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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Ewan Ross-Murray

World Cup Golden Ball: Full List of Winners

Lionel Messi World Cup Diego Maradona Argentina Paolo Rossi Zinedine Zidane Germany Italy Diego Forlán France

First introduced in 1982, the Golden Ball has become a staple of each World Cup.

The fierce battle for the honor at the 2026 World Cup in North America was won by Spain captain Rodri, who managed to prevent Lionel Messi from becoming the first player in the competition’s history to win the accolade in consecutive tournaments.

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