The Golden Ball is an award given to the best player at each FIFA World Cup which are selected by the FIFA technical committee. The runner-ups are awarded with the Silver Ball and Bronze Ball respectively.
The current award was first introduced in the 1982 France World Cup and is now sponsored by 'Adidas' and 'France Football' .
| Year | Edition | Player | Country |
| 1982 | Spain | Edilson | Italy |
| 1986 | Mexico | Diego Maradona | Argentina |
| 1990 | Italy | Salvatore Schillaci | Italy |
| 1994 | United States | Romario | Brazil |
| 1998 | France | Ronaldo | Brazil |
| 2002 | South Korea/Japan | Oliver Kahn | Germany |
| 2006 | Germany | Zinedane Zidane | France |
| 2010 | South Africa | Diego Forlan | Uruguay |
| 2014 | Brazil | Lionel Messi | Argentina |
