brazil) – 8 goals | Golden Glove: Oliver Kahn (Germany) | Best Young Player: Not awarded
1998 – Golden Ball: Ronaldo (Brazil) | Golden Boot: Davor Šuker (Croatia) – 6 goals | Golden Glove: Fabien Barthez (France) | Best Young Player: Not awarded
1994 – Golden Ball: Romário (Brazil) | Golden Boot: Oleg Salenko (Russia) – 6 goals | Golden Glove: Michel Preud’homme (Belgium) | Best Young Player: Not awarded
1990 – Golden Ball: Salvatore Schillaci (Italy) | Golden Boot: Salvatore Schillaci (Italy) – 6 goals | Golden Glove: Not awarded | Best Young Player: Not awarded
1986 – Golden Ball: Diego Maradona (Argentina) | Golden Boot: Gary Lineker (England) – 6 goals | Golden Glove: Not awarded | Best Young Player: Not awarded
1982 – Golden Ball: Paolo Rossi (Italy) | Golden Boot: Paolo Rossi (Italy) – 6 goals | Golden Glove: Not awarded | Best Young Player: Not awarded
1978 – Golden Ball: Mario Kempes (Argentina) | Golden Boot: Mario Kempes (Argentina) – 6 goals | Golden Glove: Not awarded | Best Young Player: Not awarded
1974 – Golden Ball: Not awarded | Golden Boot: Grzegorz Lato (Poland) – 7 goals | Golden Glove: Not awarded | Best Young Player: Not awarded
1970 – Golden Ball: Not awarded | Golden Boot: Gerd Müller (West Germany) – 10 goals | Golden Glove: Not awarded | Best Young Player: Not awarded
1966 – Golden Ball: Not awarded | Golden Boot: Eusébio (Portugal) – 9 goals | Golden Glove: Not awarded | Best Young Player: Not awarded
1962 – Golden Ball: Not awarded | Golden Boot: Florian Albert (Hungary) – 4 goals | Golden Glove: Not awarded | Best Young Player: Not awarded
1958 – Golden Ball: Not awarded | Golden Boot: Just Fontaine (France) – 13 goals | Golden Glove: Not awarded | Best Young Player: Not awarded
1954 – Golden Ball: Not awarded | Golden Boot: Sándor Kocsis (Hungary) – 11 goals | Golden Glove: Not awarded | Best Young Player: Not awarded
1950 – Golden Ball: Not awarded | Golden Boot: Ademir (Brazil) – 8 goals | Golden Glove: Not awarded | Best Young Player: Not awarded
1938 – Golden Ball: Not awarded | Golden Boot: Leônidas (Brazil) – 8 goals | Golden Glove: Not awarded | Best Young Player: Not awarded
1934 – Golden Ball: Not awarded | Golden Boot: Oldrich Nejedlý (Czechoslovakia) – 5 goals | Golden Glove: Not awarded | Best Young Player: Not awarded
1930 – Golden Ball: Not awarded | Golden Boot: Guillermo Stábile (Argentina) – 8 goals | Golden Glove: Not awarded | Best Young Player: Not awarded
Note: Golden Glove and Best Young Player awards did not exist before the years shown.
Most Memorable Records
Highest Goals in a Single World Cup
Just Fontaine (France, 1958) – 13 goals. This record still stands today. No player has come close to breaking it.
Most Golden Ball Awards
Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 2 times (2014 and 2022). He is the only player to win the Golden Ball twice.
Only Goalkeeper to Win Golden Ball
Oliver Kahn (Germany, 2002) – He is the only goalkeeper in history to receive the Golden Ball. His performance in 2002 was extraordinary despite Germany losing the final.
Youngest Best Young Player Winner