MrRenaissance: I think NOT. Messi was outplayed by Robben. This is broad daylight robbery. I've learnt that FIFA is the worst Hypocrites and Rascist ever. I don't even need to mention names, the case of Onazi vs Matuidi and Neymar Vs Zuniga, readily comes to mind.

And the most important, FIFA is the most Corrupt Organization in the world.

How the fùck did Messi merit the Golden Ball ahead of Robben? No wonder Maradona and any sane individual hates FIFA. Bunch of biased fucktards.

Watch them crown Messi world best like they did in 2010 even when Millito, Sneijder and Iniesta were better choices. FIFA is a fraud!!

Ephemmm:


You mean Ronaldo won "peak milk thing" before getting his last award? for your information, he won it in a season when Mourhino went trophyless for the first time in his carrer. C ronaldo was not even the highest goal scorer in La liga despite Messi's injury. Check it out. In 2006, Zidane won the Golden Ball award with 3 goals(2 penalties) and 1 assist. Got a red card in the final and his team finished as runner up. So what is the big deal here?

vislabraye: . I can imagine Ronaldo laughing. FIFA has a poor sense of judgment.

Jhydey192:

That's why there's golden boot

biggybig: WHATS CONTROVERSIAL ABOUT MESSI WINNING THE GOLDEN BALL?

Long before the semi final matches were played i knew there was no other person more suited and worthy for the Golden Ball award other than Messi, he alone and with Mascherano supporting, dragged an ordinary looking Argentina team to the World cup final! No other player has had such collosal influence on their teams fortune since 1986 when Maradona, the Argentine legend Messi looks to emulate, did the same in 1986 winning the world cup all by himself for the nation. It came as no suprise then that he scooped the award on a night that what really matters to Messi wasn't the award but the world cup itself.

What came as a suprise, however was how the decision to award Messi the golden ball was derided as controversial and a compensation to Messi for not winning the world cup. Nothing could be further from the truth. Stats and facts points to no other worthy winner than Messi. Below are the factors that makes him one.

*LEADERSHIP&IMPACT - Without Messi's influence Argentina wouldn't have made it past the group stage. Of the 6goals Argentina scored at the group stage Messi was responsible for four, representing over 67% of the teams effort. Robben, the dutch who came third in the running for the golden ball award scored 3 and assisted 1 out of the 10goals Netherland scored at the group stage, that amounts to 40% contribution of his team efforts while Muller did much better scoring 4 of Germany's 7goals accounting for 57% of of his team's total output. All these 3 contenders has their biggest influence during the group stages of the competition just like you would expect more goals to be scored at the group stage than at the knockout stage!

Would Germany have gone this far without Muller? Yes they would have done so! Thank God for all of Mullers goal but this team could have called on podolski, klose, Schurrle and they would have delivered.

Holland needs Robben, but they needed their coach Louis van Gaal much more to have gotten this far. His tactics and ability to manage this young group of players got Holland this far more than Robbens goal, but then Holland still had Rvp, Dempay and Sneijder who equally did their part.

However same could not be said of Argentina, up until Di maria's goal against Switzerland, it looks as though it was only Messi that was interested in playing for Argentina. Make no mistake about this, apart from the goals he scored, Messi was at the heart of 80% Argentina did positively at the World Cup. No one has had greater impacts on his team fortune than the little Argentine.

*KNOCKOUT DEBATE
One of the argument against Messi winning the Golden Ball was the fact that he registered no goal at the knockout stages of the world cup. Its a fact, but this award isn't for the highest goal scorer, its for the best player of the tournament and you don't need to score goals to be the best player of the tournament. Messis assist against Switzerland was crucial in getting them to the quarterfinal and against Belgium he held off the challenges of 2players ran into space, release Di maria who released Higuain for the goal, that was a crucial build up to the goal. Yes he didn't scored but he had moments that without them otherwise would have seen Argentina going home.

