World Cup 2010 Golden Ball Nominees: Spain’s David Villa, Netherlands’ Wesley Sneijder Favourites
FIFA have announced the nominees for the Golden Ball, and it is no surprise that finalists Spain and Netherlands dominate the list. The Golden Ball is awarded to the best player at the World Cup, and is a very special award for any football player. In the last World Cup, the legendary Zinedine Zidane was declared the winner, despite his red card in the final and France’s eventual defeat at the hands of Italy.
The two clear favourites for the award are Spanish striker David Villa and Dutch midfield maestro Wesley Sneijder, closely followed by the Dutch winger Arjen Robben and midfielder Andres Iniesta of Spain.
David Villa and Wesley Sneijder have both scored five times in the tournament so far, and also head the race for the Golden Boot award, which is given to the highest scorer at the tournament. Sneijder is probably just ahead of Villa in the race for the Golden Ball, though, since the Dutchman has scored his goals from midfield, whereas the Spanish forward has netted his goals from a position further down the pitch.
Arjen Robben is another contender, as he has been exceptional since returning from injury. Scoring twice in four games and being crucial to the way his team plays, the Dutch winger has largely been unstoppable as the Netherlands have made their way to their third World Cup final. Iniesta, along with Xavi, run the Spanish midfield, but Iniesta has been in far better form than his Barcelona teammate. Scoring once has helped strengthen his case for the award, but unless something dramatic happens in the final, it appears that the award will go either to David Villa or Wesley Sneijder.
Germany was the best team in the tournament before their elimination at the hands of Spain, and their form has seen two of their players getting nominations. Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mesut Ozil have been nominated from a German side that has been very impressive. It was sad to see them eliminated after the way they have performed, scoring four goals on three separate occasions. Thomas Muller should count himself unlucky, as he hasn't been nominated for the Golden Ball, but looks certain to win the young player award at the tournament.
Uruguay, Argentina and Ghana have one nominee each with Diego Forlan, Lionel Messi and Asamoah Gyan up for the award respectively. It is a little surprising to see the name of Lionel Messi mentioned among the tournament’s best players, since he didn't score a single goal and his Argentinean side was eliminated before even reaching the Semifinal list.
Some of the players expected to impress in the tournament, like Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, have also not been nominated, after poor performances by them individually and by their national sides put them out of the running.
The award is voted on by journalists and will be declared after the World Cup final between Spain and Netherlands has been played. Overall, the nominees reflect the form shown by players in the tournament, and whoever is picked will be a worthy winner.
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