After every World Cup final tournament, FIFA awards both players and teams who have made a mark in various aspects of the game. These are some of the six most coveted and recognized awards in the world of soccer.
The Golden Ball – Popularly known as the Adidas Golden Ball, it is given to the best player in the World Cup final. FIFA’s technical committee draws up a shortlist and the winner is chosen by the media. The runners-up receive the Adidas Silver Ball and Bronze Ball. Soccer legends who have won The Golden Ball are Didi, Garrincha, Bobby Charlton, Pelé, Johan Cruyff, Mario Kempes, Paolo Rossi, Maradona, Salvatore Schillaci, Romário, Ronaldo, Oliver Kahn and Zidane.
The Golden Shoe – Also called the Golden Boot, it has been renamed the Adidas Golden Shoe since 1982. This award for the top goal scorer goes back to 1930. The 1994 World Cup saw Silver and Bronze Shoes being added in recognition of the second and third best scorers in the tournament. Past Golden Shoe winners are Just Fontaine, Eusébio, soccer uniforms 10 Gerd Müller, Mario Kempes, Paolo Rossi, Gary Lineker, Salvatore Schillaci, Ronaldo and Miroslav Klose.
The Yashin Award for Best Goalkeeper – First awarded in 1994, this award is named in honor of the late USSR goalkeeper, Lev Yashin. The top goalkeeper is selected on the basis of his performance throughout the final competition. Even though goalkeepers have this award, they are also eligible for the Golden Ball. Oliver Kahn won this honor in the 2002 World Cup. Other Yashin Award winners Fabien Barthez and Gianluigi Buffon.
The Gillette Best Young Player – This Award goes to the best player under the age of 21. Started as late as 2006, that year’s award was won by Lukas Podolski. In order to choose the best young player between 1958 and 2002, FIFA undertook an Internet survey. Pele won with 61% of the votes.
The FIFA Fair Play Trophy – This trophy has been around since 1970 and goes to the team with the best record of fair play. It is different from the FIFA Fair Play Award. Teams that qualify for the second round get considered for this Trophy, which entitles them to the Fair Play Trophy, a diploma, a medal for each player and official, as well as $50,000 worth of soccer equipment for youth development. Though the award was originally a certificate, it was later based on the soccer crazy cartoon character, Sport Billy. Recently, the character was changed to a footballer’s figure. Peru won the first FIFA Fair Play trophy back in 1970, while Brazil and Spain both won the 2006 Trophy.
The Most Entertaining Team – This award is decided by the public through a poll. It was first awarded in 1994 with Brazil winning the honor. Recent awards have been based on Internet votes, earning the criticism of not representing the fan base accurately. Other teams to have won this award are France, Korea Republic and Portugal.