If Messi didn't deserve the award due to his knockout stages performance why then should Robben deserves it? What did Robben did at the Knockout stages of the competition that Messi didn't do? Nothing. Well he did something, he dived for the penalty that got Holland the win against Mexico! Other than that he had no output, no moment that counted. All his 3goals and 1 assists also came in the group stage of the competition!

Someone might say Robben troubled defences, so did Messi who was the dribbling master of the competition completing 46dribbles. He is also the tournament top chance creator with 23! So in what way was Robben better than Messi in this competition? In all the statistics that counts, Messi trumps Robben.

James Rodriguez scored 3 at the knockout stages but i cant recollect the last time the golden ball was won by a player whose team didn't made it past the quarter final! If you are that good then you should take your team far...simple! Messi carried his team, Rodriguez didn't.

MAN OF THE MATCH AWARD

Four man of the match award must count for something right? Especially when no other player matched that feat. Robben had 3Motm in this competition, one less than Messi who added a fourth one at the knockout stage. That surely counts!

- read more at www.facebook.com/soccertalknews or www.soccertalknews..com

- PAB

Ephemmm:


The importance of all Messi's goals to Argentina and his contribution even in the absence of Di Maria speak a lot.

Ephemmm:


You mean Ronaldo won "peak milk thing" before getting his last award? for your information, he won it in a season when Mourhino went trophyless for the first time in his carrer. C ronaldo was not even the highest goal scorer in La liga despite Messi's injury. Check it out. In 2006, Zidane won the Golden Ball award with 3 goals(2 penalties) and 1 assist. Got a red card in the final and his team finished as runner up. So what is the big deal here?

Jhydey192:
haha...he just lost the biggest game of his entire life..should he be jumping?.That face was from losing the game

pascalmilan11: Germany has d team but Argentina has messi ...remember golden ball is an individual award so dat boy deserved it

Fulaman198:

I don't think Forlan deserved it as well in 2010. However, Zidane did indeed deserve it in 2006.

einsteine: Even Maradona just said Messi did not deserve the award. www.goal.com/en/news/3790/world-cup-2014/2014/07/14/4958018/maradona-messi-didnt-deserve-golden-ball?ICID=HP_TS_9

thegoodjoehunt: The World Cup is not Ballon D'or. This is a tournament. It takes a best at something to be crowned the best player of the World Cup.

Best goal scorer, best assists, highest in combination when you look at assists and goals of all players. Best defender, best keeper. Or, a magical performance that gives your team the World Cup.

Look at 1982 final look at Paolo Rossi of 1982 World Cup who won the golden boot and scored a hat trick in the finals. You can not argue with it. Forlan in 2010, his five goals and three assists.

Even the CR7 Ballon D'or of 2013 was declared the highest goal scorer in a season in 2013. An astonishing 69 goals.

So what was the best Messi won to be the Golden ball winner? Nothing.

thegoodjoehunt: I have never heard of a Golden Ball given because a player was the most important. It is what the player brought to the table.

By the way, Argentina had better individual talents than the Germans. The Argentine chose to make Messi the point of their game. I feel that has been the downfall Of this Argentine Generation since after the 2005 WYC. Messi must be the best player, not Argentina must win.

The Germans chose to play as a team, the Argentines chose to make Messi shine in a World cup.

James Rodriguez did more than Messi in Five games compared to Messi's seven games. Messi did not deserve it.

thegoodjoehunt: The World Cup is not Ballon D'or. This is a tournament. It takes a best at something to be crowned the best player of the World Cup.

Best goal scorer, best assists, highest in combination when you look at assists and goals of all players. Best defender, best keeper. Or, a magical performance that gives your team the World Cup.

Look at 1982 final look at Paolo Rossi of 1982 World Cup who won the golden boot and scored a hat trick in the finals. You can not argue with it. Forlan in 2010, his five goals and three assists.

Even the CR7 Ballon D'or of 2013 was declared the highest goal scorer in a season in 2013. [b]An astonishing 69 goals.

