The "Player of the Match" award at the 2026 World Cup is becoming a controversial topic as a series of decisions are considered unconvincing.
Recently, Casemiro was honored after Brazil's hard-fought victory over Japan, although this midfielder had an underperforming performance for most of the match.
Before scoring the equalizer, Casemiro made many mistakes, letting Kaishu Sano score the opening goal, coordinating poorly with Lucas Paqueta and Matheus Cunha, and continuously showing signs of physical overload. If it weren't for Paqueta's injury, Casemiro would likely have been substituted out after the first half.
However, the header goal in the second half helped Casemiro be voted by fans as the best player of the match. This decision surprised many people because the overall performance of the Brazilian midfielder was not really convincing.
Casemiro is not the only controversial case. Cristiano Ronaldo also received the award after Portugal's victory over Croatia, although the main mark was only the equalizing penalty. Lamine Yamal was honored when Spain beat Austria 3-0, despite Mikel Oyarzabal scoring a double and Marc Cucurella having two assists.
Jude Bellingham even frankly admitted that he did not deserve the award after the draw with Ghana. The England midfielder believes that a Ghanaian player is the one who deserves to be honored for his excellent defensive performance.
The cause of the controversy lies in the FIFA awarding method. The "Player of the Match" title is decided through online voting by fans, with voting taking place right during the match. This makes the result easily affected by the popularity of the stars instead of the actual performance on the field.
Lionel Messi was also awarded the prize after Argentina's hard-fought victory over Cabo Verde, although many opinions suggest that goalkeeper Vozinha and defender Sidny Lopes Cabral were the most outstanding players. Similarly, Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz are also considered cases benefiting from personal appeal.
Letting fans decide the award is making football increasingly personalized, where reputation and the number of followers on social networks are more weighty than real performances. This inadvertently overshadows unknown but excellent players.
In fact, stars from small teams like Vozinha or Cabral will probably cherish this title more than anyone else. However, in an era where interaction and media attraction are increasingly dominating football, the value of individual awards is also being questioned.
