L. Messi and the Argentinians reached the final but lost to Spain in extra time 0:1.
The Spanish triumph meant that for the first time in the history of the World Cup, the best player of the tournament was chosen from this country – the national team captain Rodri.
Second in the “Golden Ball” race was L. Messi, who remains the only player to have won this award twice (2014 and 2022) and was vying for a third prize.
On Sunday, he also became only the second player after Brazilian Cafu to have played in three World Cup finals in his career, and it was this Brazilian football legend who defended the Argentine who recorded 8 goals and 4 assists in the world championship after the final.
“During this World Cup, there were many cases when fans and experts talked about controversial decisions in favor of Argentina, but this FIFA decision is incomprehensible,” said 1994 and 2002 World Cup champion Cafu.
– Lionel Messi deserves respect and recognition for this World Cup. He was incredible in every Argentina match, and if winning the tournament is enough to win the “Golden Ball,” we should stop awarding this prize. There is no point for good players to try and not get any reward for it.
This is the worst decision I have seen in a World Cup. Rodri is a wonderful and talented player, but looking at his and Lionel Messi’s statistics in this tournament, there is nothing to compare. Numbers don’t lie, nor do performances, so I don’t know why this decision was made this way.”
Rodri did not score a single goal or assist during the World Cup. However, it is worth emphasizing that the 30-year-old Manchester City player plays in a defensive midfield position, where the main task is to control the ball and defend against opponents’ attacks. The Spaniards conceded only 1 goal throughout the tournament.
Interestingly, Rodri is only the second player from the champion team since 1994 to win the “Golden Ball.” Four years ago, L. Messi did it, and before that, six times in a row, the best player of the tournament was a player who did not win the trophy.
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