So what was the best Messi won to be the Golden ball winner? Nothing. [/b]

ddippset: all these ronaldo fan boys sef! they are like an abused housewife who keeps coming back! 69 goals astonishing? what about 91 goals? lol. okay messi did not deserve the award, messi is not the best ever, messi is not greater than maradona. has ronaldo ever played in a world cup final? has ronaldo ever won a world cup medal? has ronaldo ever won a world cup bronze ball? no he cant. forget maradona, a new assignment for your 30 yr old ronaldo. at least this can make me sleep well at night.

ddippset: you again! you never tire? iam sure you didnt sleep well last nite because messi now has a world cup silver medal and a golden ball. james rodriguez did more and yet he went home in the quarter final, comparing him with messi who played in the final? so sad.

Messi plays with Lavezzi, Di Maria, Higuain, Mascherano, Zabaletta, Aguero = 4 goals and 1 assists in 7 games.

James Rodriguez plays with Teo Gutierrez, Ibarbo, Cuadrado, Jackson Martinez, Zuniga = 6 goals and 2 assists in 5 games.

mukina2: Everyone knows that messi is a good player, we accept, but why should FIFA/Sepp Blatter continue this Messi bias?
Mascherano was Argentina's best player by miles.

robbery at its finest

yegbamee: What best did Zidane win to be 2006 Golden ball winner?

thegoodjoehunt: You are being incoherent. I was not talking about CR7 being better than Messi read again. You will see you are the sentimental one here.

I said you have to be the best in some criteria before being tagged the best. Just like when Messi broke the scoring record of Gerd Müller.

You just went ballistic because I used CR7 as an example. I was responding to someone saying CR7 went trophyless and was still crowned the best.

He was the best at being the season's top goal scorer. In the World Cup, Messi was not an assists king or top goal scorer.

murimoney: those of u who are lamenting, lemme clear d air 4 ya. Golden ball is 4 best player of d tornament golden boot is 4 highest goal scorer. Messi was d driving force of argentina, whom still led them to d final, yes I know he didn't score any goals in d tornament. Robben played well but was a cheat all along, best diver lol. James rodriguez played his last worldcup game @ the quarter finals n he scored 6 goals which is d highest so he got his golden boot what else? Shurrle was always a subtitute, most of his goals were not vital, but his last asssist was n dat isn't enough. 4 me messi deserved it. #my opinion

ddippset: o yeah, you love to use examples that are so convenient for you. so when forlan won the golden ball in 2010, he was the best in what? when zidane won it in 2006 he was the best in what? when ribery won the european player of the year he was the best in what? you dont have to be best in anything, you have to be the best player. being best player doesnt stop at scoring the highest goals. it's left for the constituted panel to sit and decide. your problem is that you feel you know what is right and what is to be done! you ve got only one head, other people have got only one head as well. because you think something is right does ot make it right.

Habeyy: . stop analysing what u don't know...u said messi played well which was only in. d group stages..what about muller that scored an hatrick against Portugal and carry his form to the final or James Rodriguez that won't stop scoring from d group stage till d quarter final...probably u don't know he. also played and scored in d second. round. against Uruguay ..let ur argument be devoid of sentiment.. I believe NL is full of reasonable. people

thegoodjoehunt: We can not deny that Zidane was actually the best player in the 2006 World Cup. Without doubt, he was head and shoulders above everyone in that tournament.

Note when I listed criteria, I said something magical to give your team a lift. Zidane gave one of the greatest world cup performance ever seen in the game against Brazil in 2006. His game also against the Spaniards was breathless.

Zidan in 2006 World Cup was nothing less than magic.

Zinedine Zidane vs Brazil - Magical Performance 2006 WC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNxDze0Ggag

thegoodjoehunt: We can not deny that Zidane was actually the best player in the 2006 World Cup. Without doubt, he was head and shoulders above everyone in that tournament.

Note when I listed criteria, I said something magical to give your team a lift. Zidane gave one of the greatest world cup performance ever seen in the game against Brazil in 2006. His game also against the Spaniards was breathless.

Zidan in 2006 World Cup was nothing less than magic.

Zinedine Zidane vs Brazil - Magical Performance 2006 WC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNxDze0Ggag