By Jamie Griffith
The Golden Ball, awarded to the best player at the World Cup, has gone to a player on the winning side just once in the last seven editions, so England fans may be a touch worried to see Harry Kane towards the head of the market.
That said, the Three Lions captain is a worthy favourite given his record-breaking exploits for Bayern Munich this season.
However, he was largely anonymous at Euro 2024 and there are no guarantees he will take his club form to the global stage this summer.
Instead, it could pay to support a player who has proved they can do exactly that on multiple occasions.
France superstar Kylian Mbappe has scored 12 goals in just 14 World Cup appearances and would probably have been named Golden Ball winner in Qatar four years ago had his side not lost to Argentina on penalties in the final.
It is frightening to think that Mbappe may only be just entering his prime and he heads to North America following another productive season at Real Madrid, for whom he scored 39 goals and provided six assists in 41 La Liga and Champions League appearances.
| Golden Ball winners | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Winner | Nation |
| 1982 | Paolo Rossi | Italy |
| 1986 | Diego Maradona | Argentina |
| 1990 | Salvatore Schillaci | Italy |
| 1994 | Romario | Brazil |
| 1998 | Ronaldo | Brazil |
| 2002 | Oliver Khan | Germany |
| 2006 | Zinedine Zidane | France |
| 2010 | Diego Forlan | Uruguay |
| 2014 | Lionel Messi | Argentina |
| 2018 | Luka Modric | Croatia |
| 2022 | Lionel Messi | Argentina |
Mbappe was nigh on unstoppable at the 2022 World Cup. He scored eight goals, chipped in with two assists and bagged the first hat-trick in a final since England’s Geoff Hurst in 1966.
A born winner, Mbappe will be determined to underline why many believe he is the greatest player on the planet when at the top of his game.
He should also get plenty of chances to impress the panel who hand out the award with France predicted to go far in their pursuit of a third world title.
Another player who can step up in the big moments for his side is Raphinha, who may edge out Vinicius Junior as Brazil’s go-to guy this summer. Indeed, he outscored his national teammate 5-2 in qualifying.
With managerial legend Carlo Ancelotti at the helm, the five-time winners are well-placed to improve on some underwhelming recent showings at the finals, and you can bet that Raphinha will be at the heart of any success wherever he lines up in the Brazilian forward line.
The former Leeds star has a knack for stepping up at big moments, netting seven goals and providing six assists in eight Champions League knockout matches for Barca, and his eye for the spectacular could also help swing the vote his way, as shown by Diego Forlan’s triumph in 2010.
