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Lionel Messi is crowned Qatar 2022 World Cup best player

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This is a moment Lionel Messi will cherish for ever. He not only lead his country to win the World Cup and also scoring the opening goal, he was officially named as the best player of the tournament. Now he can retire from international football in peace and glory.

The Argentinian forward won the adidas Golden Ball which is awarded to the best player by the FIFA Technical Study Group (TSG). Kylian Mbappe from France and Luka Modric from Croatia came second and third respectively.

The adidas Golden Boot was won by Kylian Mbappe, with 8 goals and 2 assists. Lionel Messi collected the Silver Boot and Olivier Giroud from France the Bronze.

Emiliano Martinez from Argentina collected the adidas Golden Glove while England took the FIFA Fair Play Trophy. The FIFA Young Player Award goes to Enzo Fernandez from Argentina.

FIFA Fair Play Trophy

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TrophyTeam
FIFA Fair PlayEngland

The FIFA Fair Play Trophy will be presented to the team finishing first in the fair play contest. The applicable rules are in the fair play contest regulations

adidas Golden Boot Award

AwardPlayerTeam / No.GoalsAssistsMinutes
Golden BootMBAPPE KylianFrance / 1082597
Silver BootMESSI LionelArgentina / 1073690
Bronze BootGIROUD OlivierFrance / 940424

The Golden Boot will be awarded to the player who scores the most goals in the final competition. If two or more players score the same number of goals, the number of assists shall be decisive. If two or more players are still equal after taking into account the number of assists, the total minutes played in the tournament will be taken into account, with the player playing fewer minutes ranked first. A Silver Boot and a Bronze Boot for the second and third-highest goal scorers will also be awarded.

adidas Golden Glove Award

AwardPlayerTeam / No.
Golden GloveMARTINEZ EmilianoArgentina / 23

The Golden Glove will be awarded to the best goalkeeper in the tournament, as selected by the FIFA Technical Study Group.

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adidas Golden Ball Award

AwardPlayerTeam / No.
Golden BallMESSI LionelArgentina / 10
Silver BallMBAPPE KylianFrance / 10
Bronze BallMODRIC LukaCroatia / 10

The Golden Ball will be awarded to the best player in the final competition on the basis of a ranking compiled by the FIFA Technical Study Group. A Silver Ball and a Bronze Ball will be awarded to the second and third-best players.

Young Player Award

AwardPlayerTeam / No.
Young PlayerFERNANDEZ EnzoArgentina / 24

The Young Player Award will be presented to the best young player (born on or after 1 January 2001) in the final competition, as selected by the FIFA Technical Study Group.

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Ronaldo becomes football’s first billionaire, says report

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 Saudi Pro League - Al Ittihad v Al Nassr - King Abdullah Sport City Stadium, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - September 26, 2025 Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after the match REUTERS/Stringer

Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first footballer to reach billionaire status, according to the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which has valued the Portugal great’s net worth at an estimated $1.4 billion.

The 40-year-old striker’s financial ascent comes after he signed a new contract with Saudi side Al-Nassr in June reportedly worth more than $400 million.

Bloomberg said that Ronaldo earned more than $550 million in salary between 2002 and 2023, supplemented by a decade-long Nike deal worth nearly $18 million annually, and lucrative endorsements with Armani, Castrol and others that added more than $175 million to his fortune.

Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr from Manchester United in 2023 had already made him the highest-paid player in football history, with an annual salary of 177 million pounds ($237.52 million), plus bonuses and a reported 15% share in his Saudi Arabia club.

Argentina and Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi has earned more than $600 million in pre-tax salary during his career.

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Ronaldo’s billionaire status places him among a rare group of athletes that includes basketball greats Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and LeBron James, golfer Tiger Woods and tennis player Roger Federer.

Ronaldo suggested he is not considering retirement any time soon.

“I still have a passion for this,” he said at the Portugal Football Globes gala on Tuesday. “My family says it’s time to quit and they ask me why I want to score 1000 goals if I’ve already scored 900-something. But I don’t think that way inside.

“I’m still producing good things, I’m helping my club and the national team. Why not continue? I am sure that when I finish I will leave full because I gave everything of myself. I know I don’t have many years left to play, but the few I have left, I have to enjoy them to the fullest.”

-Reuters

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Former England captain, David Beckham and actor Gary Oldman awarded knighthoods

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David Beckham, businessman and retired football player, waits to meet Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla, at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London, Britain, May 19, 2025. REUTERS/Toby Melville/Pool/File Photo

Former England soccer captain David Beckham and actor Gary Oldman were knighted in King Charles’ annual birthday honours list on Saturday, while sculptor Antony Gormley was made a Companion of Honour.

Beckham, 50, joined Manchester United as a trainee in 1993, going on to make almost 400 appearances for the club where he won a string of titles and cups.

He subsequently played for Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, and Inter Milan, as well as captaining his country 58 times and making 115 appearances.

His marriage to fashion designer and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham in 1999 cemented a celebrity status which went far beyond his sporting exploits.

Oldman, 67, started his career on the stage, where he was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, before rising to prominence in film. He won the best actor Oscar for playing Winston Churchill in the 2017 drama “Darkest Hour”.

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He also had roles in the “Dark Knight Trilogy” and the “Harry Potter” movie series and more recently starred in the TV spy drama “Slow Horses”.

Other famous names receiving honours included damehoods for musical theatre star Elaine Paige, novelist Pat Barker and ceramics maker Emma Bridgewater.

Roger Daltrey, lead singer of rock band the Who and a patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust, received a knighthood for services to charity.

More than 1,200 people received honours for their achievements, with a particular focus on those who had given their time to public service, the government said.

King Charles’ official birthday will be celebrated with the annual “Trooping the Colour” military parade in London on Saturday. His actual birthday is on November 14

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-Reuters

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Diego Maradona trial judge stands down amid scandal

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Italy Court Clears Maradona Of Tax Evasion Years After His Death -

One of three judges in Diego Maradona’s closely scrutinized homicide trial in Argentina resigned on Tuesday amid a scandal triggered by the alleged filming of an unauthorised documentary, bringing uncertainty to the future of legal proceedings.

The high-profile trial over the death of soccer star Maradona began on March 11 in the South American country where the World Cup winner is still revered.

-Reuters

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