The World Cups finals are tonight and many eyes are on the Golden ball.
The Golden Ball trophy is awarded every World Cup to the best player of the tournament. Followed by a second place Silver ball and third place Bronze ball.
FIFA’s Technical Study Group announced the Golden ball nominees on 9th July. Here’s a quick review of the nominees and what the FIFA Technical Study Group have to say about them:
Diego Forlan (Uruguay) – Striker
Architect of the team’s attack, very influential, great impact for his team, provider of quality final passes, goal scorer, set pieces/shots from long range
Asamoah Gyan (Ghana) – Striker
Huge work rate, efficient, good dribbler, creates problems to each defence, good goal scorer
Andres Iniesta (Spain) – Mid-Fielder
Very fine ball-playing attacking midfielder, a star for the team, impressive dribbling ability
Lionel Messi (Argentina) – Forward
The best footballer around , Outstanding in his pace and creativity for his team, dribbling, shooting, passing – spectacular and efficien
Mesut Oezil (Germany) – Mid-Fielder
A real talent for the present and the future, quick feet and great vision, good final and decisive passes
Arjen Robben (Netherlands) – Forward
Very good pace and dribbling skills, wonderful ability to cut inside from the right, effective to his team
Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany) – Mid-Fielder
Impressive by his first pass (forward and accurate), very good passer, has moments of individual brilliance, ball-winner
Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands) – Mid-Fielder
A maestro in midfield, exceptional work rate, the engine of Netherland’s attacks, excellent passer and scorer
David Villa (Spain) – Forward
Top scorer; quick, two footed, very good on one-on-one situations, provides good final passes, excellent finisher
Xavi (Spain) – Mid-Fielder
The metronome and the engine of the Spanish team, very influential in the passing style of the game, one of the finest midfielders in the tournament
The winners would be voted on by accredited media representatives and announced tonight after the final game. This time around, however, FIFA has decided to wait until the final whistle at Soccer City before the votes are cast, an important decision coming after Zidane’s head-butting right after he had just won the Golden Ball at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
The absence of top players such as Rooney, Kaka and Ronaldo, who were favourites at the beginning of the tournament is another in a long string of disappointments since the World Cup began in June. However, the player whose absence is angering most fans is Thomas Mueller of Germany who emerged as an overnight success with his four goals, including two against England and one against Argentina.
Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan, the player with the most shots in the tournament at 33, has made it to the list as he spearheaded Ghana's charge to the quarter-finals with three goals and looked set to be the star player for Africa until he missed the crucial penalty shot against Uruguay.
The presence of both Oezil and Schweinsteiger reinstates Germany’s mid-field dominance in this tournament. A relative unknown, Oezil proved to be a surprise as he scored a stunning long range strike against Ghana and ripped England to shreds in the 4-1 second round, while Schweinsteiger superbly headed the midfield for Germany's young team.
But the clear favourites are David Villa and Wesley Sneijder, with 5 goals each so far in the tournament, which also puts them in the lead for the Golden Boot. Since votes will be cast after the match, both players have a last chance to outshine the other. Iniesta and Xavi of Spain are also top competitors and will have the same edge of being part of the final game. With Dutch player Arjen Robben also in the top 10 list, we can be sure of an exciting game tonight as 5 players compete for the top spot.
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