Pep Guardiola said it back in October 2025, when Rodri was still hobbling through his ACL recovery: "At the World Cup he will be the best Rodri." He was right. Spain's midfielder was crowned the Golden Ball winner at MetLife Stadium — the best player at the entire tournament.
The crowd chanted "Messi!" during his trophy presentation. The Argentine, at 39, collected the Silver Ball instead. That probably tells you everything about how the tournament felt emotionally, even if Spain deserved every bit of what they won.
Mbappé breaks a 56-year-old record
Kylian Mbappé took the Golden Boot with 10 goals — the most by any player in a single World Cup since Gerd Müller hit double digits for West Germany in 1970. He now leads the all-time World Cup scoring charts, one ahead of Messi.
Unless Messi makes a frankly unthinkable return in 2030 at age 43, Mbappé's record is safe and growing. Argentina's Julián Alvarez had promised before the final that "every game is a battle" for Messi. The Golden Boot ended up going to the Frenchman anyway. The Bronze Ball followed.
The full individual award list from the 2026 World Cup:
- Golden Boot (top scorer): Kylian Mbappé (France) — 10 goals
- Golden Ball (best player): Rodri (Spain)
- Silver Ball: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
- Bronze Ball: Kylian Mbappé (France)
- Golden Glove (best goalkeeper): Unai Simón (Spain)
- Best Young Player: Pau Cubarsí (Spain)
- Fair Play Trophy: Netherlands
Simón, Cubarsí, and a Netherlands consolation prize
Unai Simón claimed the Golden Glove after Spain conceded almost nothing throughout the tournament — just 11 shots on target across the entire competition, and seven clean sheets in total, a record. The final was so one-sided he barely touched the ball in anger. That's not bystander work though; Spain's defensive structure is built partly on how aggressively Simón sweeps behind his back four.
Pau Cubarsí took the Young Player award at 19, outshining Lamine Yamal and the rest of the under-21 cohort with a composure that doesn't belong to someone his age. Asked about life after football, he was refreshingly unbothered: "If one day football doesn't go so well, carpentry will always be there."
The Netherlands won the Fair Play Trophy for collecting just three yellow cards — then went out in the round of 32. A clean disciplinary record is, it turns out, not the same thing as being good at football.
