Spain's World Cup win came with an armful of individual awards. Captain Rodri was named the tournament's best player ahead of Lionel Messi, Unai Simón took the Golden Glove behind the best defence a champion has ever had, and Pau Cubarsí edged teammate Lamine Yamal as best young player. The one prize that got away went to Kylian Mbappé, whose 10 goals made him the first player to win the Golden Boot at two World Cups.
Rodri did not score once in eight games, but it did not matter. The Spain captain ran the tournament from midfield on his terms, and the Golden Ball rewarded control rather than highlights.
But not everyone agreed. Many voices argue that Messi, who scored eight goals and dragged Argentina back to the final at 39, deserved this award. Some in the Argentine press called the decision a snub. Messi settled for the Silver Ball, Mbappé the Bronze.
Unai Simón had little competition in the race for the Golden Glove. Spain conceded only once in eight matches, the fewest by any World Cup winner. The goalkeeper's run without a goal stretched for almost eleven hours straight. Charles De Ketelaere finally beat Unai in the quarter-final.
In the World Cup final, Argentina did not put a shot on target for 114 minutes.
The Best Young Player award went to Cubarsí, the 19-year-old centre-back who anchored the defence and was flattened for the final's decisive red card. Yamal, his 19-year-old club and country teammate, was also in the running for this award. The Barcelona star can, however, boast a European title and a World Cup to his name.
Three of the four main honours went to Spain. France's captain took the fourth.
Mbappé finished on 10 goals and four assists, sealing the award with a brace in the third-place playoff against England. The same afternoon, he passed Messi's 21 to become the World Cup's all-time leading scorer on 22. No player had ever won the Golden Boot at two World Cups; Mbappé now has 2022 and 2026.
France, though, went home fourth. Messi's eight goals earned the Silver Boot and Jane Bellingham took the Bronze. He scored a seventh goal against France, a record for England.
