In the early morning of July 20, Spain defeated Argentina with a score of 1-0 after extra time to win the World Cup for the second time in history. Besides La Roja's championship, FIFA also announced individual titles after the tournament.
Accordingly, Kylian Mbappe won the Golden Shoe with 10 goals, Pau Cubarsi was honored as the Best Young Player, while Unai Simon received the Golden Glove award for the best goalkeeper.
In the most anticipated category, Rodri was awarded the 2026 World Cup Golden Ball for the best player of the tournament.
The Spanish midfielder plays a central role in the home team's journey to the championship. Not only completing the task of recovering the ball well, Rodri also regulates the pace of the match, organizes the playing style and creates a balance between attack and defense.
However, the voting results have created much debate on social media platforms. Before the final match, Lionel Messi was widely considered by fans as a bright candidate for this title thanks to his stable performance throughout the tournament.
The captain of the Argentine team scored 8 goals, had 4 assists and continued to play the leading role, making a great contribution to helping the South American team advance to the final even though they ultimately could not defend the championship.
Many opinions believe that Messi is the most influential player at the 2026 World Cup and deserves to be honored regardless of the final result. Meanwhile, many fans also assess that Rodri winning the Golden Ball is reasonable, because this midfielder is an irreplaceable factor in Spain's tactical system and made a great contribution to the championship.
According to international media, Rodri is an important link in Spain's midfield, maintaining balance in playing style and making outstanding contributions to the crowning journey. This is considered one of the factors that helped the Manchester City midfielder receive many votes.
The final results of the 2026 World Cup Golden Ball vote recorded Rodri at the top, Lionel Messi in second place, and Kylian Mbappe in third place.
