Awards ·
World Cup 2026 awards: Rodri wins the Golden Ball, Mbappe the Golden Boot
Spain's midfielder was named best player, France's Kylian Mbappe scored 10 goals to win the Golden Boot, and Pau Cubarsi was the best young player.
Spain's Rodri won the Golden Ball as the best player of the 2026 World Cup, after starting all eight of Spain's matches and anchoring the midfield. Lionel Messi took the Silver Ball and Kylian Mbappe the Bronze Ball.
The individual awards
- Golden Ball: Rodri (Spain)
- Golden Boot: Kylian Mbappe (France), 10 goals and four assists. Messi took the Silver Boot with 8 goals and England's Jude Bellingham the Bronze Boot with 7.
- Golden Glove: Unai Simon (Spain), with seven clean sheets. Spain conceded just one goal in 740 minutes of play.
- Best Young Player: Pau Cubarsi (Spain), a teenage defender.
It was Mbappe's second Golden Boot, after his 8 goals in 2022. Bellingham became the first English player to score seven goals at one World Cup, in the 6-4 third-place win over France.
The awards will feed the debate about the Ballon d'Or, which is awarded on 26 October.
Sources: Britannica, Bleacher Report, FIFA.
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