Mbappé wins another Golden Boot, and Spain’s Rodri gets Golden Ball

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (AP):

Kylian Mbappé kept the Golden Boot award and Spain wouldn’t let Lionel Messi get anything else.

Shortly after winning the World Cup title yesterday the Spaniards claimed all three individual player awards, keeping Messi from leaving with any more personal hardware.

Rodri won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player, Unai Simón won the Golden Glove for the top performance by a goalkeeper, and Pau Cubarsí won the Best Young Player Award, beating out fellow 19-year-old teammate Lamine Yamal.

Messi was hoping to win a record-extending third Golden Ball, adding to his 2014 and 2022 honours. He’s already the only player to win the award multiple times since it was first given in 1978, and sparking Argentina’s run to a second straight final at age 39 gave him a strong case for another.

But the award went to Rodri for captaining Spain’s run to its second World Cup title after the Manchester City midfielder struggled early after returning in May 2025 from knee surgery that sidelined him eight months.

“For me, it’s been a very tough time. I just want the new generation to see my example as an opportunity to that if you go down, you can rise again,” he said.

Rodri had no goals or assists in the tournament, but he was critical to Spain’s possession-heavy style of play. He completed more passes than anyone (753) with 94 per cent accuracy. He was involved in 1,803 plays, according to FIFA stats, nearly 200 more than anyone else in this World Cup.

Rodri became just the 11th man to win the World Cup, the UEFA Champions League and the Ballon d’Or — the biggest individual award in football which he won in 2024 when Spain won the European title.