Contenders for the Golden Ball, Golden Boot, and Golden Glove at the 2022 FIFA World Cup

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The 2022 FIFA World Cup is nearing its end with only two matches remaining, the third-place match between Croatia and Morocco and then the final itself, between Argentina and defending champions France. Both teams are looking to making history, with Messi announcing that this will be his last match representing Argentina, and France hoping to become the first team to win consecutive World Cup titles, since Brazil did so in 1958 and 1962. However, the World Cup is not the only award up for offer, with the coveted Golden Boot, Golden Glove, and Golden Ball awards being closely contested. Messi and Mbappe are tied at 5 goals each and are leading the race to win the Golden Boot, which is awarded to the highest goalscorer. Julian Alvarez of Argentina and Olivier Giroud, are second in the race, having scored 4 goals each. In the instance of a tie-break, Messi is again leading the contenders with the highest number of assists (3), followed by Mbappe (2).

The Golden Glove, which is awarded to the best performing goalkeeper, however, is decided in a more subjective way, and decided by the FIFA Technical Study Group. The four goalkeepers in contention are Emi Martinez of Argentina, Hugo Lloris of France, Dominik Livakovic of Croatia, and Yassine Bounou of Morocco, of whom Bounou, Livakovic and Martinez have successfully defended in at least one penalty shootout. In the instance of a tie, the winner will be decided based on the team that progresses furthest in the tournament.

The final award, the Golden Ball, is awarded to the best player overall, and is selected by the global media from nominees picked by the FIFA Technical Study Group. While the contenders cannot be known for sure, Messi and Mbappe are expected to be the front-runners due to the role played by each in their team’s performance. Luka Modric and Antoine Griezmann are other potential nominees, along with Livakovic and Achraf Hakimi. Past winners include Messi and Zidane, as well as goalkeeper Oliver Kahn who won it along with the Golden Glove at the 2022 World Cup