The Golden Ball has been part of the World Cup story since 1982, when Paolo Rossi became the first player to win the award after scoring a tournament-high six goals. Since then, the honor has become a staple at each World Cup, recognizing the leading performer on the game’s biggest stage.
That long-running history is part of what gives the World Cup MVP discussion its weight. In 44 years, only 10 different players have won the Golden Ball, a small group that includes Diego Maradona, Salvatore Schillaci, and Lionel Messi. The list is short, but the standard is high: this is the award that identifies the tournament’s top individual force.
How the Golden Ball began
The award first arrived in 1982, and Rossi set the tone immediately. His six-goal tournament not only made him the inaugural Golden Ball winner, but also established the idea that the prize would go to the player who most shaped the World Cup.
That template has held up across decades and continents. From Maradona in 1986 to Schillaci in 1990, the Golden Ball has often reflected both elite production and a deep tournament run. Schillaci’s win also came during a World Cup in which Italy finished third, another reminder that the award can shine a spotlight on individual excellence even when the trophy goes elsewhere.
The modern chase
In 2026, Lionel Messi was leading the charge for the Golden Ball at the World Cup in North America. That puts one of the game’s most recognizable stars in the same conversation as the award’s earliest winners, showing how the Golden Ball still carries the same meaning it did when Rossi first won it.
More than four decades later, the award remains simple in purpose and powerful in value. The World Cup MVP label may be informal, but the Golden Ball has become the clearest way to identify the player who defined the tournament.
